It takes a village

I am eternally grateful for the many people that help me get everyone where they have to be, safely and on time. I am equally grateful for the opportunity to return the favor and help when I can. I just picked up my friend's daughter at school. She isn't feeling well and Lana is stuck at work with her husband away on a family emergency.

I have 4 children, so I sometimes feel like I rely on other people more than they rely on me.

Let's take the end of the school day carpool.

Before last school year our town redistricted our middle schools. Our neighborhood was switched from one school to another. The kicker was that Brooke had just finished her first year of middle school and had adjusted nicely and had a great group of friends who we loved. Thank God for "grandfathering". Unfortunately, keeping her at Conackamack meant losing her bus priviledge. We would have to transport her.

Well, it took me about one day to realize that I was in trouble. It was near impossible to pick Brooke up at school and get home in time for Mark, my then 2nd grader. So, Lana arranged for Brooke to join her carpool. Brooke would be driven by whoever was picking up Megan to Megan's house and I could pick her up there once the boys got home -- no rush.

Things got funny when, later in the year, Megan joined the chorus and had rehearsal on Thursday afternoons. So, the plan became: Brooke would go with Debbie, the Thursday carpool driver, and be dropped off at Megan's house, let herself in using the garage code and wait for Brandon, Megan's brother, so that he wouldn't be alone. Then, at 3:30 I would go to school, pick up Megan from chorus rehearsal and bring her home and pick up Brooke. It sounded crazy at the time. But, it worked.

Thank God for the village!