Divine Intervention

Is it a coincidence or divine intervention? You decide.

One night I prayed really hard that I would receive some sort of sign from God about my 19 month old little boy who was not talking and seemed a little out of sorts. The next day, I walked outside to get the mail when I saw the next door neighbor and stopped to chat with her. We talked about her little boy, Riley, who is Kylie's age and how he had just been diagnosed with autism. We were on "hello" and "see ya later" terms with these neighbors and Alan had often referred to them as "The Friendlys" because they often kept to themselves......now we knew why. They were really struggling with the fact that their only child had closed up and stopped talking or communicating at the age of two. As I was listening to her, I watched her Riley in the front yard and he was making some of the same noises that I had often heard from my Riley. Not only that, he looked really familiar. It hit me like a ton of bricks. He acts just like my Riley. MY RILEY HAS AUTISM, TOO!!!

Not long after, our neighbors put their house on the market and moved away. I was really sad because I felt like I could really learn from their experiences and we also could have shared some sort of bond. Maybe this was God's way of making me get out there and search on my own to find all the possible options for my little boy. After all, I never would have found Mrs. B who is practically responsible for Riley doing some of the things he is doing now. And, I would have never become so close to some of the amazing women at my church who encourage me daily and make me and Riley feel normal.

Well, the house has been empty for over a year and today when I pulled up I saw a strange man in the garage but my old neighbor's car. It turns out that the neighbors are getting a divorce because the husband just didn't want to put forth the effort anymore (80% divorce rate for parents of autistic children) and the wife and her new boyfriend are going to be living there again. I spoke to both of them and he seems really nice and she even offered up a book on potty-training to me. We talked for a long time and exchanged stories, thoughts, and feelings. I feel really excited about having someone so close with a common bond. I probably won't be asking for relationship advice but she knows way more than I do about doctors, allergists, the school system and services that I should be asking for that may help Riley.

So I wonder.........is this just a random coincidence or does this have God's fingerprints all over it? The answer is in the title.