Do you ever ask God or the Universe for a sign? It’s easy to turn a little coincidence into the very sign we’ve been waiting for– but a few years back, I got the exact sign I asked for.

My daughter was in Middle School and having a terrible time with bullying. She regularly came home upset and distraught. I had tried all of the obvious ways to help her navigate it and stand up to it and deal with it, but to no avail. One day, after a particularly upsetting incident, she came home and literally fell through the door sobbing, saying, “I can’t do this anymore.” And I knew right then, we were at our limit.

It was mid-school year and my mind immediately started racing through the options, one of which was to pull her out of public school and homeschool her for the rest of the year. She needed a reprieve and this would provide it. Homeschooling would be a big decision and big commitment and I just wasn’t sure I was up to the task. We were headed out to dinner with new friends that night and of course, my brain was completely distracted and consumed with what to do about my daughter. So I asked God for a sign.

“God, this decision to pull her out and homeschool her is so big and so important. And I’m just not able to make it on my own. I’m asking you specifically that someone completely out of the blue will say the word ‘homeschool’ to me. And it will be so random, I’ll know it’s you.”

There we were, sitting at dinner with these people I’d just met, discussing kids and family life and such, when the topic turned to our son. He potentially could’ve been drafted for Major League Baseball during his senior year of high school, meaning he would need an alternative education to finish his graduation requirements.

“Couldn’t you just homeschool him if that happens?”, asked my new friend.

Why yes. Yes I could.

Mic. Drop.

And there it was. The sign I asked for and so desperately needed.

I sent a letter to the school district the next day withdrawing my daughter and letting them know I intended to homeschool her. And while it was the best decision I ever made for her, I’ve always been glad I got the go ahead sign first.

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To this day, An Open Letter to My Daughter’s Bullies, Including but Not Limited to the Mean Girls, is still my most widely read blog post.