Yesterday was supposed to be the first day of school, but the various power outages across the county thanks to Irene messed with the schedule. So the kids got an extra day of sleeping in and hanging out before getting back into the routine.

Many other counties did start on time, and Amalah wrote a bit about Noah's leap into kindergarten and the accomodations he's getting. She reminded me, and probably a lot of other readers, of how lucky we are to have services and support for our children. I don't think Amalah just got lucky, though. "Luck" implies that something just happened, that it was handed to her. She fought and she worked and she sometimes had to struggle to try to figure out what her son needed and how to give that to him. She made her own luck.

My struggles were not so monumental. My county is already known for its resources for special needs kids. Our elementary school, the one we have just because of geography, is highly rated for counseling and special education support. That was pure dumb luck. Hoss' teacher from last year moved up a grade this year, and Hoss was lucky enough to be in his class again. In reality, I was lucky enough to have a principal who didn't want to mess with what worked last year and made sure that we could keep Hoss and Mr. G together. I'm lucky to have a staff at the school who understands my son and loves him on his own merits, regardless of the ADHD and the bipolar disorder. I couldn't control that, I just got a gift. I am lucky that my county has a program for the kids who need that extra help that a comprehensive school can't provide, otherwise Princess would be either in a private institution or in and out of hospitals because she is still learning how to navigate the fact that her brain and body not are cooperating with her wants and needs.

We make our own luck when we can, and we accept any lucky breaks that come our way, I guess. Here's hoping for more four leaf clover all around.