Looking for a light in the darkness.

For weeks, we've been feeling this tug at our hearts to explore different schooling options for our children. The school system we came from was advanced, and our kids excelled in that environment. While the schools in our community are acclaimed to be among the best, they just aren't at the level we came from. The kids' teachers are great, the school is well-run, it's just not "us."

I started exploring some charter and private school options. One charter school in particular caught my eye for our daughter. I could just see her being there. While charters here are state schools, and therefore get public school funds, there is a discrepancy, and parents are expected to come up with the difference. It's "voluntary" of course, but this good girl can't stand the thought of not chipping in our fair share of the fare when others do because of strapped finances. I'm no freeloader.

Then there's the boy. He's approaching high school, and the high school in our community is GINORMOUS. There's only one, with several feeder schools into it. The band looks and sounds good, but it's just not like "home."

So, we started the chase. Other public schools, charters, privates, you name it, we toured it. One caught my husband's eye especially -- I, of course, missed the ONE that my husband liked while I was home with a strep girl.

Then today in church (of course!) our pastor spoke about "making ripples." And how you can't be a light amongst so many other lights. Sometimes you have to step into the darkness. He spoke about Matthew, and the "cost" that was associated with following Jesus. He talked about how every decision we make comes at a cost. And because of that, we should never leave God--or God FOLLOWERS--out of the equation when making hard decisions.

Sitting in front of us was one of our son's teachers.

I approached him after church and asked if we could pick his brain about some high school options for our son. He asked him what interested him the most, and the boy talked about History, civilizations and world wars. The teacher said, "Don't rule out SDOHS, because it has an incredible Academy of American Studies program just for kids interested in this specialized field." Our son asked about band. "The number one marching band in the whole state! They march at the Rose Bowl every year."

Jaw hits floor. Why did we not know about this school, which is 15 minutes away?

Because we hadn't been looking in the right place.