Fearing that it sounds too egotistical to keep referring to myself as a leader, my explanation involves the fact that I’m merely trying to land this moniker on all of us mothers who are struggling with our children and their unique sets of circumstances.

I have heroes and mentors that I quote often but that’s because I read them often, attempting to pump myself back up after each round here. Lee Iacocca describes leaders as “taking their knocks, learning and moving forward; not just survivors but fighters.”

He suggests surrounding oneself with good people, never go it alone and to have a fire in one’s belly for what one does. With vision and a good team, the odds of success increase dramatically.

Adding to our team today, I met with a new psychiatrist for a son that may now need medication just to function normally, this after a great deal of testing and evaluation. I immediately liked this woman, finding her to be sharp and astute.

Again I had to tell our story, I’m more and more able to condense it to the bare facts lately and I’m glad that this new doctor works closely with our regular ones, I’m even more thankful for the adoption assistance Medicaid provision as there’s no other way we would be able to avail ourselves of therapies.

I’m counting this Medicaid as one of the many blessings that we receive. I try and focus on this positive fact rather than bemoaning the obvious need that some of my kids have for mental health services. Much of what we face can be traced back to their original traumas and subsequent challenges; as such it is treatable if we are willing to invest the time and the effort.

My vision is for them all to succeed in one way or another and I keep reminding myself of that during the dark, oppressive times.