My first thought, Stephanie, is that no human could have put this together. It would be a wonderful opportunity to have Christian fellowship.

As long as it is ok with the couple I would proceed. I don't think you need a green light from your ES. Keep him in prayer. Only God can change hearts. Please keep us updated on how you feel led.

I have a Christian friend that says there are no coincidences only Godincidences. In our Christian walk when we pray we can know that God is working in His way and in His timing. The best thing we can do is pray first. Wait on Him and listen to His voice. It often comes as we read His Word and come before His presence.

God bless you and each dear person here.

I agree with what lindajoan said. Firstly, you don't need permission from your son. And secondly, I don't believe this is a co-incidence.

Hi Stephanie. Wow. I agree that this is a strange twist. I have contemplated what Lindajoan mentioned about there being no coincidences only Godincidences too. Unfortunately, I have not been able to draw any hard and fast conclusions yet, except to say that we live in a fallen world that is under the control of the evil one and therefore everything is not good anymore. I have struggled to decipher if the "coincidences" in my life were God ordained, or a stumbling block of the enemy, since many turned out to be anything but godly as they played out in my life. Having said that, sometimes I have seen God's hand in this phenomenon even when things have gone badly, since He declares that He works all things together (even the stumbling blocks of the enemy) for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. The "good" has usually been internal, heart changes that God wanted to produce in me and not good changes in the external situation, however. When coincidences arise in my life anymore, I try to ask myself how this could be bad for me if it seems a good thing on the surface; what could go wrong as this potentially good coincidence plays out in my life. I hope that makes sense. I agree with Lindajoan, that the decision ultimately lies in the hands of this couple and yourself. You are kind to care about the effect it may have on your relationship with your son, but my knee-jerk reaction when I first read your post was to think of the effect it could have on you, first. I encourage you to be on guard for your own sake. You will be in a vulnerable situation living in close quarters with this couple who get to see you up close and personal. You have more to lose in regard to your relationship with your son if things go south in the course of living with this couple. Your son may gain an ally in a work colleague who can say he lived with you and therefore validate any allegations your son may have against you, true or not. It may go the other way, which is what we all hope and pray for, and you may have an advocate in this fellow teacher, but things still may not change much with your son in spite of this. This support group exists primarily because many of us have found so little support and understanding from those around us. I am a naturally trusting person, but estrangement has taught me that I need to learn a new skill... “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.” (Matthew 10:16) Blessings friend, I will be praying for you. (sorry for the long post!)

Stephanie, if you feel the Lord has given you this opportunity, then this would be a wonderful blessing for you.
One consideration to think about though. Will you be secretly expecting your son to reach out to you knowing you're living with one of his co-workers? What if he never does? Will it be too difficult for you to continue living there, feeling the cold shoulder from your ES ? If that possibility is something you can emotionally handle, then you should go for it.....

Thank you everyone for your input and wisdom. Good things to consider. Sommersmom, I hear what you're saying. I honestly believe I'm past the expectations. I had no idea when I initiated contact with this couple they were even connected to my son. My first instinct was to run away. Only because I am aware of the hurtful things he has said about me and I don't want to be under that cloud where I live. Healing for me is a day by day process. God has not yet called me to sever those ties. I think it would be a constant reminder of the estrangement as I would hear about what is going on in his world that he doesn't share with me. However, as I shared with this couple, God told me a long time ago that "with man it is impossible, with God all things are possible". I don't believe there would be any one person on this earth who will change my son's heart, it will be an act allowed and done by God alone. There are deep generational strongholds in his life from both sides, that only can be broken in the spiritual realm. When I say "sever those ties" I'm referring to actually letting him know and following through with no more contact. I have detached, and try to love as I feel God has called me, with no expectations, but no tolerance for disrespect. Anyway, thank you for your insight.