Jennifer - "giant warm embrace" - that is great.  When I lived in LA, it was easy for me to notice that the majority of my friends were from the midwest.  I think you're on to something with the size of the city being inversely proportional to the narrowing of one's focus.  Maybe Thoreau was on to something with his cabin.

Sugar Jones - Oh, do it!  Make that list.  Although I think you'll find items 1 - 19 on your list to be true and accurate, I'll bet that after about the twentieth item, you'll dig past the surface waters and you'll be floored by the vastness below. I hope that you make time to do the list (I hope everyone gives it a chance).

Meredith, you know, I snuck a peak at Kirstin's website while at work on Friday.  I was both humbled and awed by the power of simple written words - I even wrote myself a note to be able to recall how your comment impacted me. "It’s pretty incredible and a bit humbling to make the connection to the larger issue of subconsciously caring about other people."  I quite like that sentence of yours.

Nancy, I love how you made the connection between my dad and my kids - that connection was in a first draft of this post, but it just didn't flow well - so the I removed it in the final draft.  Glad that you made it again (my dad would have liked that too).  And you bring home one of the cornerstones of parenting - those little ears and eyes are always recording, always processing.  

Kirstin, Thanks much for the opportunity for the guest post.  I too wish that I could remember how I found your blog - I'm happy that I did.  You've created a great community via your written words and I am grateful that I've been able to be a part of it.  Your ideas, thoughts and community are positively changing the world.  Keep it up.