Arathi, I had forgotten that you connect with other stepmoms on line. That's so important. That's one of the things I like best about online community—it's so much easier to narrow in on specific types of people for specific types of support. 

Daisy, in the long list of parent fears, a car accident must be near the top. It's hard to imagine what that must have been like. Thanks for the empathy!

Alli, what you bring up about this immediate, instantaneous "call to prayer" is really interesting. I wonder—is it just the only possible response in the face of our own helplessness? There's nothing we can do, so we're grasping at straws, hoping that God does indeed exist? Or when we're afraid like that, is it possible that our brain shuts down its skeptical chatter enough for God's spirit in us to rise to the surface? I would love to hear someone who doesn't really believe but has been in a scary situation like that tell me what they think is going on. (Thanks for the homeopathic advice, too. Does it work best if used right away?)

Jeb, you've brought up more really interesting thoughts around this idea of building genuine community with people we've never met in person. I think you're exactly right, that being open and deep and "real" with people can be easier on line than in person. I sort of feel like I can have a much deeper "mid-level" friendship with all the people who comment regularly on my blog than I can with my "mid-level" friends who live in my town, but then I feel this barrier. There's a ceiling, that keeps these relationships from moving into the next realm. I'm not necessarily saying it's a permanent ceiling, but right now I feel it. (Do you?) I like what you said about the potential you see for solutions and creation in these communities. I completely agree. Very exciting.

jenx67, thanks for the anti-cheese endorsement! :) Sometimes, as a mom, it's hard to know how our love for our kids comes across to the rest of the world, isn't it? I love hearing more about your interactions and relationship with your ex-husband. Yet another way these online connections make me feel less alone in my crazy life.

Elaine, you've summed it all up, for sure: "When solid ground has shifted &amp; all that is left is our love to others and God’s love to us, that is what is real &amp; concrete." You always say you communicate best through your art, but I think you have a way with words, too. Thanks for sharing them here.

Susan, thanks so much for the love and compassion. Q will thank you, I'm sure, for keeping the twins' hands off her face for the next couple of weeks. :)