I just got back from a visit to my therapist. God bless her. She does indeed keep me sane. Or rather, *talking to her* keeps me sane. What would we do without help in this world?

She had an “aha!” moment while I was talking with her today. I told her I was so thankful for Facebook and all of the help and support I’ve gotten from my friends online, and she said, “That’s it! That’s the new neighborhood!” I wasn’t quite sure what she meant at first.

She told me that when she was raising her kids, she had neighbors to talk to, other moms who were at home with their kids, who could lean over the back fence and give advice and sympathy when things got tough. She was also a military wife, and living on the base gave her close proximity to people she could trust. She realized while talking with me that Facebook is a new version of that community.

So. I’m thankful for this community, which wouldn’t have been around if I’d had my kids ten years ago. I’m thankful for all of my friends with whom I’ve been in touch (via Facebook and other means) who *did* have kids ten years ago, and who are now willing to share their hard-earned wisdom with a new mom. I’m thankful that I waited until I met the right person, because I could in no way have done this without Brian’s steady hand in mine. I’m thankful that now, at 38, I have a lot more patience and self-awareness than I did when I was younger. And I’m thankful to have waited until now to bring Jack into the world.

I’m thinking of lyrics from a Paul Simon song: “Born at the instant the church bells chimed, the whole world whispering, ‘Born at the right time.’”

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