NYR 2-20-14

The foreign service community is really pretty small, and the longer you stay in and the more people you meet, the smaller the community gets. In May Jimmy will have been in the foreign service for 16 years, so on our 8th tour on 3 different continents, we don't need the full Kevin Bacon six degrees to separate ourselves from nearly anybody else in the foreign service. And I love that.  It makes a big world feel a little bit cozier.

Today I had coffee with the friend of a Bogota friend - thanks Kris! - who is now living in Northern VA.  It turns out that whether you have one child or four, whether you're done with your first tour or your seventh, whether you home school your kids or send your kid out to school, or whether you met your spouse when you were 8 or when you were 12 (both a rarity in the foreign service world), we're all in this life together. No matter the differences, we face similar challenges and share similar triumphs. And I love that.  It makes a big world feel a little bit cozier.

I'm thankful for these reminders today.