I fully intended to post this right on or near Thanksgiving…

And somehow, the mound of grading and the professional development projects and prep work to host Thanksgiving besieged me. I spent the day of Thanksgiving itself enjoying time with family and dear friends, and being present in the moment seemed like the best way to express thankfulness for all the good that surrounds me.

But this is what I wanted to say then, and this is what I think about so often lately. The response to our search for a living donor kidney match for my father has been tremendous. Knowing there are so many people out there willing to be tested and consider making this huge sacrifice has made for an emotional few weeks. “Overwhelmed” is a word that gets overused, I think, and often has negative connotations, but truly, I am overwhelmed with gratitude, and with the goodness that is out there.

I am grateful every day that I get to wake up in a world where there is an earnest little toddler who wraps her arms around me and says “I love you,” and I am fortunate enough to get to be her mother. But I am grateful this is the world she wakes up to as well—one where one person’s struggle is taken up by others, where those we care about are cared about by others.

We’ve a long road yet, but we’re moving in the right direction.

Someday soon I hope to have more information to update, but for now, we take solace in the good.