Love Shows Up

“Do your little bit of good where you are; it is those little bits of good put all together that overwhelm the world.” – Desmond Tutu

We are now almost a week past race day, and I’m still blown away by the love and support that made this Thanksgiving event possible.  What started four years ago in the freezing cold with nearly 500 participants grew to over 2,000 this year!  It is astounding.

I know Eliza doesn’t yet understand the way her community showed up for her and the thousands of others living with Prader-Willi Syndrome.  Right now, all she knows is that her mom was really busy…and it probably felt a little bit like an unwanted sacrifice.  I saw all of my kids struggle with the abrupt change in our family’s schedule in the month of November, and it is hard to know that I wasn’t able to be there for the kindergarten feast or to rub the backs of my sick kiddos when a cold and then a stomach bug traveled through our house recently.  But in those moments of guilt, I was thankful to hear Derrick’s reminders that this was a choice – a sacrifice – worth making.  That it would change the futures for all of them.  And that someday, they would understand.

Throughout this year’s journey, we raised over $100,000 for the Foundation for Prader-Willi Research. And the best part is that it came from so many sources…race registrations were huge, but so were the generous donations from local restaurants, gyms, salons, and many, many small businesses in our community.  And then you add in the generosity of our village…$20 from an old friend, $100 from a cousin who has only met Eliza once.  It all adds up.  And it brings me to tears in gratitude.

We forget sometimes how much it means to show up for each other.  To send an encouraging text or offer to volunteer last-minute instead of relaxing on the holiday morning in your PJs watching the parade.  Derrick and I would go to bed marveling at the support from our tribes, and it’s hard to put that in words on a thank you note because it means more than words can say.

There are so many hard things going on in the world today that sometimes it seems to cast a shadow on all the good.  Acknowledging both is important.  And I know our little turkey trot is just a small slice of the bigger picture, but it is a powerful reminder that good is still there, and it’s literally all around us. That generosity and community and joy are still alive and strong…still ready to show up.  It is, as Desmond Tutu said, those little bits of good that overwhelm the world.  I know they overwhelm me.