Humbled by selflessness.

Have you ever known someone whose life keeps intersecting with your yours, over and over?

We have neighbors (they live a few blocks away in a palindrome house, just as ours is – we’re 10901 and they’re 10401 – the number reading the same forward as backwards) who: a) had kids in the same schools as ours b) our two girls babysat their kids, c) they go to our church and I have worked closely with the mom there for years, d) my husband worked in the same school with the mom for several years, e) our oldest and their youngest had the same private viola instructor (rare, as so few kids play viola), and f) their daughter now works under me in our church’s nursery.

And today I found out, by accident through a FB post by someone I don’t even know, that the mom is DONATING A KIDNEY today.

Knowing this woman, the fact that she’s donating a kidney is not a shock. Nor is it shocking that she kept it quiet. That’s just who she is. Selfless, hard-working, dedicated to important causes (the first project I worked on with her at church was to create and implement a policy to make kids as safe as possible against the threat of predators who might try to work in our children’s and youth programming – a full year of intense research, meetings, writing, and trying to change attitudes).

My totally inadequate response to the news of what she’s doing today was to email her family with prayers and an offer of a meal when needed.

I’m just honored to know someone like this, someone who’s quietly making a huge statement of love in an increasingly ugly world.

Wow.