Now that I've had a chance to catch my breath, it's already December 15th, and I am filled with gratitude for yet another beautiful year. I came across this quote from Bob Goff as I was doing a bit of reading and researching today and this perfectly sums up 2023. "We're Living Letters...Everytime we love people without an agenda, we add a page." 2023 has been different than every other year. However, in this precious season of transitions, I think this quote rings truer than ever. I am grateful that we had a beautiful, healthy baby girl in 2023 to love and watch grow. She has been the ultimate letter of selfless joy, whimsy and love. I am filled with gratitude for the 18 undergraduate students I worked with this semester who were bold enough to participate in a very grassroots literacy clinic focused on reading, joy, identity, criticality, culture and building relationships. They are the reminder that we get more done when we work collectively. We cannot change the world on our own. I am so thankful for every one of my thirty families I met this year during the literacy clinic who reminded me that happiness is pure and that loving people means loving in a heavenly way. Love creates ripples of kindness, and the love you pour into every human letter is everlasting and it MEANS something (even though it may not feel that way in the moment.) The people I have met on my walks this year have added love to my letter of life. The educational leaders and activists I have met along my journey have added love to my letter. The beautiful students I have taught across many states and languages, have added letters of love. The time we have spent as a family has added love. As we head into 2024, I hope to continue this bold journey of selfless love lettering as we transition from Pittsburgh to LA. To whom much is given, much is expected. The more gratitude we have, the happier we will be as humans in the future. What love letter are you contributing to today?