Connect What is the most rewarding part of being a mom?

Hands down the most rewarding part for me is being able to experience the world through her eyes. I love watching her eyes during a new experience, how she breaths in fresh air every morning to start anew, the excitement she shares when she accomplishes something new. Being a mother has given me a new sense of life and purpose, a zest to experience life in a new and exciting way.

What is the biggest lesson motherhood has taught you?

Motherhood has taught me to slow down and the patience it takes to do so. Prior to being a mother I was always on the go never slowing down long enough to look at flowers, stare in wonder at a bug crawling on the ground or color an entire picture in one sitting. In order to slow down I had to learn how to allow the time to do so, leaving a few minutes earlier for every event for the dilly dally to the car or waking a few minutes earlier to allow for a slow morning routine. It's truly beautiful.

What would you do with $20,000?

I live in a Navy town where I am friends with tons of wives of deployed spouses. I have felt their grief and anxiety firsthand lately and would love to support them all with simple acts of kindness. A meal, a coffee, a cleaning crew, a babysitter, anything to help take the load off for a while. It's wild to see firsthand the stress of a deployed family and think their is a ton to do for support.