The most rewarding part of motherhood is simply the overwhelming love that you feel instantly for each child you have. Their protection and comfort becomes your highest priority. Each day is filled with learning, growing, and sometimes tears. Helping them to become independent and accomplish goals and witness their self-confidence expand is so fulfilling. When they become amazing parents themselves, that is a proud moment.

The biggest lesson I have learned from motherhood is flexibility and spontaneity. Sometimes days don’t go as planned, but that is okay. The most important thing is that each child felt loved and was well taken care of. Some of my favorite memories are road trips with my kids where we’ve taken unplanned detours to go explore a site they pointed out. Another favorite memory was on a cold, rainy day, I took my kids out of school for a movie day. They were surprised and we had a wonderful time.

Family is important to me, and I miss my kids and their families so much. If I had $20,000, I would plan a family reunion. Due to distance and financial restraints, the last time all of us were together was 8 years ago. Since that time, 4 new grandbabies have been born, and not everyone has met them. I would love to be able to provide a way for all of us to gather so my kids can get to know their nieces and nephews, and cousins can run around together and have fun. That would be such a treasure