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

The safety. My son — adopted at birth, diagnosed with autism at 10 — reaches for my hand every time we get out of the car. He says "the second I hold your hand I feel safe." After everything we've navigated together, that's the whole reward. Not milestones. Not achievements. Connection. Him knowing I'm his person. That's everything.

What is the biggest lesson motherhood has taught you?

That love is not a feeling you fall into — it’s a decision you make in the hard moments. The 2am moments. The parking lot moments. The moments nobody sees. Motherhood taught me that showing up anyway is the most sacred thing a human being can do.

What would you do with $20,000?

2 things: Train the rescue lab service dog for my son with autism. And build the community I wish had existed when I was drowning in isolation. It's already beginning with Still Good Motherhood - building a grace-filled space for complex moms — the adoptive moms, the special needs moms, the ones doing this mostly alone. No mom left behind. 🌎