05/23/2026
As I was woken up in the middle of the night by the little kicks of my six-year-old grandson, (and now cannot sleep) I just laid there smiling, overwhelmed by how quickly life passes by. It feels like just yesterday I was the young mother trying to survive the chaos of raising children, exhausted from work, responsibilities, bills, and the constant demands of life. Back then, if one of my own children had been kicking me awake all night, I probably would have rolled over frustrated and desperate for sleep. But with Colton, it is different. With him, I just stare at him and smile with a love so deep and pure that it almost hurts.
Maybe it is because when you become a grandparent, you finally understand what truly matters. You realize the laundry can wait, the dishes can wait, the emails and deadlines and stress of life can all wait — but these moments cannot. These moments are fleeting. Childhood is fleeting. Time is fleeting.
Last night, sitting around the dinner table surrounded by my children, my grandchildren, and the three foster children Jenny has brought into my life, I found myself quietly looking around the table and fighting back tears because in that moment I realized something powerful: this is my life’s greatest accomplishment. Not the degrees hanging on my wall. Not the businesses I built. Not the titles before or after my name. This. Right here.
Sure, I have a Master’s in Nursing, a Master’s in Business, and a law degree. I built a nursing business and a law firm from the ground up. I have fought through struggles, exhaustion, heartbreak, sacrifice, long nights, fear, and moments where I did not know if I would make it through. I have worked harder than most people will ever know. But if I am being honest, none of those accomplishments compare to hearing my grandchildren laugh, watching my children become incredible parents, or seeing children who came from broken situations finally feel safe, loved, and wanted at our table.
There is something so beautiful about realizing the life you built became a safe place for others. That your children grew up knowing love deeply enough to give it away to others who needed it. That somehow, through all the mistakes, struggles, and imperfections, you still created a family full of love, compassion, resilience, and strength.
As I sat there watching everyone laugh, talk about food, tell stories, and simply enjoy being together at Great Wolf Lodge, I realized that this is what success truly looks like. Success is not money sitting in a bank account. It is not degrees, awards, or status. Success is having a family that still wants to gather together. Success is grandchildren climbing into your bed because they feel safe with you. Success is hearing “Mimi”, “Gmal”, and “Granny” yelled from across a room and realizing you are someone’s comfort, someone’s home, someone’s favorite person.
Life moves so fast. One day you are carrying your babies on your hip, exhausted and wondering if you are doing anything right, and the next thing you know, they are adults sitting across from you raising babies of their own. It all goes by in the blink of an eye.
And if there is one thing I have learned through all of this, it is that time together is the most valuable gift we are ever given. Not one of us is promised tomorrow. The dishes will always be there. Work will always be there. The stress will always be there. But these moments — the late-night kicks, the loud dinners, the chaos, the laughter, the hugs, the memories — these are the things that matter most in the end.
I may have built businesses and earned degrees, but my family… my family is the legacy I am most proud of.
