Mom always used to say, “A small act of kindness makes a big difference.” I never quite understood the full weight of those words until one year, when my sister, my mom, and I put together care packages for people in need. It was through a school project, but it ended up being so much more than just a task. It turned into one of those moments that stayed with me, reminding me how even the smallest gestures can have a lasting impact.

I can still picture the day we went to the animal shelter to find a new addition to our family. My sister and I had our hearts set on getting a new kitten–you know the tiny, fluffy playful ones. But my mom had a different idea. She reminded us that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and that sometimes the best choice isn’t always about picking something new. It wasn’t just about picking the cutest kitten; it was about looking beyond the surface and finding something that truly fit our family. And that's how we ended up meeting the cat who would steal our hearts.

I’ll never forget the Girl Scout trip when my mom and I spent the night in the manatee exhibit. I was so excited to sleep next to the manatees, imagining how cool it would be to wake up with them swimming around. But, of course, things didn’t go as planned. The floors were super hard, and the bright lights from the manatee pool didn’t exactly make it easy to sleep. I was exhausted, but so was my mom. She wasn’t thrilled about going there in the first place, and by the middle of the night, we were both ready to be anywhere but on that hard floor.

I’ve always believed that the simplest lessons are often the most powerful ones. My mom often said, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” To me this wasn’t just a catchy phrase; it was a rule to live by. She taught me early on that treating others with kindness and respect wasn’t just the right thing to do–it was the way to build better relationships and a happier life. This wasn’t some abstract concept to her; it was something she lived every day, and she made sure we understood it, too.