Hilarie Burton Morgan shares how loved ones showed up for her when times were tough.

In a heartfelt Instagram post on October 28, the A tree hill a former student, 42, admitted she was “unhappy” last year after “working too much”.

“And so I made the choice to change the way I work in order to have more time to participate in the lives of my children,” she shared with several photos from a Halloween event before ‘add that she now has “the chance” to volunteer with “some”. of my favorite people on the planet.

“We’ve had several major events since school started – the back-to-school picnic, the bonfire, homecoming last week and the Halloween festival yesterday, the fall play… it’s a lot and I sleep,” she explained alongside the photos. . “But also SO happy. I love seeing these kids light up and seeing more and more parents joining in on it all.

She then particularly thanked those close to her for their support during this busy back-to-school season, starting with her husband. Jeffrey Dean Morganwith whom she posed wearing a witch costume.

“I also love the support of my husband @jeffreydeanmorgan it is,” she wrote. “Always a beat when this guy walks through the door.”

The actress added that her former A tree hill costar Sophie Bush and his girlfriend Ashlyn Harris also made a surprise trip to see her, saying, “And I LOVE that my angels @sophiabush And @ashlynharris24 surprised us with a tour and got a real taste of small town community. Worlds colliding and showing each other in fun, random ways…that’s true love, babies.

Bush and Harris posed with the actress in separate photos from the festivities.

Burton Morgan concluded her post by reflecting on how she views Halloween as a holiday filled with love.

“Halloween is not a holiday typically associated with ‘love,’” she explained. “But for me? This is when we flood ourselves with creativity, effort, mischief and CANDY! And what could be more affectionate than that?!?!”

She added: “I love our community. I love my friends. I love my family. Stay spooky, everyone. Xoxoxoxo”

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Burton Morgan recently told PEOPLE that her greatest accomplishment was being her town’s “haunted house lady.”

While discussing her plans for Halloween 2024 with her son Augustus “Gus”, 14, and daughter George, 6, whom she shares with her husband, she said: “Our favorite thing is to get involved in my child’s school.”

“There wasn’t really a Halloween celebration in town,” she said. “Last year I built a haunted house at my son’s middle school. Each parent brought a 10 x 10 pop-up tent and we put them all together to make a whole house of rooms.”

“They were bananas!” exclaimed Burton Morgan. “It’s probably my crowning achievement.”

“I don’t care about TV, I don’t care about books. If I can be the haunted house lady in my town, I’ve done it,” she joked, adding, “This year, I have to make it bigger than last year. It’s a lot of pressure.