Years ago, I wrote a post that had the following sentence: “I will never be the amazing cupcake baking, list making, stay at home mom.”

Six years ago, there was no way I could see God’s plan for today. Six years ago, I was thankful for a job outside the home that paid well, but truly, sincerely thought I would never be a stay at home mom.

In that post, I was preaching to myself to be thankful: “One day, I will not look to my accomplishments and my completed checklists for satisfaction and self worth. One day, I will not worry about the labels that others put on me and that I put on myself. I will find peace in being overshadowed and worth in my tired evenings.”

And here I am, six years later and I would have laughed myself silly if you told me I would have a miracle baby at 40 and find a little boy named Riley who needed a forever home.

I know that I am just an understudy in this role of motherhood. I look to mentors and my own mother on how to navigate this role. But I do know this – I love to relate to people. I love finding things in common. I often wonder, as I sit across the table from friends, if God wrote this special chapter just for me.

You are a working mom, exhausted at 11pm as you run to Target for the treats your kiddo signed you up to bring tomorrow? Yes, I see you.

You are a stay at home mom, looking at the spaghetti sauce on the ceiling and wondering how on earth it got there? Yup. I have no idea either.

You are a mom of teens or tweens, wondering if your words are soaking in at all – wondering if they hear you? Yes, I’ve been there.

You are a mom of a toddler who just carried your little one out of McDonalds, without shoes or socks, as they screamed? I totally get it. In fact, I promise to hold the door for you and not glare.

You are a mom of an infant who needs a clean shirt, a twenty minute nap, and coffee. Laundry? What laundry? I stand strong with you.

What we all have in common, is that we do most of our work in the repetitive shadows of the day. We don’t always see the amazing foundation we are building. My hope is that one day, we get to stand together, holding hands and smile at the amazing children we had the privilege of holding in the quiet of the night.