I inadvertently became a life coach the day I became a destination wedding planner. I’ve been the gentle go-between for mothers and their daughters. I witnessed mothers quietly struggle as they tried to figure out how they would fit into their daughter’s new life. “What’s the big deal?”, I thought. But many were not ready to let go of what was with no idea of what their new role would be.

When my son got married, I experienced that very same internal struggle firsthand.

As a single parent, we’d always had a close relationship. On his wedding day, I watched him stand tall, with so much pride, as he waited at the altar waiting for his fiancé. In the arched doorway, she appeared on her father’s arm. Ready. The processional music began. He looked at me and quietly smiled. He put his glasses on to watch her walk down the aisle—he did not want to miss a thing.

At that very moment, I completely understood my role was about to irreversibly change. Yes, I was always going to be his mother, but now I knew, and accepted, that things were going to be different. What would my life be like now?