Mother’s Day in the Middle: Letting Go, Looking Ahead, and Finding Myself Again

This year, Mother’s Day feels different.

Not because I’ve stopped being a mom — but because the role I’ve lived in for the past 18 years is shifting.

My daughter is graduating high school.
She’s heading off to college in a few short months.
And while I couldn’t be prouder of the woman she’s becoming, there’s this quiet, bittersweet ache that comes with it.

No one quite prepares you for this chapter of motherhood — the one where you’re cheering her on with everything you’ve got… while quietly wondering who you are now.

Because when they start to let go, we start to return to ourselves.

For so long, I wrapped my identity around being everything to everyone — wife, mom, daughter, employee, volunteer, caretaker, organizer, late-night project fixer, early-morning lunch packer. You name it.

And now, with my daughter preparing to leave, I’m left asking:

What’s next for me?

That question has become the heartbeat of everything I do — and the reason I created Find Yourself After 40.

This is the new era of motherhood.

The part where we don’t disappear after the school plays and sports schedules fade.

The part where we take everything we’ve learned — the strength, the creativity, the wisdom — and start to rediscover the woman underneath it all.

This season isn’t an ending.

It’s an invitation.

To reclaim.
To rewrite.
To reimagine what life looks like with you at the center again.

So this Mother’s Day, I’m choosing to celebrate two things:

💛 The incredible gift of raising my daughter
✨ And the quiet courage it takes to finally turn toward myself

If you're in this same season — this sacred middle — know this:

You are not too late.
You are not behind.
You are exactly where you’re meant to be.
And your story is still unfolding.

Ready to start your next chapter?

I created a free workbook just for women like us — who are ready to rediscover their purpose and design a life that feels aligned, intentional, and deeply fulfilling.

🎁 Click here to download the Find Your Purpose Workbook
It’s my gift to you this Mother’s Day.

Because the most powerful thing we can give our children isn’t just our love — it’s the example of a mother who never stopped becoming.

Happy Mother’s Day,
💛 Stacey Creely
Midlife Reinvention Coach & Founder of Find Yourself After 40