I hung tiny shirts and folded underwear with batman symbols neatly into the wooded drawer.
I picked up candy wrappers and dumped out popcorn remnants from the night before.
I smoothed the wrinkled sheets, the bedding still tossed around from the tiny sleeping feet the night before.
I give hugs, I pick up dirt infested shoes and I wipe toothpaste from Spider-man toothbrushes.
I am not a mom.
I have not been with child.
I did not nourish their bodies for nine months.
I did not see them when their chest rose with air like a fresh sheet falling onto the mattress for the very first time.
I did not see their first steps to the recliner.
I did not get to squeal in joy as they said my name from soft pink lips, like I had never heard my name spoken before.
I did not see the first curl drop to the tile floor after their first hair cut.
I am not their mother.
I am their stepmother.
I cannot replace those first missed moments.
I cannot go back and guide their fingers, covered in paint as they drew refrigerator masterpieces.
I am their stepmother.
The phrase can be scary.
I grew up thinking of pointy nosed women with dark eyes and heartless schemes.
A picture painted of my role before I even stepped into it's waters.
I am their stepmother.
I am their stepping stone into the young men they will become.
I am their stepping stone to the kind of woman they may one day marry.
I am their stepping stone to the heart of their father.
I do not get to wake up every Mother's Day to their glowing faces and giggles.
I will be a few seats down at each of their weddings.
I will be the second to hold their first born.
I am their stepmother.
I am here to take on the responsibilities of not only a mother, but a woman of grace, style and humility.
I am here to show them that in life sometimes you will be the backstage hand that works the lights and moves the props when all the lights are out.
I am here to show them that sometimes true success is not being the lead role, but guiding the entire production behind a velvet curtain.
I am here to show them that love is not a feeling, it is a daily decision.
I am here to show them that I can not be a part of their firsts, but will spend what I have left of this wonderful life creating moments and making sure their lasts are unforgettable.
I am their stepmother and I will step with them as long as time allows.
