I read an amazing article yesterday about two women who met on an airplane. The chance encounter led one to become the adoptive mother of the other’s child.

Not only was it a truly inspiring story with a super sweet and happy ending, but the quote from the adoptive mother really resonated with me.

“I won the baby lottery for sure,” she said. “Miracles do happen, and I think you can manifest those things. And this is what manifested.” – Temple Phipps

I feel so similarly, oftentimes, when I take a minute and forget about the challenges and the heartache it took to get where I am. I am the very lucky, very blessed, mother of two beautiful angels. Yes, one is in Heaven, and I would give anything to have him here. But the other, he was my lottery win.

We had to work to become foster parents. We filled out endless paperwork, attended hours and hours of classes, became certified in CPR and First Aid, had background checks and multiple interviews and home-studies. And we waited.

But our destiny manifested. We were gifted a beautiful, wonderful child. A child, who is four, and acts four, and throws tantrums, and asks silly questions, and doesn’t always listen, and sneaks candy from the pantry. But he was meant to be ours. He is our son. Our destiny.

And it makes me want to apply that logic, that belief, that faith, in everything I do. We made our dream of becoming parents a reality. We had it rough. Really rough. But we picked ourselves up, wiped the tears, and faced it with courage. I don’t have that kind of courage in everything I do, and I wish that I did.

I believe a lot of that courage – the courage to parent again, to face the heartache, to try once more after the worst pain of our lives – comes from my angel in Heaven. And if I can harness that courage to make this world a better place, even just a little bit, then the possibilities are endless.