Mothers and Children

I woke up early this morning and have to admit instead of praying, I turned on the television. I ended up watching a Law and Order. That show always seems to be on some channel all the time..

This particular episode dealt with a young mom and her two young sons. One of the boys was shot and ended up being murdered at the hospital by the man who claimed to be the mom's boyfriend. He was a major drug dealer and had terrorized the mom and young boys. She was totally trapped in the situation. At the funeral of her son, the man shot her again even though she was surrounded by 6 police officers. She ended up then shooting her "boyfriend" and then had to move far away in order not to get arrested and or attacked by one of the boyfriend's connections.

Such a scary life, one that I know is shared by many. Through it all you observed her fierce love and dedication to her sons. Plus you saw in her surviving son, the love and desire he had to protect his mom. All I could think of during the show was how many women in my Bronx neighborhood struggle like this.

My mind also turned to a Danielle Steel book I'm reading that is about a young girls who suffered horrific physical abuse at the hands of her mother.

I ended up praying for all mothers and children. Many mothers are in tough situations. The decisions on how to handle them affects their children in so many ways. I always have a fierce desire to protect and care for children. They are our future and one of God's greatest gifts to our world. In my prayer today, I saw all the children that I have taught through the years and all my friends' children. I am so proud of what wonderful mothers so many of my friends have grown up to be. It's great to see the love and care.

Loving and Gracious God, please protect families. Help those who are suffering and give them wisdom to make good decisions. Please let children feel love and care. It is so important to their self- confidence, self-worth and self-esteem.

Sr. Jeannie