When a young mother first walks through the doors of the SONshine Home, she often arrives carrying fear she doesn’t yet have words for. She wonders if what we are offering is real… or if it’s just another empty promise that comes with conditions. Many of our mamas come from backgrounds marked by trauma, poverty, neglect, addiction, and chronic homelessness. Most have never had a consistent, safe support system to guide them as they take their next steps into motherhood.
One ordinary day at the SONshine Home, gathered around the kitchen table – laughing, sharing a meal, enjoying one another – one of our mamas quietly asked a question that stole the breath from my lungs:
“What’s it like to have a mom?”
In that moment, my heart cracked open.
I was instantly flooded with memories of the great joy of having a mother, and of being a mother to my own children. I thought about first days of kindergarten, walking hand-in-hand to the classroom door. I remembered wiping away tears after scraped knees and broken hearts, sitting in bleachers at sporting events, cheering at school concerts, and being that safe place to land when the weight of the world felt too heavy.
Scripture tells us, “As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you” (Isaiah 66:13). That verse took on deeper meaning as I reflected on the holy calling of motherhood.
I remembered the sacred honor of standing in a hospital room as my daughter gave birth, seeing my grandchild take his first breath. I thought of wedding dress shopping, surrounded by laughter and family, of being present when my son hit his first home run and when his heart was broken for the first time. I was there when my children graduated, got married, and stepped into their first jobs.
I was there.
What an immeasurable privilege it is to be a mother, and a grandmother.
At Love and SONshine Ministries, we know we cannot replace what was lost. We cannot undo years of absence or neglect. But we can stand in the gap. With arms open wide, we do our best to reflect the heart of a loving mother, steady, present, and full of grace.
I think of the Saturday my sister received a text from one of our former residents asking, “What are you doing today?” Heather was overwhelmed and busy, but the Holy Spirit nudged her to pause and listen. That mama wanted to go wedding dress shopping, and she had no one to go with her. No family. No friends. And no mom!
Heather dropped everything.
Another mama needed a reliable car but didn’t know where to begin. Heather and her husband spent hours – days – helping her search for a vehicle that was safe and dependable. They talked through insurance, maintenance, and wise decision-making, the kinds of conversations parents are meant to have with their children.
And I’ll never forget the call early one Christmas Eve morning. A new mama was going into labor. I gathered my things and drove her at the hospital. Through every contraction, every fear, every unknown, I stayed. I advocated for her, reassured her, and reminded her she was not alone. When her precious baby boy was born, I took the pictures as she held him for the very first time.
A mother is a shelter. A mother is a voice of reassurance. A mother is the one who stays.
Scripture says, “She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy” (Proverbs 31:20). That verse lives out daily within these walls.
So what is it like to have a mom?
A mother is a gift. A guide. A protector. A mentor. She is the one who speaks truth when the world is loud, who offers grace when mistakes are made, and who provides a safe place to return, again and again.
Many of our mamas have never known that kind of love. So, imperfectly but faithfully, we become the surrogate. We walk alongside them as they learn not only how to parent their children—but how to heal their own hearts.
As we celebrate Mother’s Day, let us remember the young mothers who don’t have a safe, healthy mother figure in their lives. Let us embody the love of Christ, the One who sees the forgotten and calls them beloved.
“The Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore” (Psalm 121:8).
May we be the safe place.
May we be the ones who stay.
May we love unconditionally—just like our Father does.
