The Heart Cry of a Mother
May holds a special holiday in which we celebrate the person who carried us for nine months, brought us into the world, and nourished us for many years to come. Mother’s Day is a treasured holiday in the Good Dads Kansas City program, and it exhibits how, by helping these men, we affect both their lives and those who surround them. Our actions affect the people around us and can negatively taint someone else's reputation simply by association and often mothers and family members bear the brunt of this. The following newspaper article beautifully illustrates the reality that these mothers face and the abundant love that they have for their children, despite the hardships:
“I have something I want to talk to you about, there's no solution to this, I just want to let you know that we exist, we are human too. We hurt with a helplessness that I can't begin to describe. I belong to a group of people that don't even know it's a group. We have no organization, no meetings, no spokespersons. We don't even know each other, each of us as individuals away in the back in the closets with the rats and cockroaches. We may not be different from our neighbors, we look the same, talk the same, act the same. Yet when people know our secret they shun us as lepers. We are the parents of criminals!
We love our children, we too tried to bring them up in the best way we knew how. There is small solace in reading about some movie star or politician’s kid being arrested; it helps, but little to realize that her pain is not confined to us. We are the visitors for Mother's Day and Christmas. Our kids cannot come to us so we go to them. For some of us the hurt is so unbearable that we almost give up.
Some parents don't visit, don't write, don't acknowledge the living human beings they bore. I have not given up on my son, though the court has. I still cry, still plead, still encourage, and still pray. I still love him!
I searched my memory. Where did I fail him? My son was planned, wanted, was exactly the all-around kid that I had hoped for. I spent time with him, we took him to Sunday school, he played games. He was in the Little League, he won a trophy. Yet somehow he went astray, but he is still my son.
There are thousands of them, criminals with ordinary childhoods, and we, their parents, trying to live ordinary lives.
Tomorrow is Mother's Day. My son is running from the police. I don't agree with it, I don't condone it, I don't try to justify it, I still love him, and it hurts. I hope you can find room in your hearts to accept us, who love the children society hates.
I'm sure you understand why I just cannot put my name, thanks for letting me get this off my chest.
Mom
p.s. I want you to know this is not a made up letter, I’m real, I wish I wasn’t. Happy Mother's Day”
God is faithfully rebuilding lives, restoring families, and renewing relationships through the Good Dads KC program. We are supporting mothers and children by helping men see the value of being present in their homes. Mothers are filled with joy as they are reunited with their sons and their grandchildren.
We are encouraged by five men who graduated from Good Dads KC and are now working full-time and running five houses for Healing House. They are taking what they learned and the second chance God gave them and are investing in other men in the transitional living home.
When we started the training at Healing House, we thought maybe ten men would come and hoped for about twenty...
God once again encouraged us by bringing forty men to the training! We could have had a second training group if we had the funding and facilitators for it, but, unfortunately, twenty men have been put on a waitlist.
Please pray with us as we work with these men, and pray that God will provide funds to maintain these programs. Every dollar given directly impacts the lives of these men and helps set them on a good path as they work to create a new lifestyle for themselves and their families.
Story by Havannah Foster
Thank you for all your prayers and support; we could not do this work without you!
- You can make a financial gift to Good Dads KC here: tinyurl.com/good-dads-kc-giving
- Learn about serving opportunities here: tinyurl.com/nwcvolunteer
- To join our prayer team email: care@newlifekc.org
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