Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child

Sometimes I feel like a motherless child,
Sometimes I feel like a motherless child,
Sometimes I feel like a motherless child,
A long way from home, a long way from home.

Traditional Negro Spiritual

Every time I visit Vida Joven de Mexico and spend an hour or two playing, laughing, and sharing with the kids, I’m nagged by one persistent question. How could a mother or father ever abandon these precious children? And yet abandoned they are. And for them, Mother’s Day can be a sad time. At Vida Joven, we surround them with love and care. We give them a home, food, clothing, education, medical care, tutoring, along with a variety of enrichment opportunities, but nothing can really make up for the deep inner knowledge that these children carry in their hearts that “My mother, My father – doesn’t want me.”

As you honor your mother, all mothers and the miracle of motherhood on Sunday, take a moment to stop and reflect on what it is like to “feel like a motherless child.” And in in honor of your own mom, or in honor of someone else’s mom who’s touched your life, or in honor of anyone whose love has sustained you, make a commitment to help these children.

Visit the website of an orphanage supported by many Episcopalians in Tijuana: Vida Joven