I saw you yesterday afternoon. A link to a video of you was embedded in the hundreds of comments regarding what's going on in Baltimore right now.

 I watched you repeatedly waylay a young man the public believes to be your son. You used harsh language while shouting sense at him, but I couldn't stop watching you.

 Dressed in black from head to foot your son appears to be a part of the violent protesting which has included throwing bricks and bottles at policeman and firemen. Police cars and establishments are being set on fire not to mention stores are being looted, they say in the name of a young man, Freddie Gray, whose life ended tragically. We all can agree that these riots reach deeper than Gray's death.

 I can barely hear what you were saying on the video (not because of your lack of volume) but I heard you telling the boy (your boy I'm guessing) to take off his mask; that if he wanted to do this he should show his face. There's no integrity in hiding behind a mask.

 I was strangely moved by your actions so much that I kept searching for the video again last night. This morning I'm seeing it over and over as I scroll through Facebook. I've watched you at least ten times.

 Others must be moved by your actions too. Some are calling you "Mother of the Year". You may very well be, but what I saw was the instinctive nature of a mama.  I don't know you well enough to know what kind of mother you are day in and day out, but you brought out desperate feelings mamas feel when they want their kids to be safe. 

 I can't know what was going through your mind in those minutes on film. I just know I've felt something like you must have felt when you were grabbing him by the shoulders looking at him intently, willing him to peer into your "troubled for him" soul while trying to shake sense into him.

 Mamas come undone for their children. 

 I don't know what happened after the video was stopped. I don't know if your son went home with you and whether or not you've been able to talk to him outside the mayhem. I don't know if he's terribly angry with you for interfering or if his head (and heart maybe) still pounds from all the blows he took from your strong arms. I don't know how sound the relationship is between you two or between you and any other children you have. I couldn't know if there's a father in the picture who supports you and helps lead your children in the way they should go. I hope there is. I have no knowledge as to what his age is and how much sway you have over him when you're not there to grab hold of his shoulders and shout at him what he already knows.

 Mothering is hard. It's a fight sometimes. It's a fight that can happen in front of an audience that doesn't truly know you or your son. And sometimes it's a fight you don't feel like you're winning. Sometimes it feels like it's a fight where nobody's winning.

I don't know your name, but I love you with the love of Jesus, sister. You've an inner ferocity us mamas know about.  I'd hug your neck if  #1 I were in Baltimore and  #2 If you gave me permission. I think there are thousands of us who would get in line to tell you we're behind you.

 I'm praying for you this morning. I'm praying that if you're not one that usually goes to God, that your desperation leads you to prayer. I'm praying that after coming undone, that you pull it back together, trusting in the one who holds all things together. I pray peace for you. I pray that you have a group of loved ones who with you will try to sort out this mess that's going on.  I pray you'll be guided by grace.  I pray that hearts will come to beat in unison in searching for a better way for all of our sons and daughters.  I pray that true healing will come to your city.

 Praying for your city.

Praying for our nation.

He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together. Colossians 1:17

People are separated by race, separated by class.  We're divided by religion. These are the masks we wear.  We need to come out from behind the masks.  These false coverings keep us from seeing that we're all made in the same image; the image of God.  We all should lose our need to be on the right side concerning all the ills that plague our children, our country and our world. When we lose our need to have all the answers, or be on the right side, maybe we'll find that we're in desperate need to first and foremost pray.