A Mother's Love Was My Light

Dear Mom,

How do I even begin this?

For 40 years, you have been my mom, and I truly could not have asked for a better one.

You taught me so many things in life, not just the simple things children are taught, like kindness and sharing. You taught me how to survive. You taught me how to be strong, brave, compassionate, and resilient. Despite everything we both lived through, you never stopped making me believe that I could still become anything I dreamed of.

I am endlessly thankful for you.

You are the strongest woman I have ever known, and I am so proud to call you my mom.

Even while living through severe domestic violence, you stayed present. You stayed loving. And when it was time, you found the courage to leave and rebuild your life from the ground up. You turned your pain into purpose.

You went back to school as a single mother. You became an addiction counselor. You became a probation officer. You dedicated your life to helping people who were struggling, people who needed hope, people who needed someone to believe in them.

And without even realizing it, you taught me one of the greatest lessons of my life:

that it is possible to come out on the other side of trauma.

Because of you, I believed I could too.

And now, in my own way, I have also turned my trauma into purpose.

I know you carry guilt for the things we lived through, but I need you to hear this clearly:

You are forgiven, even though I don’t believe you ever needed forgiveness from me in the first place.

You did what you had to do to survive.

And more importantly, you saved us.

You are a warrior mom.

The ultimate mama bear who protected her babies no matter the cost.

Thank you for everything:

For your unconditional love.

For your support.

For always telling me to dream bigger.

For reminding me that I mattered.

For giving me moments of childhood joy and normalcy, even while we were both carrying so much pain.

Those moments mattered more than you probably ever realized.

They became proof that even in the darkest times, there was still light.

And that light kept me going when I wasn’t sure I could keep going anymore.

I admire you.

I love you.

And honestly, I don’t know who I would be today without you.

Love you to the moon and back, always.

- Shannon

Stay Connected

Thank you for reading and being part of this journey. My hope is that sharing stories like this helps survivors feel less alone and reminds people how powerful love, resilience, and hope can be.

💜 Explore more of my work and advocacy:

📖 Because of Jane

A memoir about surviving childhood trauma, domestic violence, and finding hope through imagination and resilience. Available in Kindle, paperback, hardcover, and audiobook.

💜 The Jane Project

A community-centered initiative honoring the people, objects, songs, memories, and moments that helped survivors make it through difficult times. Because everyone has their own “Jane.”

🎶 The Survivors’ Anthem Series

A blog and social series exploring the songs that helped survivors heal, process emotions, and feel less alone through Music. Playlists on Spotify and YouTube.

📝 Advocacy & Awareness Blogs

Explore articles about trauma, mental health, childhood abuse prevention, healing, resilience, and survivor education.

🌐 Visit: shannonbrownauthor.com

📱 Follow along on social media for blogs, advocacy work, speaking events, and community conversations.

Thank you for being here and for helping break the silence. 💜