Christmas shopping with a new friend

Today I took my friend Imelda shopping. Imelda is a single mother of 3 beautiful girls. I got to know her because her girls are a part of the kid-city after school and summer programs. Imelda is just learning English, so our time together was good practice for her skills. I enjoyed the afternoon of picking out new tennis shoes and outfits for the sweet girls. As Imelda and I finished up our shopping trip she looked over and me and said "It's hard, it's so hard." Confused, I asked her "What is so hard?" She was unsure of how to say what she was thinking. She tried and tried to find the words but she just couldn't. A few minutes later as we gathered our purchases at the checkout Imelda looked at me and said "Ay, yay, yay! Miss Shannon, It is hard to be a momma!" I am not a mother. I am easily 10 years younger than Imelda and have been supplied with much more opportunity that she. I know nothing about the challenges she faces to raise her girls. But when I looked into her eyes I suddenly understood exactly what she meant. I gave her a hug and said "Yes, Imelda, it's hard to be a momma. You're doing a really, really good job."