A mother's (and daughter's) love

Added: 2026-05-16

[00:00:01]At the heart of Steve Hartman's story this weekend, a daughter's appreciation for a mother's love.

[00:00:09]Boca Raton is one of the wealthiest cities in Florida, but even along these golden sands, people still get stuck in fiscal undertows.

[00:00:19]I caught myself like worrying about things that I feel like no kid really should. Like? Like finances and housing and where I was going to lay my head down that night. 26-year-old Anna Duarte says as a child, she and her mother were homeless. We rented a room here.

[00:00:36]Constantly moving. So many random places. Constantly struggling. Because we didn't have any electricity at all.

[00:00:44]She always want a home.

[00:00:46]She always ask me for home.

[00:00:48]And you couldn't provide that.

[00:00:49]>> No.

[00:00:50]We went through very rough time.

[00:00:53]Anna's mother, Annette, worked very long hours as a maid and doing other odd jobs.

[00:00:59]But Annette always felt at least they had each other. The two of them against the world.

[00:01:05]Until high school, when Anna started running out of patience and grace.

[00:01:10]She turned bitter, began blaming her mother for all those years of struggle, and eventually left. The old two against the world was now each to her own.

[00:01:22]She always get mad at me. She think I didn't I didn't care.

[00:01:26]And I did care.

[00:01:27]But my hand was so tied up that I couldn't do it.

[00:01:32]For my mom, it was like torture, but like there was no other option because I didn't want like to keep living these patterns. Like I wanted to build my life.

[00:01:41]Which she did.

[00:01:43]Anna graduated from Florida Atlantic University with a degree in social work, and then got a job with Food for the Poor, an international Christian relief organization. Last year, Anna also got her first real apartment, which she told her mom about immediately.

[00:01:59]I called her up and I was just like, "So, I have an apartment. It's two bedroom, two bath.

[00:02:04]Would you like to come live with me?"

[00:02:06]She even gave her mom the master bedroom. Wow. She's not even saying anything. She's like just looking around like, "Woah, I have a bed."

[00:02:15]She's feeling the mattress. Have you ever had your own bedroom before? No.

[00:02:20]First time? Yeah.

[00:02:22]It's something that is going to stay for the rest of my life.

[00:02:28]And every time I look at her, her eyes know.

[00:02:30]>> [gasps] >> This weekend, we celebrate the deepest love on Earth.

[00:02:40]But it's important to remember that Mother's Day isn't just about rewarding your mom for what she's done.

[00:02:46]It's about recognizing that she did everything she could.