When most people hear the word godmother, they think of a magical fairy-tale character. I, however, think of something a bit different.

Meet Sharon. Born into a Panamanian-American family in California in 1974, she and her family soon moved back to their home country, where she lived and married her high school sweetheart before moving back to the states in the early 1990s.

I first met Sharon when she joined the youth leadership at my church and became one of my small group leaders. She was the only one of our original leaders who was able to remain with our group from 7th grade to graduation.

Because we were around each other so much, I quickly began to confide everything into this woman, good and bad. I didn't have the best family situation at the time, and she was always there to offer advice and support.