Welcome Patricia:
Your story brought back so many memories for me - a lot of us totally relate here.
It took me 12 years to completely free my mind from the JW influence - to be honest, I'll probably never be completely FREE but this is as close as it will ever come. Being raised a JW gives you no non-biased "measuring stick" with which to compare things once you're out. You have to learn to live a normal life, never knowing how to do that. It's a tough road - but well worth it.
Prayer is one of the hardest things, and in my opinion it is because the Organization has placed itself between you and God. For years we are taught to look to the Organization, stay close to the Organization, they are the only "ark" to save us. You are molded to believe that the Organization = God, and is your link to God. When you break free, you cut that link and finding the new link is a learning experience.
Since I struggled with many of the same things, let me give you some hints - the steps that helped me to draw close to God and accept Jesus as my Savior:
1) Accept that God did not leave you. You left an earthly organization - a man-made organisaiton. It's as simple as that. That man-made org. has made you believe that you could not have a relationship with God outside of them - that is not true.
2) Pray to God in a totally different way. For instance, start out your prayers to "the supreme being" or "My God" instead of "Jehovah". There's nothing wrong with his name, but being a JW that name evokes emotional responses - trained emotional responses. Since you are trying to find a new link to God - find a way to talk to him without evoking these emotional responses. This one really works - but I actually felt guilty at first calling him "God" instead of Jehovah - sillly hu?!
3) Do research on the history of the JW's and their false prophecies. That really helped me to realize that they did not have God's spirit. Once you can prove it to yourself - you can then progress with a free conscience.
As for your mother - I am in the same boat here. I'm the only one that lives close to my Mom, since my dad passed away she needs a lot of help. She is a strong JW so I have to keep my feelings to myself. This board has been a tremendous help to me. I also have found it helpful to share my experiences with my new friends - they give me religiously un-biased feedback.
Hang in there - this road is a rough one but totally worth it. Last year I realized that I now know what Jesus meant when he said "You shall know the Truth, and the Truth shall set you free" - I AM FREE! And it feels so good.