October is the Month of the Rosary.

I’ve never had the best relationship with our Mother Mary. I’ve never known how to pray to her or what to say. What can she help me with? Is she someone who can answer my prayers? Why would I pray to her if I can just pray to God? Of course I’ve prayed the rosary so many times in my life. But that’s the closest I’ve gotten with her.

Two years ago, I felt a little tug from her. To invite her in. To pray to her and ask for her intercession. Of all people, she could relate to what I’m going through the most.

I have three kids with special needs. I’ve watched them suffer their whole lives, and it’s only been 6 years. My oldest son has Autism, Sensory Processing Disorder, a rare genetic mutation, and a host of other medical issues. My middle son was born with multiple physical disabilities which have mostly been corrected with surgeries. And then my daughter has the same genetic mutation as my oldest son.

All three of my kids are developmentally delayed and have weekly therapies and numerous doctor appointments every month. They’ve been through so much in just their short lives so far. It’s hard for me as a mother to watch my kids suffer. So who better to understand my feelings than our Blessed Mother? She watched her son go through the worst kind of suffering any human has ever endured.

I realized Mary isn’t the one who answers my prayers, but she can intercede on my behalf. She’s the closest person to Jesus so she’s probably the best person for me to ask to pray for me and my family. Why wouldn’t I want her on my side?

At the end of 2019 I started to feel that nudge from Our Lady. Within a few months my church started a weekly Mom’s Rosary Group that I was a part of. We had an Advent by Candlelight event where the talk was about Mary. A priest friend had recently finished his dissertation on Mary and The Church. I had also been talking about Mary with my spiritual director. She was calling out to me and I had finally accepted her invitation.

A year ago I went on a women’s retreat at my church. There was a reenactment of Stations of the Cross, however, it was from Mary’s point of view. I’d never seen that before, but I could relate to it so much. It was my favorite part of the retreat. I’ll never forget that version of Stations of the Cross.

Mary is the perfect example of how to be a good mother. She’s patient, beautiful, humble, and pure. She’s someone I look up to and she makes me want to become a better mother to my kids. She’s the best person to understand me and my family and I love that I can call on her for her intercession in prayer.