a North Dakotan girl through and through, wife, mother and die hard Catholic.

A few months ago, a dear priest friend offered me a piece of advice that has stayed with me. He encouraged me to sit with Jesus and imagine Him saying to me: “I am here.”

At first, I tucked those words away, not realizing just how deeply I would come to need them. But slowly, almost gently, they began to echo in my heart, especially in moments when I found myself grieving the challenges of Catholic motherhood: the distance from family, Mason’s unpredictable schedule in medicine, or the loneliness that sometimes comes with raising children with faith.

It was in those quiet spaces that I began to hear Him whisper:

I am here as you hold your babies.

I am here in the middle of the night wake ups.

I am here when the schedule feels impossible.

I am here in the piles of toys and laundry.

I am here in the tears, in the hugs, in the quiet pews.

I am here in the joys and the sufferings.

I am here.

Motherhood looks different for each of us, yet the path of Motherhood is always beautiful even in the mess, even when holiness feels just out of reach. These sacred ordinary moments are where we truly encounter Jesus. Faith and motherhood intertwine in the smallest of daily tasks: folding clothes, picking up toys, comforting little ones, and attending Mass together.

That reminder, Jesus does not abandon ship; He is the very one guiding it has been an anchor for my heart. He is present in the unseen, in the mundane, in the holy ordinary work of raising children with faith.

So the next time you find yourself in the middle of a messy kitchen, a sleepless night, or a season that feels heavier than you can carry, pause and let His words meet you there:

“I am here.”

Even in the chaos, even in the struggles, Jesus is present. In the joys, in the everyday work of motherhood, and in every small moment of life, He whispers: I am here.