The Blueprint to Becoming the Best Mom: 5 Lessons from Mother Mary | 46

I want to give you the blueprint that Mary modeled on how to be the best mom as the chosen mother of your child. And you are the chosen mother of the Son of God because your child is God's first and he chose you. It is Mother's Day month. And this episode is for you, mom. Whether you have biological children or adoptive, or you have students, nephews, anybody in your life that you are like a mom to, you are a mom and this episode is for you. I am going to share with you the blueprint to becoming the best mother in the world. But first, I have to tell you a story. Today is my daughter's birthday, May 19th, and she is the little one, my rainbow baby. So my intention coming into recording this episode was to tell you the story because it's a beautiful story, and then so many things happened that I must talk to you about a mom that I admire deeply, and that is our Blessed Mother. In complete transparency, I am mindful of not talking too much about Mother Mary because I know that my Christian brothers and sisters may have different beliefs or thoughts, or, you know, and many times they feel strongly about how Mary was just a part of the nativity set that goes back in after Christmas. And I wanna honor that. I am not here to convert anybody to Catholicism. I'm not here to tell anybody that my truth is the truth. I just don't think that way. So I'm very mindful when I talk about things that are specific to Catholicism because I don't wanna turn you off if you are not Catholic. And I don't want you to feel disrespected or unseen. So I say this to let you know that I just, I feel that I must share what I feel about our Blessed Mother and some things that I think will help you become a better mom. And I respect your beliefs and I respect our differences and I love you. For it. So I hope you'll open your heart and your mind to receive the message and just disregard whatever doesn't resonate with you. I was gonna tell you the story about how I found out about my little one, 'cause it is a beautiful story. And I went into my computer and I looked for my book in the electronic copy. And I was looking for like a rainbow, 'cause I talk about a rainbow being born. When I talk about Mia's birth. And when I look for rainbow in the search of the computer, it took me to the beginning of the book, the beginning of the story. When I went to Mass on that Sunday and Fofi was praying the Our Father, she had just learned it in English, and she was super cute. She had a a big-time accent. And then when we left Mass, a friend of the family was there, and she grabbed Fofi by the hand, took her to the image of the Blessed Mother in the outside of the church, and carried her so that she could give her Blessed Mother a kiss. And I was watching her, and I saw I forgot about this. I saw like the reflection of a rainbow because there were like colored glasses on that wall and the sun was beaming. So the reflection of the sun with the colors of the glasses on the wall, like it just, it created this beautiful rainbow. And then the silhouette of Fofi kissing our Blessed Mother. I forgot that I wrote it that way. So I was thinking that by searching Rainbow, it would take me to the chapter where I speak about her. But then that was like the first thing that came up. And then when I fast forward to the chapter and I'm reading through it, I remembered, well, I'm gonna tell you a story so that you understand why the whole idea of the Mother Mary and me having to talk about her today. I was just gonna tell you the story of how Mia was born because Today's her birthday, and it's a story of hope. But now I have to tell you that story, and I have to make it about you, Mom. I have to make it about you and the embodiment of hope and love that you are. And I must give you a gift. I must give you the gift of the blueprint to follow so that you may live the motherhood that God created you to experience. So in 2013, Fofi died in August, and I wanna say it must have been end of September or early October, maybe early October, that I had a trip planned to St. Augustine with my friends. Now here's the thing about St. Augustine. Ever since the year before my oldest was born, We had been visiting Saint Augustine yearly to bless the womb because there's a shrine there of Our Lady of la Leche, which is the Blessed Mother for pregnant women and women breastfeeding. So it has a lot to do with motherhood. And a lot of people go there to ask her to intercede for our ability to become moms and to be able to breastfeed our children. So we learned about this and we went to visit her, and it's a beautiful, quaint little shrine, like a little chapel, and it's surrounded by grass and greenery and flowers, and there's a Via Crucis, there's like the Stations of the Cross around. It's just a very peaceful, beautiful, nature-filled place, and we just loved it. So we went before I got pregnant, asking our Blessed Mother to intercede so that I could become a mom. And then we went back when I had Chichi in my womb, and we asked our Blessed Mother to intercede and ask Jesus to, to like really bless our daughter so she may be born healthy. We did the same thing the next year with Fofi. So Chichi was already was born and she came with us. We did it again when I was pregnant with Gordy, and Chichi and Fofi accompanied me. And that was the last time I had been there. I had been there with Chichi, Fofi, and Gordy in my tummy to bless the baby and ask our Blessed Mother to talk to Jesus and hook it up. We had this planned and I was like, ugh, obviously I didn't feel like doing anything, going anywhere. Those times were rough, right? Like, you don't feel like doing anything. But the trip was planned, everything was booked, and I was like, it was with my two best friends and their spouses. So they're like brothers and sisters to me. And I was like, you know what, let's just go. So we go to St. Augustine. The first night we go out and I am super sleepy. I am like a total Debbie Downer. Like, I'm like falling asleep on the tables of the bars. There's like live music, and I'm super tired, falling asleep. But that's usually how I feel on Fridays. So whatever, I didn't think anything of it. The girls go early to the B&B, and, you know, we go to sleep. The next morning, I wake up, and I'm doing my makeup and getting ready to go out. And I see— I had this thought. I see a pregnancy test on my toiletry bag. Now, I had been— pregnant or breastfeeding for 5 and a half years straight. So I had a whole bunch of pregnancy tests. Like, it was, you know, they were spread out in the bathroom, and I must have put it in the toiletry bag at one point when I was getting it out of the way in the drawer of the bathroom. I don't know how it got there. The point is that I had a pregnancy test in my toiletry bag, and I saw it, and I thought like, oh, 'Maybe I should do a pregnancy test and open it when we go to the shrine of Our Lady of La Leche.' Super random, super ridiculous, made no sense. I know now that it was given to me. It was a thought that was given to me. I did not think that on my own. I had no reason to believe I was pregnant, you may imagine. That during those times, as much as my husband and I prioritized our relationship and were very intentional and mindful of protecting our intimacy, many times when we would set aside that space to spend together and be intimate, we would end up crying. And there went that, right? So there wasn't a lot of intimacy during those days, But there was because— so I'm not gonna say that it was the Holy Spirit, but there was. And— but very, very, very rare because even when we tried emotionally, we were in a lot of pain. And it's hard to be intimate and be in pain at the same time. So anyhow, I had no reason to believe I was pregnant, period. So I just grabbed the pregnancy test, I put it in my, I do it, right? Like I go to the bathroom, I do it, and then I put it away in my pocket without looking at it, and I forget about it. We go to breakfast, we go to Our Lady of La Leche. As soon as we enter the shrine, I start bawling. We're kneeling and we're praying to God for, for mercy, for mercy and hope. And at least that's what I'm praying for. And I'm just begging Him to hold me in His arms because I was destroyed. I was destroyed. And I would look at Mother Mary and I'm like, Mama Mary, you went through this too. How did you do it? And I remember thinking, I wish you would have written a book. Like, how do you do this? You saw your son suffer and then be killed unjustly. Like, it was even worse, I remember thinking. But how do you live without him? How do I live without her? So I'm talking to Mary, I'm praying to God, and I'm just falling, because all I can think of is, Fofi was here the last time I came. She was right here hugging me, holding my belly and kissing Gordito in my womb. Room. Like, she was just there. I just cried. I'm just— I just cried. I have no idea what my husband's praying about, but when we leave the chapel, we're like, you know what, it was just so beautiful and peaceful that I was like— I see a gazebo right next to it, and I'm like, why don't we pray a rosary together? And I had In Puerto Rico, when you're— when someone passes away, you do a novena. So you do 9 rosaries in a row in someone's home right after your person passes. And I never did that after Fofi because my extended family that lives in Miami is not Puerto Rican, and it's not a Cuban tradition. So they— nobody organized it for me, and I didn't have the capacity to organize it or the desire, really. So I hadn't prayed any rosaries to, you know, after she passed. And I was like, you know, why not? Let's pray a rosary. So we went to the gazebo, and I sat there, and I could feel the breeze. And there's the intercoastal is like right there, so like the salty sea air. It was beautiful. I can't even explain, but all my senses were engaged during that rosary. The smell of the ocean, the feeling of the wind blowing in my face and my hair, the smell of nature and flowers around me, the company of my best friends who also share my faith. How beautiful is that? It was a holy moment indeed. So we pray a rosary, and when we're done, I remember I have that thingy in my back pocket, and I'm like, oh my goodness, I forgot, right? Like, so I'm like, I'm like, baby, can we go in one second? So I invite my husband alone to go into the shrine again, and we go to turn on one of those candles that you have for your petitions. And I am feeling like, like, like so ridiculous. Like, I cannot believe I am going to look at this thing in front of him and just do like a whole performance. Like, I felt like I was haciendo tremendo papelazo, if you can understand. Like, I felt like I was being very ridiculous, but I did it anyway. I'm obedient. I have to say, I love to fight with God sometimes, and I sometimes want what I want, but in the end, I obey. Always, always obey. So when he revealed that to me, I obeyed. And I'm like, maybe this is in my head and not from— not coming from God, but I'm gonna obey anyway just in case. So I, I'm like, hey baby, I had this thought this morning, and I did this pregnancy test, and there's no reason for me to believe this is even true, so I'm sorry that I'm being so ridiculous. I'm just obeying. Like, I just wanna do what came to me just in case. So we're like laughing about it, both of us. He knows I'm a dreamer, hopeless romantic, and you know, he knows I'm a little woo-woo and ridiculous in some ways, and he loves me for it, so he just played along. And I just give it to him. So I give him the pregnancy test and I tell him, one line is negative, two lines is positive. And he grabs it, he looks at it, he's like, two lines is positive? And I'm like, like, like, stop messing with me kind of deal. And he's like, no, for real, are two lines positive? And I'm like, what? Like, I grabbed it and I grabbed it from his hand and I look at it 2 lines. I was pregnant. Now let me pause and tell you something really important. The day before this day, we were in my house, and I was saying something. There's a lot of darkness that comes with grief. Like, you know, we feel like blaming people. We feel like just in an effort to understand something that is a mystery, we feel, and to continue to wallow in the victimhood, which is more comfortable than guilt, right? Like, so, you know how guilt is part of grief? Well, guilt that is redirected to someone else is blame. And we do that too during grief. It's human and it's very unhealthy when you stay in it. It's okay, it's part of the grieving process when you go through it naturally, so I'm not judging that part. But when you stay in it, it could be very dark and it could be very consuming, especially when somebody has been responsible for the death of your loved one. So I was experiencing a little bit of that darkness, attempted to put it on people, like, oh, well, why didn't this person do anything about it if they saw this? And why, you know, there was, these people were around it and they didn't look at her either. Mind you, I was right next to her when it happened. So I had already gone through my guilt part. So now I'm like, okay, next step. What's the next dark thought? And it was blaming. And Alain, was like, "No, don't you dare blame anybody. This is our fault. We were responsible for this. Nobody else was responsible for this. We were responsible. This is our daughter." And I remember being like, "No, no, no, no, no. I already did too much work to rise above guilt. I can't go back there." So yes, blame wasn't good, but guilt wasn't either. And I know now that he wasn't suffering from guilt, he was assuming responsibility. But at the moment, it felt like him telling me that I needed to feel guilty about it because this was just our doing. And I had already come to terms with that. Like, I know I did everything in my power to protect my daughter. So I remember thinking like, I cannot engage with this. I can't. I'm not going back there. And that put Alain and I in a very delicate predicament that night. We were upset at each other. He was in a mood. I was in a mood. I was like, screw this. I'm not gonna go tomorrow. You know, and when I am not on the same page with Alain, I struggle. You know how I'm always talking about this guy? I'm obsessed with him. I loved— to be at peace with him. And whenever we are in a disagreement or we're in a funk or going through it as a couple, I fall apart more easily than when something else happens in my life. Like, I struggle a lot when he and I are not in a good place. And that was the case this night. And I needed him. He was part of my healing. Throughout this entire process. So not being on the same page was really hard. And I remember I grabbed, I had a little red pillow that they gave me in my Imejas retreat, my dear friend Titi, Imejas sister. She gave me a red pillow and she, it was for me to kneel on it. So I put it on my walk-in closet where a lot of my story took place. And I just, I knelt and I prayed and I looked for the Bible and I did the Bible bingo, you know, where you open it and You see where it lands. And I was just seeking, I'm like, God, like, just help me protect my peace. I don't wanna go back to guilt, and I wanna be on the same page. And then my prayer became, give something to Alain so powerful and so amazing. 'Cause I, my superpower is faith. I believe in what I cannot see to a fault. And Alain has a little bit of doubting Thomas in him. Right, like he's more skeptical, more rational, more practical. So I remember all I, I don't know how I went from the guilt and the blaming to praying for him to be fully faithful. And like for something so big to happen that it would free him from whatever guilt he may have. I just wanted like a big sign. That was my thing. I wanted a miracle, a big sign for him. That's exactly what I prayed for. I prayed for a big sign for my doubting aline. So then when we go to the shrine the next day, when he's praying, he is not thinking about Fofi. He is praying for God to bless my womb again. So that we may have another daughter. And he specifically, mind you, we had 3 girls and a boy, so it would've made sense for it to be 2 girls, 2 boys, right? Like, and Gabriel, Gordito, was my youngest, so he was gonna be the closest to this last, if we were to have another baby. But the reason he was like begging for a baby was number one, When Fofi passed, Alain was supposed to get a vasectomy that same week, and he canceled it because it wasn't, we didn't, it wasn't the time to be making those permanent decisions. And number 2, like, we were like outnumbered. You know, when you have 3 kids, you're outnumbered, you feel it. And going back to 2 kids, felt so empty. Like, I'm one of four, he's one of four. We always wanted 4 kids, but when you have 3 back-to-back kids nonstop, and they're all crazy, and they don't sleep, you think about the fourth. So that's what had happened to us. I was never fully sold, but it made sense. So we had gone through with the appointments, and it was scheduled. Alan would always say, like, "God, in my disbelief, like, you know, help my unbelief. In my disbelief, can you help me?" Like, "The only way that I can, like, kind of, like, give meaning to this or understand why this happened is if we have another baby." Because the reason, the only reason we would have another baby is because we canceled this as a result of her loss. So this was how he made sense sense of things. Then he went to the shrine. He was praying for God to bless my womb again and allow us to have another baby girl. And then we go do the rosary. We come back with the pregnancy test. We— he looks at it. It's positive. Big sign, anyone? Like, what? Like, that's how fast God acts? Like, the night before, I had begged him for a miracle, the biggest sign. And then here He is, like, gifting us a baby? What? It was the most incredible miracle I've ever experienced. And I didn't even know all the details because I didn't know my husband was praying for God to bless my womb again. Like, I was thinking about Fofi. So, of course, my little doubting Thomas over here, is like, "But are you sure? Could that be old because it was from when you bought it for Gordito?" Like, you know, like he was, he was like doubting. I'm like, "Ugh, like seriously, this guy?" So I went with the girls to CVS while the boys went to a cigar shop. And I bought a pregnancy test that said pregnant, not pregnant, so that there would be no doubt. When I did the test. I did the test, and I held it also to go show him when we went to the cigar shop. And as I'm leaving CVS in St. Augustine, I like, well, as I'm walking to pay through all the aisles, I'm like, "Fofi, like, Fofi, please tell me you had something to do with this. Like, just give me permission to—" I was giddy from how much joy I had. Mind you, I had spent 2 months I was crying every single day. This was the first time I didn't just smile, I was like giddy from how happy I was, you know, with the possibility of being pregnant again. So I almost needed permission from Fofi, and I needed to know that she interceded in some way and that she was part of it and she had talked to Jesus, I visualize Fofi going to Jesus and grabbing Him by His manta and being like, "Jesus, can You please hook my mom up?" And then Jesus looks at her and He's like, "You're so cute. I love you. Of course, mamita, whatever you want." I have this image that He just gives her whatever she wants, 'cause she's irresistibly beautiful. I was like, it must be that she was involved. She asked for a little sister or something. And I just needed permission to be happy, to be honest. So as soon as we pay and we exit CVS, it starts sprinkling a little bit. I'm begging for a sign from Fofi. I look up at the sky. And there's a rainbow. And rainbows are a symbol of hope, even in Scripture. They're a symbol that the storm will pass. You know, like usually it comes after rain and ugly, quote unquote, ugly days. And then it's like beautiful, all the colors. They're majestic and, oh, I love rainbows. So I look at that rainbow and I'm like, I start crying. I'm like, oh my gosh. Like, Alain gets the big sign. I didn't know this at the time that he had gotten the big sign. You know, I know it now in hindsight. And then I get the big sign. And it was, it has to have been one of the happiest days of my life. It was beautiful. So I'm filled with the Spirit, filled with joy. Filled with hope, I'm smiling, and I go to the cigar shop to proudly present to my doubting Alain these big pregnant letters on the pregnancy test. And I don't know, I don't know how to express it in words, but the life of hope and joy that I know now, began that day. Maybe it began before with the hope that the priest gave me the day after Fofi died, but that was the first time I felt it. One thing is to believe by faith and, like, know it because the Holy Spirit, you know, gives you the gift of knowing, but this time was the first time that I felt it. And Needless to say, if you know my little Mia, you know that she's a ray of sunshine. She's a true rainbow baby. They call rainbow babies the babies that come after a previous sibling has passed. And Mia is just filled, filled with joy. She's like a bright light. She makes people smile, feel loved. And she's brought a lot of that light into my— into our family, as have done every other kid we have in different ways, right? But this is how Mia's shown her light. So that happened. That involved our Blessed Mother. I've always been a very Christ-centered woman. Never really, like, considered myself, like, Marian, like, very devoted to Mary. I love her, but I was never, I didn't have that closeness with her, with the rosary. Just, I don't know. I don't know how to explain it, but it wasn't a thing for me. But I longed for it. Ever since I lost Fofi, I wanted to be closer to her because she knew my pain. She lived it. And I, I just, I'm like, but then I'm like, you know, I had this thing of like, then I had to pray. Like, if I talk to her, then I have to also pray to God. And to— and I felt like I couldn't just talk to her because I needed to pray to Jesus and talk to God. And so I was like, okay, no, I'm just gonna go straight to, to Jesus. And I understood later on that, that Mary has like the blueprint, the mold to bring us to her Son. She spends His entire life with Him, and her only role really is, in addition to model for us how to be Christlike, how to be obedient, how to do God's will, in addition to that, Her main role is to bring us to her Son. She wants nothing for herself. All she wants is for us to be closer to Him, and she understands that many people feel more connected to a woman, like a woman, a female role model, or feels more comfortable talking to a mom. So she's, you know, Jesus gave her to us as our Blessed Mother when she gave, when she said, you know, Peter, here's your mom, mom. Here's your son. She gave her to us. So I just have always longed to be closer to her, and I've worked on that relationship. And this moment was the beginning of the beautiful relationship I have built with our Blessed Mother and the beginning of drawing inspiration from how she lived. Because I always hoped and prayed. I'm like, man, I wish you would have written a book so I could read it and devour it and do it and be it. And I now realize that she didn't have to write a book. The book was written. The Bible was written, which speaks about her, and her life is the book. And that's what I want to briefly talk to you about today. I wanna give you the blueprint that Mary modeled on how to be the best mom as the chosen mother of your child or your children. She was the chosen mother of the Son of God. And you are the chosen mother of the son of God, 'cause your child is God's first. And, and, and He chose you. That's a big deal. We are the chosen ones. So I love to use acronyms so that we can remember this blueprint, and the acronym I'm going to use to describe Mary and the future version of you as a mother, if you're not there already, is S.A.I.N.T. Ultimately, we all long to be holy, to be saints, to be good, because God made the world and He saw that it was good. He created human beings and He saw, saw that it was good. So we're meant to be good, and good, remember, is God with two O's. So we get to be godly and Christlike, and in order to do that, we're gonna remember Saint. Mary is a saint, we get to be saints too. The S in Saint stands for Surrender. Mary was a testament of surrender. I'm sure she had plans and she had dreams and desires, but the will of God was more important for her than her own will. And, and whenever she was— when she was invited by Angel Gabriel to step into this and to accept this responsibility and privilege of holding in her womb as a tabernacle, the body, the being, the Son of God, the Savior. Like, ah, like, that's crazy. This woman was a virgin, she was super young, she could have been killed for this. And she's like, Let it be according to your will. I'm the handmaid of the Lord. Like, I'm yours, God. I'm in surrender. Whatever you say, whatever you do is fine with me. Uh, what? I don't know about you, but hello, my name is Betsy, and I am a recovering control freak. If you are a mom, you are most likely either a control freak or a recovering one. Right? A little bit, maybe? It's hard to give the power to He who had it all along because we live in the illusion of control. We think that if we worry about something, if we do what we need to do, if I put my daughter in survival classes when I move to a house with a pool, and then I put her in swimming classes, and then I don't miss a class, and then I practice with her, and I do all the, and I'm with her inside the pool, she's never gonna die in a drowning accident. I thought I could control that. If only I did the right thing, which I did. Thank you, Jesus. Because if not, I don't know what I would've done with the guilt. I was right next to Fofi when Fofi drowned. Control? Is an illusion. Surrender is about giving the power to He who had it all along. You never had it. It was just the illusion of control. Surrender is freeing yourself from that illusion and letting the One who truly has the power drive so that you can never fail. You can never fail. If you let God drive. Mary let God drive. Mary said yes to God. She surrendered her control. She surrendered her power. She surrendered her will to accept and welcome His. And we as moms get to do the same. Your child, my friend, is God's child first. He will not leave him alone. I know your son, your daughter may be going through difficult times. Maybe they're in that season in the teenage years, young adult, that they're not making the best decisions, or maybe they're being bullied, or perhaps they're struggling at school and they don't fit the mold, or they're too socially awkward or quiet, I don't know, what is it? Maybe they're different. Surrender him, surrender her. Your child is God's child first. And then just trust that God will take care of your baby. That focus on you becoming closer to God, and if you don't know how to do that, I can help you in the Faith-Based Coaching Academy. Focus on connecting to the indwelling God, the Holy Spirit, so that you You may be guided on how to guide your child. And that's how God does it through you. But if you do it by your own means and your own wisdom, good luck with that. I have a doctorate in psychology, 26 years of experience. Do you think I know what I'm doing with my kids? I have the same questions you have. I need God. I need God to show me how He wants me to raise chichi, fofi, gorda, mia. What a fofie. I wish I had the opportunity to raise her. I need God, and so do you. Surrender. And if you want to learn how to surrender, go to the podcast episode number 24 titled the same way. It was aired on December 16th, 2025. How to Surrender. It's a powerful podcast. It's a must. Listen to. It will change your life and it will show you the way to surrender. The A in Saint, which also described our Blessed Mother, is Acceptance. She was a yes woman. She welcomed, accepted the will of God without questions, without hesitation. Yes. And I love to say that she was a yes woman because I don't know if you remember from Scripture, but there are some parts in which Jesus calls her woman. Like, you know, when she told him like, hey buddy, you gotta change the water into wine and do your first miracle, he was like, it's not my time. And she didn't care. She was like, do whatever he tells you, you know, she told the people. And Jesus obeyed his mom. But at that moment, he's like, woman, it's not my time. And he says woman to his mom. A few times. And if you ask me, I think que es una mala crianza, right? Like, anybody could think like, what a brat, this kid calling his mom woman instead of mommy, right? Like, if you don't have the context, you may think like, why is he calling her woman as if she were just anybody? And what I learned in studying this is that woman is how Eve was referred to in the Old Testament. And Eve was the representation of a woman, of humanity, really, that disobeyed, that chose the opposite to what God asked her to do. And then in the New Testament, Mary is the woman, the representation of not just females, but humanity, of those who said yes. Let it be according to your will, Lord. I am the handmaid of the Lord. Like, let it be as you say. Like obedience. Yes woman. Mary was a yes woman. Are you a yes woman? And I have to say, I've struggled. Tremendously with that. I am a very powerful woman with a very strong opinion and very strong beliefs and conviction. And my poor husband, I remember many years ago, fortunately I've been working at it for a little while, and I think I've come a long way, right, baby? I've come a long way. But I remember him telling me like, What's wrong with yes, okay, yes, my dear? I always had an opinion. I'm like, oh, well, why don't we do it this way? Or what about this other perspective? Or like, always, I always had something to say. And then I had a couple in therapy many years ago, and I saw her doing that, but like to another level. The woman would never stay quiet. She would never say okay. She would never— listen. Like, it was always like she always had an opinion. And I remember projecting myself onto her, like seeing myself in her and being like, this is what my husband has been trying to tell me all along. Is this what I sound like? She was a little extreme, but still I was doing that too, even if it was to a lesser degree. It was the same thing. And it was then that I was like, okay, I'm gonna become more of a yes woman. More of a "yes, my dear" kind of girl. So ever since, I've been working diligently on pursuing submission. I wanna be as intentionally submissive as possible. I call it, I'm trying to be tamed. And my husband has done a really good job at taming me. So when my friends, when I talk to my besties, sometimes they're like, "You're so submissive." And I'm like, "Well, thank you. I've been working really hard for that." So yes, become a yes woman. Become a person that's good at accepting what is as is, trusting and surrendering everything to God, knowing that if this happened, it's for a greater good because all things work for the good of those who love Him. Acceptance. Mary was really good about welcoming what is as is. She said yes to carrying the Son of God in her womb and raising Him and loving Him. She said yes to giving Him back to us. I think about the possibility of witnessing my child go through what Jesus went through for the salvation of the world, and yeah, that sounds really pretty, but pick someone else, God. Not my kid. Yes. Yes, woman. Acceptance. Accept what is as is, because oftentimes what creates more pain is the resistance, not the actual request that God has for your life. That I in S.A.I.N.T. stands for intention. Mary was a woman of intention. She was committed to living the life that God created her to live. She was committed to her faith. She was intentional about her actions. She, like, when she found out that Elizabeth was pregnant, 'cause Angel Gabriel told her, she like went in haste. That means she like rushed. She went running to her cousin. There was no car back then. She wasn't going in a Ferrari. She probably had to like climb a donkey or something and like go for days and be uncomfortable in the sun. And she had an intention, and she was not gonna be deviated. She was not gonna drift from it. Now, what is intention? Intention has 3 important components that I would love for you to know. Number 1, when you set an intention, you make a decision. And decision, decide, comes from the word decidere, which means to remove all other possibilities. And I talk very much in depth about intention, the power of intention, in episode number 34. I think it's a beautiful episode too, which was aired February 24th, 2026. So number one, you make a decision. Decision comes from the word decidere, which means to remove all other possibilities. When you set an intention, you remove the possibility of failing. You cannot fail, period. Because, and that brings me to the second part of intention, when you set an intention, you also connect to divine power. It's essentially like, Imagine God as a GPS, and it's essentially like you turn on the GPS, that's setting up the intention, you enter the destination, like, Lord, I wanna follow you, I wanna be a good mom, I wanna raise beautiful, healthy, loving, happy children. I wanna be a good spouse, I wanna fulfill my purpose. Whatever your intention is. I wanna be happy again, I had that intention when I lost Fofi. You enter the destination, right? So that's the decision. So you're turning on the GPS, set an intention, made a decision. "I am going to be happy again," is the one I made. "And I am going to honor my daughter through love, service, and gratitude, not through suffering." That was the destination. That was the decision. And then you surrender and you wait for guidance. GPS, turn left, turn right, keep moving forward, stop, be still, recalculating, make a U-turn, te metiste por donde no era, you went down the wrong path. So like, come on, let's go, let's go back, return, right? Like, so you receive that guidance when you're setting the intention, since you're turning on God, the GPS, and you are surrendering to His guidance, you're being guided by the indwelling God. By the Holy Spirit, by the superpower that lives within you. You're not guided by your mind, your wisdom, your human limitations. You're guided by something greater. So when you set an intention, you connect to divine power. That's different from setting a goal. When you set a goal, you work for it. When you set an intention, you don't— you're not the one working for it. At your own, based on your own thinking. Obviously, you're working for it as you're guided. You're obeying, essentially. You obey. He tells you, you do. So you're connected to divine wisdom when you set an intention. And lastly, when you set an intention, there's purpose in everything you do. Because now when I'm doing things for free in my business, I'm not doing things for free. I am honoring Fofi through service. When I practice gratitude, I'm not just doing like a little check off the box, okay, I need to do this gratitude practice. I'm honoring Fofi, I'm connecting to God, I am attracting more of those graces that He's already given me. There's always purpose. When you're doing the dishes, when you're washing the laundry, you're not doing the dishes or washing the laundry, you're loving your family. When you set an intention, then everything that you do has meaning. And I tell this story in my webinar that I keep inviting you to. Actually, I'm not gonna say it here 'cause I said it in the webinar. So if you wanna hear the story about giving meaning and purpose to everything you do, you gotta go to faithbasedcoachingacademy.com/fw and sign up for the next webinar. Webinar that's gonna rock your life. You're welcome. Okay, so S-A-I, the N in Saint stands for Noble. Mary was noble. She was humble. She was graceful. She was obedient. She was a powerful woman, Know that empowered and noble can and should coexist. You can be a very powerful woman and a very noble one. But sometimes we think that like powerful woman, you know, like that means like, oh, like I'm the one, I'm the boss, and you need to do what you need to, you know, I need to be strong and do what I think I need to do and not obey anybody. No, no, you get to be strong and convicted and powerful and humble, obedient, in surrender, grace. Mary, gosh, she— like, I think of so many parts in which we hear stories about her in the Bible. And like, Jesus gets lost for 3 days, okay? She comes back, she must be freaking out. Imagine losing your kid for 3 days. I lost sight of Fofi for 3 seconds. Imagine, imagine losing your kid for 3 days. And then you come back, Y el chiquito te dice, "Mom, I was just in my father's house." Like, you know, I would've wanted to slap him in the face. Like, I'd want to scream to him. Like, you know, she literally comes back looking for him, finds him, and I imagine she, you know, if it were me, I would've probably grabbed his ear and be like, "Muchachito," like, "Mm." 'How dare you? Look at what you had me go through.' And then the kid answers, 'What do you mean? I was in my father's house doing the thing that I am supposed to do.' 'What? You are grounded.' And yet, she was curious. She did not fully understand the words that this wise being that she was raising as her own said, and Scripture says she would put, she would hold or put away all those things in her heart. That's being noble. That's being humble. That's being grace, love. Gosh, I want to be like her when I grow up. What an example. We get to be powerful like Mary. And the power is in the intention, the intentional submission, the intentional surrender, the intentional obedience. And lastly, Mary was trusting. She trusted God with all her heart, all her mind, all her might, everything. In her trusted God, blindly. Gosh, there's so many times, like, I am a woman of faith, and faith is my superpower. I believe, I trust in what I cannot see. And still sometimes I struggle when I don't see it for a little while. I'm like, okay, but so when is this happening again, God? Reminder, I'm waiting for you to do what you're supposed to do. I still want to control. I still want my will to, to be manifested. So show me, Mary, how you trusted. Are you trusting God above all things, or do you trust the situation as it is right now, that thing that your son is going through, or your daughter? Do you trust the numbers in your bank account more than you trust in God's abundance and providence and generosity? Do you trust in what you can see more than in what God has for you that you have no idea about? Mary trusted. She trusted. She could have been killed for saying yes to a baby that she hadn't had fun making. She could have died for that. She could have been killed. Like, she could have been shamed. Her reputation would have just been destroyed. She trusted, she trusted to the point of like, you know, it costing her life if need be. Do we trust that way? I once heard this story. There's a scripture in the Bible that talks about this widow who was left with nothing, right? Like all she had left was, her child, and she was gonna have to sell him so that she could feed him and her with the money that she made. And, you know, God interceded, and she was asked to go get all— she sold olive oil for a living before, and I hope I'm not butchering the Scripture, It was something like this. The message still is right. So then, you know, Jesus asked like, "Okay, go get all of the bottles and Tupperware and vases and everything that you have in your house. Like, go find as many bottles as you can." So, you know, she went and she found the— She went, she got super creative and got a bunch of bottles and brought them back. And then he started pouring olive oil from that. She had a little bit of olive oil left, very much like the story of the 5 fish and the 2 loaves, or the 5 loaves and the 2 fish. Gosh, I can't remember right now, but you know what I'm talking about. So he got the, the remaining little bit of olive oil and started pouring into all those vases, into all those bottles. And he filled them all, all of them. So now she didn't have to sell her kid. And I remember listening, I think it was Father Mike Smith who was preaching about the Scripture and said, you know, if we knew that's what was gonna happen, how many more bottles would we have found if we trusted that the destination is abundance, resurrection, rising, joy, peace, if we trusted that wholeheartedly, what would we do? What would we not do? What would we feel? What would we not feel? So I ask you, Mom, if you trusted that your son is being prepared, he's in training for his, his mission, his purpose, and that's why he's going through this. If you trusted that your daughter is being equipped through these adversities for what she's called to, if you, if you just believed blindly in God's plans for your kid, for you, for your family, for your parents, your aging parents? What would be different? If you know what would be different, go back about a month to where I talk about your thoughts are lying to you, and then the podcast after that in April, I speak about being how you can step into an identity, and from that place you can act. Well, go back to those episodes to refresh your mind. And when you have the answer to, "If I trusted that God is doing something amazing, what would I do right now? What would I feel right now? What would I think? What would I believe?" Build that identity, build that belief, and do what you would do in that place so that you may manifest it, so that you may open and expand your heart and your mind to receiving it. You think if your child is struggling, God is not doing anything about it? If you love your child so much, how much more does God love him or her? He's got you. Trust like Mary. So in this Mother's Day month, which also happens to be the month we dedicate to our Blessed Mother, I invite you, Mom, to be a saint. Surrender. Relinquish the power you never had and give it to Him who had it all along. Accept. Welcome what is as is. Become a yes woman. Set intentions. Live with intentions. Make decisions. Like, decide that you're gonna connect to the guidance of God as your GPS in everything you do. With and for your kids or any aspect of your life. Be noble, be powerful, have conviction, have opinions, but always with nobility, with humility, with grace, with obedience. And trust. Trust in God. Trust in that everything is happening for the good. Of everybody involved. Trust as if you knew it was already true, and from that place, glorify God. Thank Him already for what you haven't seen yet manifested in your physical reality. Thank Him already. That's how much you trust Him, that you're already being like, ah, thank you so much. Thank you so much, Jesus. So be a saint. Be the best mom you can be. I hope you're spoiled this month. I hope you had the best Mother's Day a couple weeks ago. And every day is Mother's Day, so keep enjoying your family, your loved ones. I love you. God bless you. Bye.