Mother’s Day is a time to honor the women who have shaped our lives - mothers, grandmothers, great-grandmothers, aunts, sisters, friends, mentors, neighbors, teachers, and countless others. For many this day can also bring with it conflicting emotions of grief, reflection, disappointment, celebration, gratitude, and hope - sometimes all at once. Especially today, we feel the absence of those no longer with us and express gratitude to all of those women who nurture, shape, and support us.

I am grateful every day to come from a family with generations of strong women. The strength, compassion, and determination I learned from my mother and the women in my family guide me to this day. They lived the values of generosity, service, and hard work. They showed me that no matter how little you have, you can always make another place at the table, that curiosity and determination can turn the “impossible” into reality, and that if you see a problem, you can't complain about it unless you're willing to roll up your sleeves and get to work to fix it.

Every day, I work to make them proud and follow in their footsteps.

Happy Mother’s Day,

Kendra