This Mother’s Day, I’m working with Clever Girls in support of Macy’s Heart of Haiti to shine a light on the “trade, not aid” program, which provides sustainable income to Haitian artisans struggling to rebuild their lives and support their families after the 2010 earthquake.
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Why?

In January, my mom experienced a terrible car accident. It has truly been life altering for our family as it was the first time that we were faced with the thought of my mom not being around anymore. It isn’t something most people actively think about…losing a parent. It certainly wasn’t something that I wanted to think about. But, the experience really put how incredible my mom is into perspective for me and created a goal of the type of my mom that I want to be for my kids.

My mom is the cheerleader…the extra supportive figure in my life. While our relationship hasn’t always been perfect (I was a teenage girl at one time after all), she has always made sure that I knew everything she did for me was out of love and because she wanted to give me the best possible life. A constant prescence in my life…my biggest fan…that is my mom.
This year, more than ever before, I am keenly aware of how important my mom is in my life. They say that you don’t often know what you have until it is gone. Thankfully, even though it did take a tragic event to bring it more sharply into focus, I am more aware than ever how incredibly lucky I am to be blessed with such an incredible maternal figure in my life.

Thanks for everything, Mom! Happy {early} Mother’s Day.

Thank you to Macy’s Heart of Haiti for sponsoring my participation in this “Share Your Heart” promotion. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective.

Heart of Haiti products are available online at Macy’s.com. What is Macy’s Heart of Haiti? Heart of Haiti is a “Trade, Not Aid” initiative launched by artist and social entrepreneur, Willa Shalit, The Clinton Bush Haiti Fund and Macy’s. Already, Heart of Haiti has led to employment of 750 artists in Haiti, providing financial benefits for an estimated 8,500 people in the country.

Each item is a one-of-a-kind design and handmade by a Haitian master artisan from raw materials such as recycled oil drums, wrought iron, papier-mâché and stone. The collection features more than 40 home decor items including quilts, metalwork, ceramics, jewelry and paintings and is made almost entirely from recycled and sustainable items such as old cement bags, cardboard, oil drums and local gommier wood.

All opinions expressed here are my own.