The women of Ivory House are intelligent, driven, savvy, and ambitious. But we wouldn’t be who we are today without the love and support of our moms. To celebrate Mother’s Day this year, we want to share our personal stories of what makes our moms so amazing.
From Rachel...
There is one woman who leads my tribe. I may not always recognize her for it. I know I do not thank her enough. I take her unconditional love and grace for granted. I am selfish in how much I lean on her. This beautiful, powerful woman is my mom.
She is my doppelgänger (I'm finally admitting it). I credit my smile, my long legs, and my laugh to her. But more importantly, I also credit her with my independence, wanderlust, and work ethic. My mom has seen me run away from her more times than I can count. She let me get on a plane to Australia at the age of 18 with no notice of when I would see her again. She has moved me from the mountains to the Midwest and back again. She gave me wings to fly, and also a soft place to land.
My sister and I would not be the women we are today without a strong female figure in our lives. I feel honored to have her as a mother, and I now cherish every second I spend with her. She has raised two strong daughters. She is the kindest grandmother to my nephew. She is lovingly devoted to my dad. She works constantly and tirelessly for the sake of others. She is the epitome of selfless.
Thank you, Mom, for raising me to be a strong woman, a fierce business owner, an outspoken advocate. Thank you for always welcoming me with open arms, no matter how rocky our relationship has been. Thank you for being the strong leader of my tribe.
From Lucy...
I consider myself lucky to identify with the cliché that my mom is my best friend. But when I think about it, that phrase is kind of missing the point.
My mom has always been a consistent presence in my life. An advocate, a nurse, a therapist, a living Google Maps, a back-tickler, a comfort blanket, a load-bearing wall. And occasionally, when I needed it, she was also a driver, maid, loan officer, and Kleenex-retriever. We even had a special code word for when I was invited to a party or a sleepover that I didn’t really want to go to, and she’d pretend I was grounded and that I wasn’t allowed to go. No one else appreciates a thunderstorm, or a hotel bar, or the sound of a train in the distance quite like my mom does.
They say friends are the family that you choose, and those friends are always there for you through boyfriends and breakups and college parties and late-night pizza parties. And it’s a very special thing to be able to put your mother in that same category. Truthfully, though, moms are so much more than that. I love my friends dearly, but my mom belongs in a category of her own. Cheers to you, Mom. Thank you for being so much more than a best friend.
From Megan...
When we were younger, my sister Natalie and I took dances classes together. When we would get home, our mom would turn on music and continue the dance party with us. This is one of my favorite memories of my amazing mother.
She consistently shows up for me as a cheerleader and confidant. Who better to talk to about your love life or best friends than your mom? She is always there for everything. For every request, every favor, every ride to school. Every time, no questions asked. Thanks for making me beautiful, not only with your great genes, but also because you always like to take care of me, making the time to style my hair or wax my eyebrows. In so many ways, I am who I am because of you.
From Whitney...
Someone was recently surprised to hear that I'm a cryer. It's true, ladies and gentlemen: I cry quite frequently. It’s rarely over the small things, but sometimes life hands you a big ol’ pile of big things to get upset about. Being a single woman who also owns a small business can frequently be daunting. All of the freedom is mine, but so are all the decisions and all the risk.
No one knows this journey of heartache and triumphs more than my mom. She is the person I call at 6am when I wake up after a night of anxious dreams. She's the person I cheer with when my success is so visible even I can see it. She is my source of strength, my foundation, my muse, my inspiration, and my saving grace. Because of her, I am not in this alone. Because of her, I have the confidence to take huge risks, knowing that I will eventually succeed but with the security that if I falter or fall, she is there ready to lift me back up.
Happy Mother's Day to the strongest woman I know. Because of you, I am resilient, I am a warrior, and things will work out for me.
