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.

To read more about how purchases of Heart of Haiti products through Macys.com is helping to rebuild Haiti through the empowerment of local artisans, you can read more here.    Artisans receive one half the wholesale price for each item in the collection.

I received a beautifully wrapped package in the mail from Heart of Haiti.

And, within the package was a gorgeous hand-written card of thanks for supporting the campaign!  We don’t see too many hand-written cards these days!  The ec0-friendly necklaces, made of recycled materials, were gorgeously hammered hearts.

I’ve decided that these hammered heart necklaces would be the perfect gift for my mother and sisters this Mother’s Day.

And, as Mother’s Day approaches, I think about how I’ve gained a new perspective of my mom and how she “followed her heart”.

I understand now that it took hours, even days, to complete those work-of-art birthday cakes she decorated like a pro- just to see her kids smile.  I remember that my mother cooked us three meals a day, every single day growing up- and she did it without a lot of the time-saving amenities we have with modern advancements.

I remember her boiling bottles for my baby sisters because she didn’t have microwaveable sterilizers, and I remember her staying up until 3 AM folding laundry and cleaning our home because we had no housekeeper to help.

I don’t know that I realized how productive or efficient she was- or how hard it was for my mother to care for us- until I had my own, in the day of technology where cool gadgets abound to make household duties a little easier.  (Uh, hello- toilet bowl drop-ins, one-step washing machine cleaner, spacious dishwashers and programmable robot vacuums?)

She did it all without griping, without lament, without self-pity or wishing for a different life.  We were her life and she was okay with that.  We were enough for her to be fulfilled- and that takes a selfless, loving spirit.

I appreciate my mother more now than ever before- and that is because I’m a mother now, too.

I’m very grateful that my mother followed her heart.

And, I’m very grateful that I can follow mine now.

 I do believe motherhood is the best job in the world.

But, of course, my mother could have told me that years ago.

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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.

Heart of Haiti products are available online at Macy’s.com.

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. All opinions expressed here are my own.