Daughters Collective: The Strength of Our Mothers

When I think about the foundation of my life, I don’t think of what I lacked. I think of what I had. And what I had was my mother.

In a world that often measures family by the number of hands present, my mom’s two hands carried the weight of ten. She was my provider, my protector, my guide, and my comfort. Where there could have been absence, she gave presence. Where there could have been emptiness, she poured in love.

Mothers have a way of carrying both their own pain and their children’s dreams. They bend but don’t break. They stretch resources, stretch time, and stretch themselves so that their daughters can rise taller than the circumstances around them. And often, it is in their quiet strength that we, as daughters, learn how to be bold.

For many of us, the story of abandonment, loss, or absence is balanced by the story of our mothers. The women who stood in the gap and showed us that strength is not always loud, but it is always steady. Their sacrifices become the soil where our ambitions grow.

So today, in the spirit of Daughters Collective, I honor the mothers. The ones who raised us, shielded us, and believed in us before we even believed in ourselves.

To every daughter reading this: if you had a mother, grandmother, aunt, sister, or guardian who stood in as your anchor, celebrate her. Recognize her strength and carry it forward as part of your own story. And if you didn’t have that maternal presence, know that the strength you longed for is still alive in you. You are indeed proof of survival and resilience.

Our mothers remind us that love is stronger than absence, and their strength continues to ripple through us.

It’s FemmeChi, darling 🎀