Publisher’s Note

Marvelous in May

SPRING IS IN the air. It`s a season of new beginnings, longer lighter days and the month we honor our mothers by celebrating Mother’s Day. It feels like only yesterday, my daughter Brooklie said her first word, and shortly after she was starting high school. In the blink of an eye, she’s graduated from college, and is now off to law school. As a daughter and a mother, I know the meaning of unconditional love and in these pages, we have compiled gift ideas and recipes to help make the day special for those we care for.

This month I had the pleasure of spending the day of May’s cover photo shoot with two incredible women. The minute I walked in to Cured. On Columbia, I was greeted with a warm welcome, a glass of wine and one of their special charcuterie boards as they told me their incredible success story. Get to meet this amazingly talented couple that are living their authentic lives. Read their full story on page 21.

May’s fashion spread showcases spring attire that is trending on the national style scene. On page 12, see what’s hot for the season. And on page 24, our home feature reveals a stunning private paradise on the Tchefuncte that has everything a family could want to make their dreams come true. You have to this renovated and luxury-appointed estate to believe it’s right in the heart of Mandeville.

Whether it’s family get-togethers, shopping, dining or festival-going, May is the month to enjoy the gorgeous weather, our ability to gather once again, and all our community has to offer. Cheers to moms and the strong women who’ve shaped our lives and this wonderful place we are fortunate to call home.

Cheers to Mothers!

WRITTEN BY JAN WINDHORST

Honoring the love and dedication of mothers surely dates back to the dawn of motherhood. Documentation of those celebrations, according to History.com, go as far back as ancient Greek and Roman times, when festivals honoring their mother goddesses Rhea and Cybele were held. In early Christian times, the holiday took the form of “Mothering Sunday”, a festival popular in Europe during Lent when the faithful would return to the church of the childhood for a special service. In later centuries, the custom of children presenting their mothers with flowers and gifts turned the holiday into a more secular celebration which then took the form of modern Mother’s Day in the 1930s and 1940s.

The American version of Mother’s Day was created by Anna Jarvis in 1908. Her inspiration was her own mother, Ann Reeves Jarvis, who organized Mothers’ Day Work Clubs in West Virginia to teach women how to better care for their children. By 1912 its popularity had grown enough for Anna to establish the Mother’s Day International Association to help the holiday be recognized nationally. Anna embarked on an extensive campaign targeting newspapers and politicians lobbying for the designation of a special day honoring motherhood. Mother’s Day became an official U.S. holiday in 1914 when President Woodrow Wilson signed a measure establishing the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day.

Today, moms and mother figures can be treated to cards, flowers, gifts, meals and sometimes even a break from their traditional duties. It’s a beautiful time of year to celebrate with family, and in this issue are ideas to make our favorite women feel special and appreciated with meaningful gifts, pampering and celebrations. Cheers to mothers and all they do to make us who we are!