She is Clothed in Strength and Dignity - A Mother's Day Tribute

We celebrate mothers the world over who work hard for their families. Thank you for believing in the beauty and strength of their labor, as celebrated in Proverbs 31:

She selects wool and flax
and works with eager hands.
She is like the merchant ships,
bringing her food from afar.

She gets up while it is still night;
she provides food for her family

She considers a field and buys it;
out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
She sets about her work vigorously;
her arms are strong for her tasks.

She sees that her trading is profitable,
and her lamp does not go out at night.

She opens her arms to the poor
and extends her hands to the needy.

She makes linen garments and sells them,
and supplies the merchants with sashes.

She is clothed with strength and dignity;
she can laugh at the days to come.
She speaks with wisdom,
and faithful instruction is on her tongue.

She watches over the affairs of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.
Her children arise and call her blessed

Photos, top to bottom: Elizabeth Afrakome, cocoa farmer from Ghana; Nida Custodio, food vendor from Philippines – with her son; Agnes Kinsadala, farmer from Democratic Republic of Congo; Robinah Muyama, shop owner from Uganda; Norma Herrera and her employees selling recycled bags in Colombia; Sheela Shantakumari, seemstress from India; Prathiba Magal, seamstress, and wise loan officer Josephine Annai from India; Eugenie Nyirabagenzi, rice farmer from Rwanda, and her four children; Ana Serrano, shop owner from the Philippines, with her son.