“To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly be broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket — safe, dark, motionless, airless — it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. The alternative to tragedy, or at least to the risk of tragedy, is damnation. The only place outside of Heaven where you can be perfectly safe from all the dangers and perturbations of love is Hell.
Happy Mother’s Day! xo, from all of us
This Mother’s Day, we asked friends and bloggers to tell us what they love about their moms. This is our tribute to the superwomen in our lives. Thanks, Mom. ❤
LIFESTYLE | CULTURE » By Jennie Wong

“My mom stands behind me on my good days and in front of me on my bad days, and she always will. What else could I ask for?”
— Hillary Quinn Epperson, woolenspoon.tumblr.com; pinterest.com/HQEpps/

“I love my Mom because she’s the most interesting woman I’ve ever known. She embodies everything I want to be and hope to be. She is brave, a fighter, a gentle soul, a wonderful friend and leader. She is an incredible human being and I’m so proud to be her daughter!”
— Beverly Lwenya, http://www.theafropolitanshop.com/

“What do I love about my mom: Everything! I do, but I guess I should answer seriously. I love how she tells me like it is. She doesn’t shy away from telling me what I need to hear, no matter how much i try to deny it. I love how she knows me better than I know myself. I love that she is comfortable in her own skin. I love how she doesn’t apologize for the past and manages to keep everything in perspective and still stay positive. I love the fact that she looks 35. But most of all I love that she is my rock. She is the glue that holds me together when I want to break apart. And as I try to navigate this post-collegiate world, I know she is only a phone call away. I am blessed to be her child and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
— Paris W., http://backspacepen.wordpress.com/

“What I love about my mom is that she teeters between a tough love ‘tiger mom’ approach, and a ‘I am going to spoil you,’ approach. She expects a lot from me, but she also loves me fiercely. She tells me to push myself, but she also tells me how proud of me she is. She also always tells me to be a lady, because she is a lady, and that being classy will get you far in life.”
— Tiffany T.

“I love the fact that she has supported me in everything I’ve done. Whether performing or running a show, she always makes a point to come out and watch. She is my number one fan and couldn’t ask for a better mom.”
— Andrea P., http://atimeforeverythinginlife.tumblr.com/

“I love that my mom for her conviction that she can accomplish anything she sets her sights on, from redoing the basement to fostering great danes to designing her own crocheted stuffed animals. I love you for all that and more, Mama!”
— emma sullivan

“I love that my mom is the most selfless person I know. She gives so much of her time and resources to care for others without complaint. Also, she’s an amazing cook.”
— Jessie H.

“I love my mom’s strength, courage, and the ability to love selflessly. Also, she starts laughing before she finishes telling a joke. It’s quite adorable.”
— Karen H.

“To the woman who gave all that she has to her children. She is my superwoman.”
— Caroline S., Instagram: so_caroline

“I love her devotion to our family and the remarkable sacrifices she has made to grow us into who we are today. She is a strong and beautiful woman who has overcome so much and continues to strive for her best so that we are able to be our best, and I cannot thank her enough for it. Love you, 媽媽.”
— Dorothea

“I know that my mom will always love me, and even though we go through tough times in our relationship I am assured that she will always listen, be there and help in whatever way she can. That undeniable motherly love is what makes my mom so great.”
— Susan F.

“Mama is the testament to human resilience and the living testimony of faith. She loves as fiercely as she rebukes. Her gaunt shoulders have bore much tribulation but in spite of it all, she is the epitome of strength to me. And I love her for that and so much more.”
— Cherrie C., about.me/cherrie_chen
Thank you all for your submissions! Have a wonderful Mother’s Day. Check back soon for updates to the new Mama Said series.
We Love: NPR’s She Works Note To Self
LIFESTYLE | CULTURE » By Jennie Wong
This week, we love the Tumblr NPR: She Works Note To Self. As part of a series called The Changing Lives of Women, NPR asks women this question: What’s your note to self — a piece of advice that’s helped you at work?
Learn from the best, ladies; we are each other’s best.
We Love is a series featuring our favorites of the week. Want to share something you think we’ll love? Tweet @etrethegirls with hashtag #welove.
“People, I have discovered, are layers and layers of secrets. You believe you know them, that you understand them, but their motives are always hidden from you, buried in their own hearts. You will never know them, but sometimes you decide to trust them.
LIFESTYLE | QUOTABLE » By Jennie Wong
From The Ravenous Muse, a collection of writings by Karen Elizabeth Gordon
“Gracious, soft-voiced girls, who were brought up on memories instead of money.
LIFESTYLE | MUSIC » By Jennie Wong
Lana Del Rey - Young & Beautiful from Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby soundtrack (in theatres May 10)
LIFESTYLE | CULTURE » By Jennie Wong
Dove Real Beauty Sketches - Men. New Feelings Time reminds men that they are not as beautiful as they think. ☺
“‘One of my girlfriends gave me a beautiful button-down shirt with strict instructions—she said don’t you dare button it up to the top! Just buy a beautiful bra.’
LIFESTYLE | CULTURE » By Jennie Wong
Dove Real Beauty reminds us that we are more than what we see. [For more discussion: x]
“Who, being loved, is poor?
Letters of Note: Nothing Good Gets Away
LIFESTYLE | CULTURE » By Jennie Wong
On the topic of love, there is much to say. Here is my favorite letter from Letters of Note. John Steinbeck - the author of Grapes of Wrath, Of Mice and Men - writes back to his eldest son Thom, who has fallen in love with a girl at boarding school.
Happy Siblings Day!
LIFESTYLE | CULTURE » By Jennie Wong
In honor of Siblings Day, I’d like to raise my glass to my first female role model, my sister Janette. She is a strong and beautiful woman of many accomplishments, the highest of which is, of course, keeping me alive.
“It is a risk to love. What if it doesn’t work out? Ah, but what if it does.
LIFESTYLE | CULTURE » By Jennie Wong
“I don’t even believe in the word ‘if’.” —Alicia Keys




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