HEY, KEEPERS!

A message from our Founding Keeper, Ms. Margaret Cowan, MSW:

Hey y’all,

It’s been a long time since we posted a blog, and if you read the last one, you probably remember me sharing that this break was coming. Still, I owe you an update straight from the heart.

Let me start with this: I haven’t been the best version of myself over the past month. After finishing my MSW (yes, I did that 🎓🙌🏽), I thought I could hop back into all things IAMSK and life with just a short pause. I believed a quick recharge would be enough—turns out, my body and spirit had other plans.

I traveled to Jamaica. I enjoyed the mountains of Gatlinburg. I spent time wrapped in the love and joy of my Puerto Rican family from Florida. And while all of that filled my cup, it also reminded me how empty it had become. I needed more than movement; I needed stillness. I needed more than joy; I needed rest.

Life is about learning and growing, right?

Here’s what I’ve learned (again):

• Rest is productive. It's not a reward for work, it's part of the work.

• Listening to your body is self-respect, not selfishness.

• It’s okay to pause. The world won’t fall apart, and if it does, maybe it wasn’t built on the right foundation.

• You don’t have to earn rest. You’re already worthy of it.

I share all this not just to explain my absence, but to model the same grace I encourage our moms to give themselves. IAMSK is built on sisterhood, and sometimes that means telling your sisters, “I need a moment.”

So here’s where I am: I’m home now. Still catching my breath. Still figuring things out. This means I might show up to fewer meetings, cancel a few engagements, and say “not right now” a little more often. Please accept my apologies for any inconvenience, and more importantly, please extend grace.

IAMSK is still running our regularly scheduled programming. The work is still getting done—grants are still being written, programming is still being shaped, and the Mental Health Retreat is still on the way (and y’all, it’s going to be so good). I’m still dreaming, still planning, still preparing to take my LMSW exam, and still praying over our mission, our moms, and our future.

All I ask is that you keep me and IAMSK in your thoughts and prayers as we ease back into rhythm. This isn't a hard stop. It's a soft restart. We’ll be back on track soon.

With love, rest, and resilience,
Margaret “Mags” Cowan, MSW
Founding Keeper
I Am My Sister’s Keeper

You're a KEEPER! ❤️