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Mother's Day

© April Lee Schmidt

As my family prepares for Mother’s Day –I find myself wondering about the history of the holiday as well as similar celebrations around the world. So I thought I would ask Jeeves. http://WWW.askjeeves.com directed me to Mother’s Day on the net at http://www.holidays.net/mothers/.

There I learned that the earliest Mother’s Day celebrations could be traced back to the ancient Greeks and that during the 1600’s England celebrated a day called “Mothering Sunday”. As Christianity spread the celebration changed to honor ones ‘Mother church” Over time, the celebrations were combined and people began to honor their mothers as well as their church.

In the United States Julia Ward Howe was the first to suggest Mother’s Day. Ms. Howe held organized Mother’s Day meetings every year. However, It was actually Anna Jarvis originally from Grafton, West Virginia who rallied supporters to write letters to ministers, businessmen and politicians in hopes of establishing a National Day to honor Mothers. By 1911, nearly every state celebrated Mother’s Day. It was not until 1914 that president Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the second Sunday of May a national holiday to honor Mothers. The second Sunday of May is the anniversary of Anna Jarvis’s mother.

On December 12, 1912, Mother’s Day international Associations incorporated to further meaningful celebrations. Many countries around the globe have designated a special day to honor mothers. Several of them also celebrate the holiday on the second Sunday of May.

Like many of the holidays, it seems Mother’s Day has become quite a commercial event. Do not let this stop you from enjoying your holiday. It is possible to take the commercialism out of your own personal celebration. A simple phone call or long letter is a great way to honor the Mothers in your family and circle of friends. Performing a random act of kindness for a single mom (especially a mom with very young children) is another way to honor motherhood. When I was a young single Mom, my mother would give me a card or small gift. I cannot tell you how much this encouraging gesture meant to me. Some suggestions in place of a card or gift are: drop of a bag of groceries anonymously, offer to baby-sit or carpool for her, wash her car, mow her grass, deliver a pizza.

Mother’s Day is a day to honor the many ways women nurture their families and communities worldwide. It is not necessary to celebrate on any one particular day. Pick any day and any way to show your appreciation for the women in your family and community.

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