Mother’s Day is
celebrated in more than 40 countries around the world on various days of the
year. Interestingly, it had its origins
centuries ago as a spring celebration in ancient civilizations like Greece.
In the United
States Mother’s Day began unofficially after the Civil War when a woman by the
name of Ann Reeves Jarvis, a young Appalachian homemaker and lifelong activist,
proposed a Mothers’
Friendship Day to promote peace between former Union and Confederate families. Her daughter Anna M. Jarvis later
campaigned for a special day to commemorate all mothers—in honor of her own
mother’s contributions before and during the Civil War.
Our American
celebration of Mother’s Day became official in 1914, when President Woodrow Wilson signed a bill designating
the second Sunday in May as a legal holiday to be called “Mother’s Day”, dedicated
“to the best mother in the world, your mother.”
I have lots of memories about Mother’s Day
while growing up. My sisters and I each
had some sort of present for my mother, whether it was nothing more than a
homemade card or gift.
One year I saw this “bee-u-ti-ful” pair of
earrings at Ferguson Mercantile in my small hometown which I knew would be the
perfect gift for my mother. I think the
earrings were three or four dollars, but they were more money than I had to
spend. I’m not sure if I asked my dad
for the rest of the money, or if I babysat some extra jobs at $0.25/hr. to make
up the difference. But I finally scrounged up enough cash to buy those
earrings.
They were designed as half a shiny black orb
with gold wire dividing the whole surface into little squares. My mother ”oohed” and “aahed” over the
present, and I was very pleased to have given her such a wonderful gift!
But she didn’t wear the earrings often enough
to my satisfaction. When she was getting
ready to go somewhere, I would be hanging around in her room looking through
her jewelry box, ready to suggest she wear “the” earrings. Sometimes she would choose them. But the earrings were heavy, and when I got
older, I could understand her reluctance to put them on. They had to have been uncomfortable with
their weight pulling on the screw back and drawing her earlobe down. (This was before clip-on earrings, and when “only
gypsies had pierced ears”.) Still, I
like to think they were her favorite pair of earrings.
A lot of Mother’s Days have come and gone
since then. And lots of presents to me
of homemade cards and presents, as well as more expensive items that were just
as delightful. However, the sweet
sentiment I used to feel about Mother’s Day has remained.
In May 2012 I read an article by Charmaine
Yoest who said that Mother’s Day was one of those occasions that doesn’t have
to be explained. It’s simply a day in
which “we pause to remember and honor the beloved women in our lives… who
[helped] shape us into the people we [have] become.
“It’s a day of thanksgiving for their
sacrifices—the time they spent, the wisdom they passed on (even when we didn’t
appreciate it at the time), and the love they gave unreservedly (even when we
didn’t deserve it).
“We honor those who mother us because the act
of loving children—while beautifully commemorated with hearts and flowers and
chocolates—is in real life, often messy and difficult. It can require more than anyone can grasp…being
a mother both breaks your heart—and mends it.”
I appreciated this view from an educated woman
of influence who wasn’t afraid to make a true statement that being a mother is
noble, scary, and demanding—but worth every minute of the years it takes for
the job.
This year on May 8th, I hope you
are celebrated for the wonderful blessing you are to your family! I also hope you are able to celebrate and
honor those women, some still with you and some no longer in this life, who had
a hand in the wonderful person you are today.
HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!
