Be there for mum every day of year

DON’T come running to me on Sunday morning and say, “Nobody reminded me”.

I am posting this with a red flag – and with plenty of warning – to avoid that last-minute trip for Supermarket Flowers (copyright Mr Ed Sheeran).

Yes, the day after tomorrow is Mothering Sunday.

The person responsible for my spiritual welfare – the Rev David Jones, of Greenfield Chapel, Llanelli – has drummed into me that it must always be referred to by its proper name – “Mothering Sunday”.

It is NOT “Mother’s Day” – and certainly not “Mum’s Day”.

It is, officially, Mothering Sunday – even if all the balloons, floral gifts, cars and cakes say otherwise!

The history books tell us that Mothering Sunday is a day honouring mothers and mother churches, traditionally celebrated on the fourth Sunday in Lent since the Middle Ages.

Apparently, it started as a day of respite from fasting halfway through the “let’s give something up” season of Lent.

It then fell off the radar for centuries – until the Americans (yes, the guys and gals who gave us Halloween, Black Friday and so many other things we have since adopted) brought it back into play.

Anna Maria Jarvis is credited with being responsible – on May 10, 1908, three years after her mother’s death, she held a memorial ceremony to honour her mother (and all mothers) at Andrews Methodist Episcopal Church in West Virginia, marking the first official observance of Mother’s Day (whoops, sorry, Mothering Sunday!).

In the UK, the torch was picked up by Nottingham’s Constance Adelaide Smith, who used the Girls’ Friendly Society to lobby for proper observance of Mothering Sunday.

Her most influential booklet was The Revival of Mothering Sunday (1921). The rest, of course, is history. Whether Anna Maria and Constance were ever rewarded for their gift to subsequent generations of florists, caterers and card manufacturers is not known. But we should be grateful for their commitment to honouring mothers the world over.

Flowers, cards and “meals out” in restaurants are nice.

But, trust me on this one, it’s probably best to adopt the St David maxim when it comes to Mothering Sunday.

In a sermon, St David said: “Be joyful, keep the faith, and do the little things that you have heard and seen me do.”

The phrase “Gwnewch y pethau bychain mewn bywyd” – “Do the little things in life” – works all year round.

Don’t fuss too much over the gifts – just be there for your mum, not just on Sunday, but every day of the year!