Mother’s Day

Remember that special someone on her special day

Today is Mother’s Day. The celebration as we know it dates back to 1905, when a West Virginia woman named Anna Jarvis started a campaign for a national holiday to recognize “the person who has done more for you than anyone in the world.”

Jarvis’ own mother had died that same year. In 1908 she held a memorial celebration for her mother. That first memorial grew into several state-recognized days to honor mothers, beginning in 1910 in Jarvis’ home state of West Virginia.

Mother’s day went national in 1914 when President Woodrow Wilson signed a Congressional resolution designating the second Sunday in May as a “public expression of our love and reverence for all mothers.”

Jarvis was thrilled to see Mother’s Day as a national holiday. But that would soon change.

The holiday quickly became commercialized, with greeting card companies selling special Mother’s Day cards, florists promoting Mother’s Day bouquets, candy makers advertising their wares as the perfect gift for mother and retailers holding sales tied to the holiday.

By the 1920s Jarvis had begun a campaign to either get rid of the commercialism or get rid of the holiday.

She would continue her crusade until she died in 1948. But she was unsuccessful. Both Mother’s Day and the commercialism that surrounds us are here to stay.

And that’s fine. Because for all the commercialization, the true spirit remains.

For more than 100 years we have been celebrating Mother’s Day on the second Sunday in May. For more than a century we have set aside this one day to honor all mothers.

Many will start the day with a church service — indeed, it has become the custom at many churches to have a special service honoring mothers. Then perhaps a family lunch or some other celebration.

Any way you choose to mark Mother’s Day is fine. It’s the time spent together that really counts.

Because time is fleeting. Many know that all too well — especially today.

Be sure to spend time your mother today if you can. Be sure to call if you can’t. There are many readers who only wish they had the opportunity to do so, one last time.

Happy Mother’s Day to one and all.