Happy Mothers' Day. What did I do for mothers' day? I went to church, I had lunch, I played soccer, I wrote up my report, and I watched tv. Pretty much the same as what I do every Sunday. Now I know that is not what you want to hear, so I shall not do much talking this time, but give you a 101 on Mothers' Day I bet none of you knew about. BUT if you do know, then just keep quite and don't make me look stupid.
Christians celebrated this festival on the fourth Sunday in Lent in honor of Mary, mother of Christ. In England this holiday was expanded to include all mothers and was called Mothering Sunday. In 1905 when Anna Jarvis died, her daughter, also named Anna, began a campaign to memorialize the life work of her mother. Legend has it that young Anna remembered a Sunday school lesson that her mother gave in which she said, "I hope and pray that someone, sometime, will found a memorial mother's day. There are many days for men, but none for mothers." I have to pause here and say that is not true. Other than Fathers' Day, what other days are there for men??!! In 1914 Anna's hard work paid off when Woodrow Wilson signed a bill recognizing Mother's Day as a national holiday. Now here is where it gets interesting. At first, people observed Mother's Day by attending church, writing letters to their mothers, and eventually, by sending cards, presents, and flowers. With the increasing gift-giving activity associated with Mother's Day, Anna Jarvis became enraged. She believed that the day's sentiment was being sacrificed at the expense of greed and profit. In 1923 she filed a lawsuit to stop a Mother's Day festival, and was even arrested for disturbing the peace at a convention selling carnations for a war mother's group. Before her death in 1948, Jarvis is said to have confessed that she regretted ever starting the mother's day tradition.
"Nobody knows of the work it makes
To keep the home together.
Nobody knows of the steps it takes,
Nobody knows-but Mother."
Hence, in this short history lesson, Mothers' Day was a day set out to make women more prominent, to let them have a voice in this world, and as good as the intentions were behind the creation of Mothers' Day, it was admitted by the creator of Mothers' Day that it was mistake. Makes me wonder what the lady who started this making a voice for women in the workforce would say years from now.
