One hundred and ten years ago, Anne Jarvis held a memorial for her mother at St. Andrew’s Methodist church in Grafton, Virginia. She abhorred the commercialization of the holiday and attempted to have it removed from the calendar in her later years.
Then in 1914, President Woodrow Wilson, designated the second Sunday in May as a national holiday to honor mothers.
That proclamation has endured for over a century.
Today it is celebrated worldwide. Perhaps not on the same day as the United States but celebrated nonetheless. Australia and Canada share the same Mother’s Day as the United State. In the United Kingdom, it’s celebrated three Sundays before Easter.
It hasn’t just been celebrated in the past hundred years, though. While not a holiday, the ancient Greeks and Romans held festivals in their honor. These pagan events were the precursor to the early Christian festival known as the “Mothering Sunday”
Children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren celebrate with their mothers, grandmothers, and great-grandmothers with cards, flowers, chocolates, and gifts.
Some give simple handmade cards while others give the more elaborate Hallmark cards. Some give hand-picked bouquets while others give FTD floral arrangements. It doesn’t matter what is given, it’s the idea that mother is remembered and loved.
Even husbands get into the act by gifting their wives with Mother’s Day cards and flowers for gifting them with beautiful children.
Each person’s situation is different. You might have lost your mother…whether recently or long ago. Time tempers the loss but the heart still grieves.
Or you may never have or never will have a close relationship with your mother. It doesn’t matter. There’s a woman in your life who influenced you. Perhaps your grandmother or an aunt. Honor that woman today.
Mothers, like all humans, are imperfect but they gave us the gift of life. Without them, where would we be? They are a gift from God who can never be replaced regardless of circumstance.
Honor your mother. Pray for her, near or far. It’s the least…and the most we can do for them. The very best gift of all.