Writer’s Rant
5/13/24
Mothers’ Day (the day after)
Happy Mothers’ Day to all you moms out there. I bet there are only a few of you who know the origin of this day we celebrate. So I have done the work for you.
A. In 1858, when Ann Jarvis, a young Appalachian homemaker, organized “Mother’s Work Days” to improve the sanitation and avert deaths from disease-bearing insects and seepage of polluted water.
B. In 1872, when Boston poet, pacifist and women’s suffragist Julia Ward Howe established a special day for mothers –and for peace– not long after the bloody Franco-Prussian War.
C. In 1905, when Ann Jarvis died. Her daughter, Anna, decided to memorialize her mother’s lifelong activism, and began a campaign that culminated in 1914 when Congress passed a Mother’s Day resolution.
The correct answer: All of the above.
Each woman and all of these events have contributed to the present occasion now celebrated on the second Sunday in May. There are a lot more details behind each of these and if you’re really interested in knowing more, just google it, like I did.
I brought flowers to a lady friend yesterday. She is not my mother; nor is she the mother of my children. When I gave them to her, she was surprised and while I knew immediately she appreciated the gesture, I was not surprised with her response: “I’m not your mother.” But that just reminds me that all mothers should be celebrated, no matter what your relationship is with them. They might be your spouse or significant other; they could be a grandmother. They could be the mother of your grandchildren. All are significant and need to be recognized, adored, and loved.
So, thank you moms everywhere for all you do!
Love
CJ