Did you know that exactly 100 years ago the term Mother’s Day was
officially named and celebrated on the second Sunday in May? It's
true. Let's pause and reflect on mom for a spell. After all, if it
weren't for her we wouldn't even be here.
Anna Jarvis, daughter of Anna Reeves Jarvis, who had moved from
Grafton, West Virginia, to Philadelphia, in 1890, was the power behind
the official establishment of Mother's Day. She swore at her mother's
graveside in 1905 that she would establish Mother's Day during her
lifetime to honor mothers, living and dead. At her church, St. Andrews
in Grafton, West Virginia, Anna Jarvis handed out flowers to every mom
in the congregation in honor of her late Mother. With that, the idea
of celebrating Mother's Day had begun. That church was the first
church to have a Mother's Day service in 1908.
The next year a few more churches celebrated, then in 1911, Mother's
Day services were held for the first time in every state in the Union,
plus Canada and Mexico. In 1912 she officially trademarked the name
“Mother’s Day” and “second Sunday in May.” Anna was very specific
about the apostrophe in Mother’s Day. She wanted the singular
possessive usage to honor your own special mom. The plural possessive
usage of Mothers’ would refer to every mother in the world. She didn’t
want that.
It wasn't until 1914 that the U.S. Congress passed a Joint Resolution,
and President Woodrow Wilson signed it, establishing Mother's Day and
emphasizing the woman's role in the family. So, you might say Mother's
Day is 100 years old, or 101, or 98, or whatever. No matter what,
today is the day.
The U.S. Census Bureau says there are 82.5 million mothers in this
country. Hallmark says that 96% of American consumers take part in
celebrating Mother's Day in some way. It is generally considered to be
the peak day of the year for long distance phone calls. It is the
busiest day of the year for many restaurants. Like Christmas, it's
just too commercial. Retailers report that Mother's Day is the second
highest gift-giving holiday in the United States, second only to
Christmas.
Anna Jarvis became increasingly concerned over the commercialization
of Mother's Day She said she wanted it to be a day of sentiment, not
profit. She opposed the selling of flowers and also the use of
greeting cards which she said were "a poor excuse for the letter you
are too lazy to write."
Certainly, if you're in the mood to go out, then do it. You can take
mom out to eat, take her shopping and get her a card. However, here
are some other ways to commemorate her Mother's Day.
If your mom has passed, you can build a memorial meadow by sowing
seeds in your backyard or pasture with hundreds of wildflowers or
choose some of her favorite flowers. My mom especially liked tulips,
roses, lilies, snapdragons, and gladiolas. Why not plant a tree in
mom’s honor? Write a poem that pays tribute to the best things your
mom taught you.
In honor of your mother, take a bag of sugar-free candy treats and
handmade cards to elderly moms in some of the area nursing homes.
Give a few dollars to a needy mom or to the women's shelter. How about
an anonymous gift to a single mom or an adopted family down the
street?
If your mom is still with you, write a journal for her that includes
your favorite times together. Take mom down memory lane with a
scrapbook of your favorite family pictures. Combine the photos and
journal for a keepsake she'll never forget.
Spend some time with your mom today. Reminisce, laugh and interact
with her. Time together is the most cherished gift of all. I was
fortunate to be able to spend some special time with my mother before
she passed away. We just tried to remember the best of times.
Those are the times I'll never forget.
Editorials
Pub.Pen 5-13
- Editorials
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Publisher's Pen 1-5
We are all guilty of it. We want to make a new year’s resolution and make it stick.
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Publisher's Pen 11-11
Gainesville really knows how to celebrate Veteran’s Day. On Monday, complete with an Honor Guard, Old Glory and many distinguished and decorated defenders of our freedom, we will pause to remember and respect those who have served our country through the military.
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Publisher's Pen 10-14
We are now into the final weeks of the 2013 Cooke County United Way campaign and this year’s goal of $398,000 is in sight. CCUW has been around for 57 years and has always met its annual funding goal, according to executive director Angie Hare.
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Publisher's Pen 10-7
When I was growing up my dad taught me that to be successful you must keep a “PMA.” Just in case you don’t know, that stands for “positive mental attitude.” I still have it and I still believe in it.
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Publisher's Pen
Last Friday didn’t start out as an ordinary day. All the regular to-do items that I normally get were there, waiting. Meetings, appointments and all the task oriented stuff was ready for me in my overstuffed Outlook calendar file.
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Publisher's Pen 7-22
I’m here to say that Gainesville is no longer the best kept secret in Texas. Although Gainesville is widely known in some circles, our fair city has never really maximized it’s image for the tourist trade. Some folks like it that way.
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An Apology
Wednesday’s front page story on the death of a five-year-old boy contained more detail than necessary from the sheriff’s office report about the unusual truck accident that caused the tragedy.
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Publisher's Pen 7-8
Last month Gainesville was decked out in deep purple. Not the classic rock band, mind you, but purple banners, ribbons and bows. There was purple everywhere.
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Publisher's Pen 6-24
When I first came here I was fascinated by the positive attitude and community involvement of so many of the people I met.
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Publisher's Pen 6-10
I've had some close encounters of the third kind. For those of you who are familiar with the popular 1977 science fiction movie by Steven Spielberg, a CE3K is defined as an encounter with an animate being of unknown species. In the movie, they're talking about meeting space-aliens. You know, little green men.
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Publisher's Pen 1-5
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