"To those..." Happy Mother's Day.
May we collectively lift our glasses and prayers...
To those who gave birth this year to their first child—we celebrate with you.
To those who lost a child this year—we mourn with you.
To those who are in the trenches with little ones every day and wear the badge of food stains—we appreciate you.
To those who experienced loss through miscarriage, failed adoptions or running away—we mourn with you.
To those who walk the hard path of infertility, fraught with pokes, prods, tears and disappointment—we walk with you. Forgive us when we say foolish things. We don’t mean to make things harder.
To those who are foster moms, mentor moms and spiritual moms—we need you.
To those who have warm and close relationships with your children—we celebrate with you.
To those who have disappointment, heartache and distance with your children—we sit with you.
To those who lost their mothers this year—we grieve with you.
To those who experienced abuse at the hands of your own mother—we acknowledge your experience.
To those who lived through driving tests, medical tests and the overall testing of motherhood—we are better for having you in our midst.
To those who have aborted children—we remember them and you on this day.
To those who are single and long to be married and mothering your own children—we mourn that life has not turned out the way you longed for it to be.
To those who stepparent—we walk with you on these complex paths.
To those who envisioned lavishing love on grandchildren, yet that dream is not to be, we grieve with you.
To those who will have emptier nests in the upcoming year—we grieve and rejoice with you.
To those who placed children for adoption—we commend you for your selflessness and remember how you hold that child in your heart.
And to those who are pregnant with new life, both expected and surprising—we anticipate with you.
History of Mother's Day
Anna Jarvis' mother, Ann Jarvis, had attempted to establish a version of Mother's Day during the Civil War as a time for remembrance. After the holiday failed to catch on, Anna recalled hearing her mother pray for a memorial day for mothers. When her mother died in May, 1905. Two years later, Jarvis held a memorial for her mother and her good deeds. The next year, she again held a service, and gave away carnations, her mother's favorite flower, to all that attended. Red and pink carnations were to be worn for living mothers, and white for those who had passed away. Jarvis wanted all to attend church and afterward, for children to spend time writing a note of appreciation to their mothers.
She formed a committee and in 1910, West Virginia became the first state to adopt the the holiday. Soon, Jarvis began to raise awareness and support, and in 1914, President Wilson declared the second Sunday in May "Mother's Day."
In the early 1920s, florists began heavily marketing carnations and greeting card companies began to sell Mother's Day cards. Jarvis hated this, as her intention was for children to write hand-written, personal notes. Though she spent almost a decade trying to establish the holiday, she eventually turned against its commercialization and was arrested for protesting at a Mother's Day carnation sale. Jarvis spent the rest of her life trying to end Mother's Day.
Though it's a profitable day for retailers, phone companies, and florists, the spirit of Mother's Day is still what Jarvis intended. May we remember Mother's Day today and every day and treat those who impact our lives so greatly with the profound respect they deserve.
Live loved.
Alicia
