Mother's Day Mother's Day is one of our most-celebrated holidays. It is a time for children (and husbands) to stop and give thanks to mothers and honour them for all they do. Families can make the second Sunday in May extra special. Cards, flowers, chocolates, dinner out, even breakfast in bed can show just how much you care. Wearing a carnation is another tradition to show your love and appreciation on Mother's Day. The United States and Canada celebrate Mother?s Day on the second Sunday in May. It is a day when we pay tribute to the women who gave us life. We buy our mothers gifts of candy, cards and flowers to show her how much she means to us. More than forty-six countries around the globe have a special day when they pay tribute to mothers. England for instance, celebrates Mother?s Day on the fourth Sunday of Lent. International Mother's Day is always celebrated on May 11, and the US sets aside the fourth Sunday in October for mother-in-law Day There are conflicting accounts of the history of Mother's Day. One account says the first known Mother's Day took place on the second Sunday in May in Albion, Michigan. Juliet Calhoun Blakeley initiated the holiday. Two days before her fifty-ninth birthday, three young men were found drunk in the streets of Albion. One of them was the pastor's son. On Sunday May 11, Juliet?s birthday, the pastor was so upset that he had to leave the service before it was over. Juliet, who was seated nearby, took the pulpit and asked other mothers to join her. Juliet's sons who were traveling salesmen were so moved by their mother's gesture that they returned every year to pay tribute to her. They urged others to honor their mothers on the same date. Because of the brother's actions, the Methodist Episcopal Church set aside the second Sunday in May to honor all mothers. Another version of the origin of Mother?s Day says that the celebrations took place in the late 1800's in different places in the United States. Most sources give the credit for Mother's Day to Anna M. Jarvis. It is generally agreed that the first Mother's Day celebration took place in 1907, in a tiny church in West Virginia when Anna Jarvis arranged a special service to pay tribute to her mother. It was seven years later that President Wilson declared Mother's Day a national holiday. The roles of women began changing rapidly after that in both Canada and the United State. Women started to explore the vast world beyond their duties as wife, housekeeper, mother and homemaker, though they still took these roles seriously. They continued to do so through World War One and the Great Depression but World War Two drastically changed women's role in society. The Mother's Day International Association was incorporated on December 12, 1912, with the purpose of furthering meaningful observations of Mother's Day. In 1914 American President Woodrow Wilson made the official announcement proclaiming Mother's Day as a national holiday that was to be held each year on the 2nd Sunday of May. Mother's Day was declared a national holiday in Canada in 1914 after several years of government lobbying. Today, we celebrate Mother?s Day without giving much thought to its origin. But, just as Anna Jarvis did almost a century ago, we pay tribute to our mothers with honor, love and respect. Though mothers of today face new challenges, they are still the foundation of their homes and our Nation. The love of mothers that was officially recognized by Anna Jarvis so many years ago is still celebrated today throughout the world. But why should we only recognize a mother's love once a year? Mothers are special and I believe that though we only have a special celebration once a year, that we should pay tribute to our mothers every day of our lives. After all, they have supported us and nourished us in some way since the day we were born and they will continue to do so for the rest of their lives. Mother's Day is here. Today, we will pay special tribute to our Mothers but remember, pick up the phone or drop by for a visit on a regular basis throughout the year. This is the best gift you could give your mother. Oh, and don't forget to give her a hug and tell her, "I love you Mom." It will boost her spirit, bring a smile and make her feel special, which she is. Without our Mother's we would not be where we are today.
Happy Mother's Day to all mothers everywhere!!
***************************
A Tribute To My Mom
My Mom was born Donna Josephine Hallett on the 11th day of July in 1942. She was the fourth of five children born to Salvation Army Officer parents. She raised four daughters (myself being the eldest) and tried to instill in each of us the values, morals and faith in God that she was raised with. I must say, that neither of us have strayed too far from her mark.
My Mom worked hard all her life to insure that her children had everything they needed in life... not just the staples like food, clothing and a roof over our heads, but also faith to believe in themselves, courage to do what they wanted to do with their lives, morals to show us right from wrong, and a whole lot more. Most importantly, she loved and supported us no matter what, good, bad or indifferent.
I can remember as a little child, lying in bed next to my sister and my Mom reading to us from a children's Bible story book. We learned early the hymns of the church because they were the only lullabyes my Mother knew to sing... the same songs that were sung to her. I can see her rocking our baby sister (12 years my junior) and singing the same songs to her as she sang to us when I was little... the same songs I then sang to the children I look after.
It is my Mother's example that I use when I teach the little ones in my care the way of life. I know I can't go wrong there. If it be said at the end of my life that I was only a quarter of the woman that my mother was, then I will deem my life a success.
LISA C.
****************************
Here are a few poems for Mother's Day The Love Between Mothers and Daughters You can see it in their eyes, in tender hugs and long good-byes, a love that only moms and daughters know. You can see it in their smiles, through passing years and changing styles, a friendship that continually seems to grow. You can see it in their lives, the joy each one of them derives, in just knowing that the other one is there... To care and to understand, lend an ear or hold a hand, and to celebrate the memories they share.
A Mother's Prayer Dear Lord, it's such a hectic day With little time to stop and pray For life's been anything but calm Since You called on me to be a mom Running errands, matching socks Building dreams with building blocks Cooking, cleaning, and finding shoes And other stuff that children lose Fitting lids on bottled bugs Wiping tears and giving hugs A stack of last weeks mail to read So where's the quiet time I need? Yet when I steal a minute, Lord Just at the sink or ironing board To ask the blessings of Your grace I see then, in my small one's face That you have blessed me All the while And I stop to kiss That precious smile
A Rose For Mother Another Mother's Day is here, Bringing joy and pleasures new, On this special day, Mother dear, I want to remember you. I cannot give you costly gifts, And I've told you this before, No matter what I give to you, You give back much, much more. I'm giving you a pure, sweet rose, Gathered in the early morn, This rose you planted in my heart, The day that I was born. In kindly, loving thoughts of you, And with the faith you still impart, The rose I give to you today, Is the love that's in my heart. I Love You I love you mother, said little Nell I love you more than tongues can tell. Then teased and pouted for half the day Till her mother rejoiced when she went out to play. I love you mother, said little John Forgetting his work, his cap went on. Then he was off to the garden swing Leaving his mother the wood to bring I love you mother, said little Ann Today I'll help you all I can Then stepping softly she took the broom Swept the floor and tidied the room. I love you mother, again they said Three little children all going to bed. Now which one do you suppose really loved Mother the most?
Mother's Day Quotes
Mother's Day is in honor of the best Mother who ever lived, the Mother of your heart Anna Jarvis
"The most important thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother." Author Unknown
A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials, heavy and sudden, fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends who rejoice with us in our sunshine, desert us when troubles thicken around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts. Washington Irving (1783-1859)
"All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel Mother." Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865)
"God could not be everywhere and therefore he made mothers." Jewish proverb
"Of all the rights of women, the greatest is to be a mother." Lin Yutang
"The heart of a mother is a deep abyss at the bottom of which you will always find forgiveness." Honore' de Balzac (1799-1850)
Her children rise up and bless her. Proverbs 31:28
"My mother was the most beautiful woman I ever saw. All I am I owe to my mother. I attribute all my success in life to the moral, intellectual and physical education I received from her." George Washington (1732-1799)
"By and large, mothers and housewives are the only workers who do not have regular time off. They are the great vacationless class." Anne Morrow Lindbergh (1907- )
As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you... Isaiah 66:13
"The mother's heart is the child's schoolroom." Henry Ward Beecher (1813-1887)
"Youth fades; love droops, the leaves of friendship fall; A mother's secret hope outlives them all." Oliver Wendell Holmes (1809-1894)
Honor your Father and Mother (which is the first commandment with a promise). That it may be well with you, and that you may live long on the earth. Ephesians 6:2-3
"I remember my mother's prayers and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life." Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865)
To love and be loved is like being warmed by the sun from both sides at once. Author Unknown
"All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my mother." Abraham Lincoln
"There never was a woman like her. She was gentle as a dove and brave as a lioness... The memory of my mother and her teachings were, after all, the only capital I had to start life with, and on that capital I have made my way." Andrew Jackson
"I looked on child-rearing not only as a work of love and duty but as a profession that was fully as interesting and challenging as any honorable profession in the world and one that demanded the best that I could bring it." Rose Kennedy
"Perhaps the greatest social service that can be rendered by anybody to the country and to mankind is to bring up a family. But here again, because there is nothing to sell, there is a very general disposition to regard a married woman's work as no work at all, and to take it as a matter of course that she should not be paid for it." George Bernard Shaw
"In all my efforts to learn to read, my mother shared fully my ambition and sympathized with me and aided me in every way she could. If I have done anything in life worth attention, I feel sure that I inherited the disposition from my mother." Booker T. Washington
"Woman knows what man has long forgotten, that the ultimate economic and spiritual unit of any civilization is still the family." Clare Boothe Luce
Listen to your Father who begot you, and do not despise your Mother when she is old. Proverbs 23:22
You don't have to deserve your mother's love. You have to deserve your father's. He's more particular. Robert Frost
Mothers must be angels on earth, always at hand to doctor scraped knees, boost dampened spirits, and guide us through the minor setbacks in life. They must be models of inspirations, patient counselors, and sterling examples. They must be everything to everybody. As children age, they begin to realize the value of a mother's love and the enormous depth of her commitment. No relationship we form can ever be as close or profound.
Let your Father and your Mother be glad, and let her rejoice who gave birth to you. Proverbs 23:25
Things My Mother Taught Me My Mother taught me LOGIC... "If you fall off that swing and break your neck, you can't go to the store with me." My Mother taught me MEDICINE... "If you don't stop crossing your eyes, they're going to freeze that way." My Mother taught me TO THINK AHEAD... "If you don't pass your spelling test, you'll never get a good job!" My Mother taught me ESP... "Put your sweater on; don't you think that I know when you're cold?" My Mother taught me TO MEET A CHALLENGE... "What were you thinking? Answer me when I talk to you... Don't talk back to me!" My Mother taught me HUMOR... "When that lawn mower cuts off your toes, don't come running to me." My Mother taught me how to BECOME AN ADULT... "If you don't eat your vegetables, you'll never grow up." My mother taught me ABOUT SEX... "How do you think you got here?" My mother taught me about GENETICS... "You are just like your father!" My mother taught me about my ROOTS... "Do you think you were born in a barn?" My mother taught me about the WISDOM of AGE... "When you get to be my age, you will understand." My mother taught me about ANTICIPATION... "Just wait until your father gets home." My mother taught me about RECEIVING... "You are going to get it when we get home." And my all time favorite thing- JUSTICE "One day you will have kids, and I hope they turn out just like YOU. Then you'll see what it's like."
