I had no idea how Mother’s Day started. But I’m still in procrastination mode, so I had to research. According to da wiki:
The woman famous for writing the Battle Hymn of the Republic, Julia Ward Howe, attempted to declare a Mother’s Day for Peace to unite women against war after the Civil War. She got the idea from England, which had already designated a day for giving thanks their mothers. She wrote The Mother's Day Proclamation of 1870 to call for peace.
Though Howe’s efforts were unsuccessful, Anna Jarvis tried again and her daughter of the same name eventually succeeded. In 1914 President Woodrow Wilson declared the first national Mother's Day, as a day for American citizens to show the flag in honor of those mothers whose sons had died in war.
We Americans turned it into something that stood for absolutely nothing but the biggest commercial holiday of the year in less than a decade. To this day, Mother’s Day is the biggest day for restaurants each year. Anna Jarvis was enraged about what the holiday had turned into back then; I bet she’d be particularly proud of us now.
There. That’s researched. And, as usual, American history has embarrassed and angered me to no end.
I’m proud to report that my Mother’s Day wasn’t commercial at all. I avoid restaurants at all costs and we don’t spend much money on gifts and cards that get thrown away or put in a box, so it wasn’t that much of an effort.
I feel especially blessed this year, though. One of my son’s grandmothers made a few special points to get him to do something for me for Mother’s Day, stressing that he wouldn’t be home all the time that much longer and throwing in some other grandma-guilt, I’m sure.
He got up early (before noon) this morning and told me to make him a list of things he could do for me. And I did. And he did. And we hugged and were kind to each other. And it was a good, good day.
He’ll be 18 in a year and one month and I pray that I never have to think about the honor intended for mothers on the original Mother’s Day. But I’m glad I researched and have a new perspective on the holiday. I pray today (especially) for all the mothers with sons serving in militaries all over the world.
Procrastination. Check. Learned something. Check. Perspective, gratitude, and prayer. Check, check and check.