Although we are known for the beautiful floral arrangements seen at many local weddings, we would be remiss if we did not remember that flowers are an important part of the tradition for other holidays. What better holiday to remind ourselves of this than Mother’s Day? Not all moms may be a mother of the bride, but all moms deserve recognition – every day of the year, in fact – but especially on a day created in their honor!
In the United States, the modern Mother’s Day began in 1907 when Anna Jarvis recognized her mother at a memorial service at St. Andrew’s Methodist Church in Grafton, West Virginia. Her mother, Ann Reeves Jarvis, was a peace activist (and, in fact, a colleague of famed suffragette Julia Ward Howe) who cared for both Confederate and Union soldiers during the Civil War. Howe had made a Mother’s Day Proclamation in 1870, calling on mothers around the world to seek the “amicable settlement of international questions, the great and general interests of peace”. Anna Jarvis, recognizing the efforts of both Howe and her mother, citing that a mother is “the person who has done more for you than anyone in the world”. Despite ridicule from members of Congress, Ms. Jarvis persisted and by 1911 all U.S. states observed the day and in 1914, Woodrow Wilson signed a proclamation designating the second Sunday in May as a national holiday.
Although Ms. Jarvis was dismayed at the eventual commercialization of the holiday, even getting arrested for disturbing the peace when she protested against companies that benefitted financially from the holiday she fought so hard to have recognized in honor of the mothers of the world!
While many such holidays have, indeed, become commercialized, it is important to remember what they really represent and why they were established. Today, motherhood comes in many, less traditional, roles than those of the Jarvis era. Whoever provides the nurture and care of the maternal figure is the one who should be honored. As we said, this should not be something any of us do just once a year. But, especially since the past year has kept many of us away from family, we hope that next Sunday, May 9, you make a special effort to reach out, honor and recognize that “mom” in your life, whoever she (or even he) might be. From all of us, Happy Mother’s Day!
