Mother's Day
Mother’s Day seems to have become one of our biggest holidays. Have you ever tried to go to a restaurant on that Sunday? The places are packed! My observation is that Mother’s Day church attendance even rivals Easter Sunday. It seems a lot of people want to “go to church with Mom” before taking her out for dinner. All this celebration is not a bad thing. There is ample biblical basis for honoring our fathers and mothers.
The origins of Mother’s Day are a bit sketchy. We know that “Mothering Sunday” was observed in 17th century England. In America, the idea of Mother’s Day seems to have originated with Julia Ward Howe in 1872, being promoted as an observance of peace. Later, Anna Reese Jarvis tried to establish “Mother’s Friendship Days” as a way of helping mothers grieving for their slain sons after the Civil War.
It was Jarvis’ own daughter, however, who was instrumental in making Mother’s Day a national holiday. The younger Anna Jarvis organized two official observances on May 10, 1908, the second anniversary of her mother’s death. One was at her mother’s church in West Virginia, the other at her own home in Philadelphia.
This first Mother’s Day observance so moved Jarvis that she immediately began attempts to have a formal holiday in honor of mothers. In 1910 West Virginia became the first state to recognize Mother’s Day. A year later nearly every state marked the day. President Woodrow Wilson made it official in 1914 when he proclaimed Mother’s Day as a national holiday and set the date for the second Sunday in May.
In honor of Mom and Mother’s Day here are a few possible mother and child conversations from history:
Columbus’ mother: “I don’t care what you discovered—you still could have written to me.”
Michelangelo’s mother: “Can’t you paint on the walls like other children; do you have any idea how hard it is to get that stuff off the ceiling?”
George Washington’s mother: “The next time I catch you throwing money across the Potomac you can kiss your allowance good-bye!”
Paul Revere’s mother: “I don’t care where you think you have to go, young man; midnight is past your curfew.”
Thomas Edison’s mother: “Of course I’m proud you invented the light bulb; now turn it off and go to bed!”
Albert Einstein’s mother: “But it’s your senior picture, Son; can’t you do something about your hair?”
Pastor Wayne
The origins of Mother’s Day are a bit sketchy. We know that “Mothering Sunday” was observed in 17th century England. In America, the idea of Mother’s Day seems to have originated with Julia Ward Howe in 1872, being promoted as an observance of peace. Later, Anna Reese Jarvis tried to establish “Mother’s Friendship Days” as a way of helping mothers grieving for their slain sons after the Civil War.
It was Jarvis’ own daughter, however, who was instrumental in making Mother’s Day a national holiday. The younger Anna Jarvis organized two official observances on May 10, 1908, the second anniversary of her mother’s death. One was at her mother’s church in West Virginia, the other at her own home in Philadelphia.
This first Mother’s Day observance so moved Jarvis that she immediately began attempts to have a formal holiday in honor of mothers. In 1910 West Virginia became the first state to recognize Mother’s Day. A year later nearly every state marked the day. President Woodrow Wilson made it official in 1914 when he proclaimed Mother’s Day as a national holiday and set the date for the second Sunday in May.
In honor of Mom and Mother’s Day here are a few possible mother and child conversations from history:
Columbus’ mother: “I don’t care what you discovered—you still could have written to me.”
Michelangelo’s mother: “Can’t you paint on the walls like other children; do you have any idea how hard it is to get that stuff off the ceiling?”
George Washington’s mother: “The next time I catch you throwing money across the Potomac you can kiss your allowance good-bye!”
Paul Revere’s mother: “I don’t care where you think you have to go, young man; midnight is past your curfew.”
Thomas Edison’s mother: “Of course I’m proud you invented the light bulb; now turn it off and go to bed!”
Albert Einstein’s mother: “But it’s your senior picture, Son; can’t you do something about your hair?”
Pastor Wayne