Today we celebrate Mother's Day
The history of Mother's Day celebration
The modern holiday of Mother's Day was first celebrated in 1908, when Anna Jarvis held a memorial for her mother at St Andrew's Methodist Church in Grafton, West Virginia. St Andrew's Methodist Church now holds the International Mother's Day Shrine. Her campaign to make Mother's Day a recognized holiday in the United States began in 1905, the year her mother, Ann Reeves Jarvis, died. Ann Jarvis had been a peace activist who cared for wounded soldiers on both sides of the American Civil War, and created Mother's Day Work Clubs to address public health issues. Anna Jarvis wanted to honor her mother by continuing the work she started and to set aside a day to honor all mothers because she believed a mother is "the person who has done more for you than anyone in the world"
Although Jarvis was successful in founding Mother's Day, she became resentful of the commercialization of the holiday. By the early 1920s, Hallmark Cards and other companies had started selling Mother's Day cards. Jarvis believed that the companies had misinterpreted and exploited the idea of Mother's Day, and that the emphasis of the holiday was on sentiment, not profit.
Erika M Szabo
My best memories of my mother are when she told me stories. She sat on the couch and I put my head on her lap. She stroked my hair and told me her endless stories about her childhood, family, and everyday life. She never preached at me how to become a good person, I learned compassion, love, acceptance, and respect from her actions and stories. Thank you, mom!
The only time I didn't like her when she made me wear the "bow" and fancy dresses to make me look like a girlish girl. I always preferred the simplest clothes possible and destroyed her fancy dresses the first chance I got so I could get back to my favorite outfit, shorts, and t-shirts. Sorry, mom, I know you loved those ruffled dresses and enormous bows and sorry for making you angry when I "accidentally" ripped the dresses to shreds or "accidentally" fell into the muddy puddles. Love you, mom!
Eulogy for My Mom:
Mary Prudden-Bonadonna
September 15, 1915 - March 17, 2001
Joe Bonadonna
Mom and I - circa 1954
Mom - circa 1935
Happy Mother's Day!
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| Navonia Thomas, mother to Toi Thomas |
The things my mother and I have in common- we both love movies (though not always the same kinds). We both have a passion for family, desire to help others, have similar voices, share similar facial features, love each other dearly (she's my biggest fan), and cling to our beliefs. Being the techie that I am, I made a video a few years back to show my mother how much I miss her when we are apart. Check it out.
My Wonderful Mom
Ruth de Jauregui
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| Mom, Dad and that's me! |
My mom is still a bustling, busy woman who cooks for events and local organizations, works part time at the schools, an active member of Eastern Star and is crazy busy with her great-grandkids. (My sister's grandkids, mine live in California.)
She never learned to swim (getting thrown off the dock, rescued by her brothers, and thrown off again will cause a lifelong fear of water) but took us all swimming at the river.
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| Me, my granddaughter and Mom. |
She is so supportive of all of us, in all of our endeavors. She reads our stories, even if they aren't in her preferred genres. I dunno though, she called Bitter "cute." Luckily Bitter is a fictional character or she'd take offense LOL.
Seriously, my mom is the best!
Reflections on Mother's Day
Reflections on Mother's Day
It took me a while to figure out just how to word this post. This is not one of those holidays that we celebrated. It was just another day. The relationship I had with my mother was odd, from the beginning. I know she did her best with what she had, and I don't fault her at all. I regret there wasn't a closeness that a mother has with her child. There were very few photos of us together-- one when I was a baby, another at my high school graduation.
circa 1954
She was born in Missouri, had a 6th grade education, and in her late teens, ran away from home with her older brother and younger sister "to see the world." They wound up in Montana, of all places.
Because of her lack of education, she was naive on so many levels. Yet, as I said, she did the best she could with what she had. She took in ironing and did babysitting during my high school years to make ends meet. She was personable--people liked her. She was honest and dependable and a very hard worker.
circa 1955
Because of her naivete, I basically raised myself from the 6th grade through high school. I'm so thankful for the substitute "moms" I had who taught me about religion, boys, cooking, and so many other life skills.
So, today, I celebrate the greatest blessing of all...being a mom to two of the most incredible young men.
circa 2013
The Strongest Woman I know
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| My mom and me |
My mom and I didn't always have the best relationship. When I was younger I couldn't understand why she did some of the things she did. Mom was always busy and didn't have a lot of time for us. She was the main bread-winner on and off for years. She took care of the bills and made sure the house was clean.
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| Me and my girls |
Now that I'm older I find myself in a similar situation. I realize how hard my mom worked to provide for the family, keep us organized and running smoothly. It wasn't an easy task at all. We had super busy schedules and she never missed a game or school function. I look back now and wonder howshe did it.
Without my mom these last couple years and in the years to come I'd never survive. At 65 she watches my two girls four days a week which is a full-time job. She's also close friend. I call her literally in the middle of the night just to hear her voice.
I still don't know how she does it all. Whenever I need inspiration for tough heroines I think of my mom. She's the strongest woman I know. I love you mom. Happy Mother's Day.
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