Friday, May 11, 2012

Mother's Day

               


by Ann S. Mindicino


This weekend is Mother’s Day. I always thought it a Hallmark holiday.  We should have Mother’s Day everyday. I discovered that it is not just a made up holiday. There are variations of the holiday going back years before it was made an official holiday in the U.S.
The United States celebrates Mother's Day on the second Sunday in May. Julia Ward Howe first issued her Mother's Day Proclamation in 1870 as a call for women to join in support of disarmament. In the 1880s and 1890s there were several further attempts to establish an American Mother's Day, but these did not succeed beyond the local level. The current holiday was created by Anna Jarvis in Grafton, West Virginia, in 1908 as a day to honor one's mother. Jarvis wanted to accomplish her mother's dream of making a celebration for all mothers, although the idea did not take off until she enlisted the services of wealthy Philadelphia merchant John Wanamaker. She kept promoting the holiday until President Woodrow Wilson made it an official national holiday in 1914. The holiday eventually became so highly commercialized that many, including its founder, Anna Jarvis, considered it a "Hallmark holiday," More about the holiday can be found with this link. 

Even if you don’t celebrate the day or if your Mom is gone there are lots of fun things to do with the holiday in mind. Here are some suggestions:
Did you know there is a Mother’s Museum in NYC?  Check this link for the museum and current Mother’s Day activities: http://www.museumofmotherhood.org/
This looked particularly interesting especially because of the beauty and - great photos at the New York Botanical Gardens : Here’s their link.
This is a publication that lists 20 things to do for Mother’s Day. If you have little children or grandchildren this looks like a good site to check. Here’s the link.
Here’s some easy, inexpensive DIY gift ideas. The one in the frame can be edited for mom and if you have a young child it might be nice to do one annually with age appropriate language.  Also click here for more craft ideas for young children.  Here is a list of great quotes about mothers. 



Thank you to guest blogger Ann S. Mindicino for this great post!




No comments:

Post a Comment