This Sunday, May 12th, we honor and celebrate the women who have perhaps the most difficult, yet rewarding job that life has to offer; that of being a Mother. Mother’s Day gives us a chance to show just how much we love and appreciate these wonderful women we call Mom’s. But where did this showering of appreciation all come from?
Well to answer that question, we’d have to get in touch with some fairly old people. Celebrations of Mother’s, and motherhood, can be traced all the way back to ancient Greeks and Romans, who held festivals in honor of the Mother Goddesses- Rhea and Cybele. In more modern history, there is another example, that of an early Christian festival known as “Mothering Sunday”, which was held on the fourth Sunday of Lent and was celebrated by people returning to their “Mother Church” (the church closest to their original home) to hold a special service. In America, Mother’s Day was an idea brought forth by Anna Jarvis, daughter of Ann Reeves Jarvis, in 1908, to honor the sacrifices made by mothers for the sake of their children. Her mother had passed in 1905, and she was determined to honor her legacy, which itself was pretty remarkable. In the years before the Civil War, Ann Reeves Jarvis helped start “Mothers’ Day Work Clubs” to teach local women how to properly care for their children, and later helped organize “Mother’s Friendship Day”, at which mothers gathered with former Union and Confederate soldiers to promote reconciliation.
Ann Jarvis, after receiving some financial backing from a local department store owner, organized the first Mother’s Day celebration on May 9th 1908, at a church in West Virginia. Following the success of her first Mother’s Day, she started a massive letter writing campaign to newspapers and prominent politicians urging the adoption of a special day honoring motherhood. And then, in 1914, President Woodrow Wilson made it so. Now, 105 years later, Mother’s Day remains one of the most celebrated holidays of the year. That’s a lot of love.
Do you have someone that deserves a little something special this Mother’s Day? Stop into Jolly Lane before Sunday and pick up something special. We have a wonderful selection of flowers and plants to choose from. Top off the perfect gift with a gift card to Jolly Lane so mom can come back and pick out the perfect flower basket for her home or stock up on all the gardening supplies she needs! If you’re living long distance from mom you can even order a gift card on our website and we’ll send it to mom for you!