Mother’s Day

If I Knew As A Child

If I knew as a child what I know now, Mom,
I probably wouldn’t have made things so hard for you.
I would have understood that you were looking out for my best interest,
even though it may not have seemed so at the time.
I would have known how difficult it is to let go,
to stand back and let someone you love learn from their mistakes.
I would have realized how fortunate I was to have a mother who was always there for me,
even after an argument, even after I’d said things I shouldn’t have.
While it’s too late for a lot of things, it’s not too late for me to tell you that I appreciate how
loving you are,
how giving you’ve been, and that even though I may not always be good at showing it,
I love you very much.

A Mother’s Beatitudes

Blessed is the mother who understands her child, for she shall inherit a kingdom of memories.
Blessed is the mother who knows how to comfort, for she shall possess a child’s devotion.
Blessed is the mother who guides by the path of righteousness, for she shall be proud of her children.
Blessed is the mother who is never shocked, for the she shall receive and know confidence and security.

Blessed is the mother who teaches respect, for she shall be respected.
Blessed is the mother who emphasizes the good and minimizes the bad, for her children shall follow her example.
Blessed is the mother who answers questions honestly, for she shall always be trusted.
Blessed is the mother who treats her children as she would like to be treated, for her home shall always be filled with happiness.

Mother’s Day History

Contrary to popular belief, Mother’s Day was not conceived and fine-tuned in the boardroom of Hallmark. The earliest tributes to mothers date back to the annual spring festival the Greeks dedicated to Rhea, the mother of many deities, and to the offerings ancient Romans made to their Great Mother of gods, Cybele. Christians celebrated this festival on the Fourth Sunday in Lent in honor of the Annunciation of the Ever-Virgin Mary, Mother of God. In England this holiday was expanded to include all mothers and was called Mothering Sunday.

In the United States, Mother’s Day started nearly 150 years ago, when Anna Jarvis, an Appalachian homemaker, organized a day to raise awareness of poor health conditions in her community, a cause she believed would be best advocated by mothers. She called it “Mother’s Day.”

Fifteen years later, Julia Ward Howe, a Boston poet, pacifist, suffragist, and author of the lyrics to the “Battle Hymn of the Republic,” organized a day encouraging mothers to rally for peace, since she believed they bore the loss of human life more harshly than anyone else.

In 1905 when Anna Jarvis died, her daughter, also named Anna, began a campaign to memorialize the life work of her mother. Legend has it that young Anna remembered a Sunday School lesson that her mother gave in which she said, “I hope and pray that someone, sometime, will found a memorial mother’s day. There are many days for men, but none for mothers.”

Anna began to lobby prominent businessmen like John Wannamaker, and politicians including Presidents Taft and Roosevelt to support her campaign to create a special day to honor mothers. At one of the first services organized to celebrate Anna’s mother in 1908, at her church in West Virginia, Anna handed out her mother’s favorite flower, the white carnation. Five years later, the House of Representatives adopted a resolution calling for officials of the federal government to wear white carnations on Mother’s Day. In 1914 Anna’s hard work paid off when Woodrow Wilson signed a bill recognizing Mother’s Day as a national holiday.

A Mother’s Day Reflection

by Fr. George H. Shalhoub

On Sunday, May 13, people throughout the United States and many places around the world will gather to honor their mothers. Many mothers will receive flowers, breakfast in bed, dinners and other acts of affection. For those who may be away from their children, they will have to be content with a phone call or a card in the mail. But, no matter how admirable this day has become for us in today’s society, honoring one’s mother should not be reduced to a one day activity, because mothers provide the foundation upon which we build our lives.

God gives every created human being a mother here on earth because He loves us. And even after our earthy mother precede us to Heaven, we still have our eternal mother (the Virgin Mary) who always keeps us in the shelter of her wings. As the late Mikhail Naimy stated, “Love is the law of God. You live that you may learn to love. You love that you may learn to live. No other lesson is required of Man.” Click: [To continue reading]