Skip to main content

Remembering Our Mothers


Have you ever wondered why Mother’s Day was started? Or who thought up the idea? I never thought much about it when I was younger. Why? Because I knew my mom was superwoman, and who wouldn’t want to celebrate a superhero?

However, there is a reason Mother’s Day was started. The young woman who started it was Anna Marie Jarvis.

Anna’s mother, Anna Maria Reeves Jarvis, had been an active member in campaigns for peace, workers’ safety, and health at the end of the American Civil War. Anna loved her mother. Anna felt everyone should remember that their mothers were special even in a time when women had very little say.

The first Mother’s Day was celebrated in 1907. Anna and her younger sister wanted a special day to remember their wonderful mother after her passing two years earlier.

A year later, the two sisters decided to organize a celebration on May 10 with more than 407 children and their mothers. The celebration took place at the Andrews Methodist Episcopal Church in Grafton, West Virginia. Anna wanted the children to recognize how special their mothers were in their lives.

In 1910, the state of West Virginia officially recognized Mother’s Day as a holiday. By then, mothers were already being celebrated every year. U.S. President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed Mother’s Day would be a national holiday on the second Sunday of May.

Mother’s Day is a time for us to celebrate the person who comforts us, wipes away our tears, fixes our cuts and scratches, and takes care of us. It’s so important we show our mothers how much they truly mean to us, just like Anna did.

I hope you'll join me as I share about mothers and how special they are here on my blog.

Popular posts from this blog

World of Ink Interview with author Judy Snider and Illustrator Cady B. Driver

Judy Snider , Joan’s sister lives in Virginia Beach, Virginia with her husband, Gil, and two silly cats. She is the author of the CWA award-winning children’s picture book, Goldy’s Baby Socks , and on a team of authors of The Scared Purse . The Writing Mama Interview with author Judy Snider     VS: What do you do to help balance your writing life with your family life? Judy: It is easier now that my kids are in their 20’s and out of the home. I get up very early, and some of the best writing I do is in a sunny place with a glass of water or coffee and my silly cats nearby. When my oldest was a baby, I took a write-away-course, and would write when he took his naps. Some of my best writing was at a table while I waited in those days for them at parties, video arcades, etc.  I work out of my home on projects, so working with my sister on our latest book, and the phone usually did Cady Driver, our illustrator. VS: How long have you been writing? Judy: I wrote my...
Read more

Stories That Awaken the Soul: A Journey with Evan McDermott

What if the stories we tell — and the ones we choose to listen to — could change not just our perspective, but our very path in life? In a world where noise often drowns out meaning, returning to the simplicity and depth of authentic storytelling can reconnect us with what truly matters. This week on Language of the Soul , we sit down with Evan McDermott, poet, tarot reader, and host of the Fifth Dimension podcast, for a conversation that feels like sitting by the fire and remembering what it means to be human. Evan’s life and work remind us that the ancient practice of weaving narrative — through myth, poetry, or spiritual exploration — is more than art. It’s a vital act of self-remembering, of reclaiming our agency in a world that often tries to define us by labels, roles, or distractions. Our discussion with Evan touches on many layers: from the dualities of love and tyranny, to how compassion becomes a compass when the outer world feels divided or uncertain. We reflect on how st...
Read more

What is Your Writing Priority?

Every New Year, people sit down and write out their resolutions on the things they want to happen over the next year. The lists can be long or short, it doesn’t matter. We all have done it, but how often do you complete the goals listed? Rarely in my case; so I spent all of January doing more than just writing my New Year Resolutions, I spent time thinking about what I really wanted to see happen in 2015 and then took it a step further by listing ways to make those things happen. I also looked long and hard at the things I have been working on and doing. I evaluated each of them and the ones that weren’t taking me where I wanted to be I dropped off my list of things to work on in the New Year.  Once I was happy with the list I had, I began looking at my time and seeing if there was enough time in my week and daily to work on each item. In some cases…I didn’t. I was right back to reworking my list and making sure I was putting goals in the right priority. A few things at ...
Read more