Mother's Day for Real

“(Mothers are) clothed with strength and dignity." ~ Proverbs 31:25

Mother’s Day - a time for flowers, fancy brunches, and thanking your Mom for putting up with all your crap.  But its earliest form took roots in the early 20^th century, thanks to Ann Marie Reeves Jarvis and her daughter Anna.

The daughter of Methodist Minister, Jarvis became a social activist whose goal was to lower infant mortality rates by teaching women how to properly care for their children, improve sanitary conditions, and fight disease.  Her Mother's Work Clubs raised money for medicine and helped moms suffering from tuberculosis.

The Work Clubs evolved further when the Civil War erupted, providing food, clothing, and medical care to both armies.  Jarvis lost 4 of her 12 children to the diseases that had spread rapidly during the War.  Despite her personal tragedies, she never stopped her community service.  After the War, she transformed the Clubs into groups promoting peace and reconciliation in their war-torn communities.

Jarvis justified her activism in the name of ‘motherhood.’  It was never about honoring mothers for all they did.

But after her mother’s death in 1905, her daughter Anna made it her mission to make Mother's Day a holiday - not only to honor her mother, but all mothers.   She quit her job and started a national letter-writing campaign aimed at government officials.  Supporters wore white carnations representing the purity of a mother's heart.

It worked!  Towns and churches in several states soon adopted Mother’s Day as a local holiday.  By 1914, President Woodrow Wilson made it a national holiday.

Soon, however, Anna began to loath its exploitation.  She couldn't stand the idea of people spending so much money on extravagant flower arrangements, sappy greeting cards and overly priced chocolates.

She spent the rest of her life promoting her founding vision for the day while fighting the floral, confectionary, and greeting card industries (“schemers, profiteers, and  charlatans” as she called them) who were "ripping people off" from her holiday.  To combat the commodification of carnations, Anna handed out free buttons so people wouldn't have to buy such high-priced flowers.

She didn't stop there.

She even went after first lady Eleanor Roosevelt for using Mother's Day in fundraising material for charities combating high maternal and infant mortality rates (the very type of work her own mother did during her lifetime).  She called those charities "Christian Pirates."  

Despite her best efforts, Mother's Day lives on.  Spending will top $23 billion this year.

Mother’s Day may be over-commercialized, much to Anna’s chagrin, but it’s still thoughtful to send your Mother a loving message of appreciation on her special day.  Spend time with her if you can, if even only in prayer.  Gifts are fine, but don’t forget to show her some real love with your sentiments.

Loving God, thank You for all the women who’ve brought forth new life.  Grant them the courage needed to face the uncertainties that life with children brings.  Give them the strength to live and to be loved in return, not perfectly, but humanly.  Amen