LIFESTYLE
MOTHER'S DAY
The History Of A Beautiful Day story by Cynthia Ford
Anna Jarvis,
founder of Mother's Day
The official celebration of Mother’s Day as we know it dates to the early 1900s. Ironically, the founder of Mother’s Day, Anna Jarvis, never had children and eventually regretted having Mother’s Day as a Holiday. Anna established Mother’s Day in honor of her mother Ann Reeves-Jarvis, who passed away in May 1905. Her mother gave birth to eleven children and only four survived to adulthood. Mrs. Reeves-Jarvis was a social activist and pulled together a Mother’s Day Work Club to help tackle diseases that caused hardships on families and to bring a sense of unity. Even though Mrs. Reeves-Jarvis is not credited with being the founder of Mother’s Day, her daughter Anna picked up the torch and carried out her mother’s dream. Anna watched her mother’s efforts and hard work and saw her mother’s pain as she lost several children. She also understood the importance of giving back and recognizing women for their great works. Her mother, Mrs. Ann Reeves Jarvis, planted a seed of hope and laid the foundation for many mothers all over the world. Anna, the blooming flower, took her mother’s wishes and made it a reality. After a Sunday school lesson one day, her mother closed with prayer stating, “I hope and pray that someone, sometime, will found a memorial Mother’s Day commemorating her for the matchless service she renders to humanity in every field of life. She is entitled to it.” In May of 1908, Anna declared an International Mother’s Day in honor of her mother and all mothers. One of the gifts presented by Anna was white carnations. Recognition of Mother’s Day began to spread, and President Woodrow Wilson officially declared Mother’s Day to be a
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VIPMagSC.com
May 2021
