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Mother’s Day

Mother’s Day. The time of year where we all scramble to find the perfect card and perfect gift to warm the heart of the special ladies in our life. But how did this beloved tradition start? In ancient Roman and Greek times, festivals were held to honor the mother goddesses Rhea and Cybele. Once Christianity came to the region, the holiday was changed to a religious service. The fourth Sunday after Lent, religious women would return to their home church for a special service. This event became known as Mothering Sunday. In America, Ann Reeves Jarvis started Mothers Day Work Clubs to help women learn how to care for their children. After the Civil War, she used this club and organized Mothers Friendship Day as a way of helping reconcile the country together. Ann’s daughter, Anna Jarvis continued the efforts of her mother and called for a national day of celebrating mothers. Her persistence that the holiday be added to the calendar paid off. In 1914 President Woodrow Wilson signed the holiday adding it to the calendar on the second Sunday of May. Ironically, Jarvis would spend the second half of her life trying to get the holiday taken off of the calendar. The commercialization of the holiday disgusted Jarvis who intended for it to be a time for children to visit their mothers and spend special time with them. This year as we enter Mother’s Day, we want to honor all of our special mothers and remember those who have lost their mothers. This year in the midst of the cards and the breakfast in bed, perhaps you can take a moment to remember the original intent of Anna Jarvis and spend some extra time with your mother. Happy Mother’s Day from your friends at Spencer Air Conditioning and Heating.