Happy Mother's Day

These are my granddaughters... of whom I am especially proud.


Today, actually the 2nd Sunday in May, is the day we set aside to celebrate Motherhood.

It was started by a woman named Anna Jarvis, to recognize her Mother. She gave out white carnations in her Mother's memory, because they were her favorite flower. After a scarcity of white carnations, it was then changed to white if your mother was deceased and red if she was still alive.

Originally the Andrew's Methodist Episcopal Church, the site of the original Mother's Day commemoration, where Anna handed out carnations, the International Mother's Day Shrine is now a National Historic Landmark. From there, the custom caught on—spreading eventually to 46 states. The holiday was declared officially by some states as early as 1912, beginning with West Virginia. On May 8, 1914, the U.S. Congress passed a law designating the second Sunday in May as Mother's Day and requesting a proclamation. On May 9, 1914, President Woodrow Wilson made that proclamation, declaring the first national Mother's Day, as a day for American citizens to show the flag in honor of those mothers whose sons had died in war.

Mother's Day is not just an American holiday. It is celebrated and has tradition all around the world. It's roots go back hundreds of years.

If you go here to Wikipedia.com it shows all the different days and some different ways in which it is celebrated around the world. Very interesting read.

There is also a site dedicated to Mother's Day on the Net. This explains different traditions and all kinds of neat things to do for kids and families for Mother's Day. May be a little late for this year.. but next year you will be prepared.