REVealing - First Mother's Day Service 100 Years Ago - Tomorrow

West Virginia Church Hosted First Mother's Day Service 100 Years Ago.

100 years ago, Anna Jarvis created one of the world’s most celebrated holidays – Mother’s Day.  It was three years after her mother died in 1905, and Anna organized a service at her church – where her mother spent more than 20 years teaching Sunday school.  Each mother who attended was given a white carnation, to symbolize the purity of a mother’s love.

What Jarvis did NOT like was the commercialization of Mother’s Day.  You can read about her opposition in the linked article.  She actually protested at a Mother’s Day celebration in 1948 in New York, and was arrested for disturbing the peace.  Interestingly, Jarvis never married and never had children.

The scene has dramatically changed since 1908.  There are now 83 million mothers in America.  More moms work outside of the home than ever before, and single-mother households have tripled since 1970, up to 10 million.  Americans will spend $15 billion this year honoring their moms, with dining out as the number one expense!

Tomorrow is the big day!  If your mom is still living, do whatever you can to make it a special one.  Since my mother is in heaven, I can only cherish my memories - and they are wonderful!