“Motherhood: All love begins and ends there” Robert Browning
A tradition of “Mothering Sunday” began in the 16th Century, in the United Kingdom, as a religious holiday. When workers and servants were given a Sunday off in Lent to return home and visit their ‘mother’ church or parish. This gave people a very rare chance to reconnect with their family and loved ones and over the centuries took on a tradition of honouring mothers; with people collecting wildflowers on their journeys home to leave as gifts in the church and with their mothers.
In the US and Canada the history is a little different. The holiday was devised in the US by Anna Jarvis in 1905 when her mother died. Her mother had nursed soldiers in the American Civil War and founded Mothers Day Work Clubs to tackle the needs of public health in the US. Anna was determined to find a way to honour the sacrifices and selflessness of her’s and other mothers. In 1908, with the financial backing of John Wannamaker, she held the first mothers day celebration in a Methodist church. Anna then launched a huge campaign to make it a national holiday; which proved successful in 1914 thanks to support from President Woodrow Wilson. Anna wanted it to be a personal celebration for “each family to honour its own mother” and worked with florists around the country but was outraged at the increasingly commercial aspect of it over the years. As US troops deployed during the Second World War, they took the tradition with them, which cemented the celebration around the world.
Around the world there are many different ways to show you care and different countries celebrate the day at other times of the year but the premise remains the same. To honour and celebrate your mother and thank her for her role in your life.
As the P3 cream family were discussing the upcoming celebrations, we began asking questions of each other. These are my answers:
Best memory with your mom? I miss the talks we would have over doing the dishes when I lived at home.
Favourite meal your mom cooks? My mom made Kumla for us every year around Christmas time. Kumla is a Norwegian dish that was always my favourite….luckily my amazing wife still makes it for me!
Favourite thing to do with your mom? I would play music for my mom most evenings. She would sit in the living room and clap after each song.
What is your mom’s favourite flower? The dogwood flower. I planted a dogwood tree in my field last year for her so I could watch it bloom every spring. It is full of blooms right now.
What makes your mom special? She was great but never too much….just enough.
What makes your mom laugh? Hmmmm. I did…a lot
What song makes you think of your Mom? Yesterday… I just played it for a tribute to her at a Beatles night.
What would be the best gift you could give your mom? Peace
I found the answers to be a wonderful way to conjure up memories and emotions; some happy, some bittersweet, as life has a way of moving on and bringing changes to relationships or losses that you can’t always prepare for. Most of all, I feel blessed to have a moment to sit with these thoughts and honour my own personal relationship with my Mom. I think national celebrations like Mother’s Day give us a push to remember, even if it is hard, to process any changes in life and to take the time to thank those that gave us life.
Happy Mother’s Day to my Mom, to my wife for being a great Mom to our kids and to all the Mom’s out there (those who are with us, as well as those who are not). Thank you.
I wonder where these questions might lead your thoughts? I’d love to hear your answers to one of the questions. Pick your favourite.
