Mother's Day had its origin in this home of Anna Jarvis (AP Photo/James J. Lee)
A beautifully composed Mother's Day video shows the origins of this special day. The inspiring four-minute video below features caring mothers from around the world talking about the importance of Mother's Day and its origins.
To explore the origins of Mother's Day, we travel back 101 years in time to 1908, where we meet Anna Jarvis, a woman who strangely enough never married nor had children. In a very meaningful way, Mother's Day was her child.
Ms. Jarvis created Mother's Day to celebrate her own mother, a caring, dedicated activist, and world-class mother. As stated in an MSNBC article last year, "by all accounts, Jarvis' mother Ann was a community activist who worked to heal the divisions in north-central West Virginia following the Civil War, and to promote improved sanitation by creating Mothers Friendship Clubs."
Less than 10 years after its birth, a 1914 resolution by President Woodrow Wilson turned Mother's Day into a national institution. Yet with its rapidly growing popularity, Anna Jarvis became increasingly upset with its rapid commercialization.
Later in her life, Ms. Jarvis stated that she "wished she would have never started the day because it became so out of control." As stated in the MSNBC article, "before she died in 1948, she protested at a Mother's Day celebration in New York, and was arrested for disturbing the peace."
As you watch the beautiful video below, consider stepping back into the pure spirit and intention upon which Mother's Day was originally founded. What better way to honor our mothers and the founder of Mother's Day, Anna Jarvis.
As you celebrate Mother's Day this year, consider honoring both Anna Jarvis and your own mother. Notice where you might want to commercialize this special day. Then choose instead to invite back the spirit of its origin as you honor your mother or your own motherhood. For a beautiful statement designed to encourage this, visit the inspiring home page of the Web of Love website. We also invite you to comment below and let us know what you think. What does Mother's Day mean to you?
Fred Burks served as personal language interpreter to Clinton, Bush, Cheney, Gore, and other top dignitaries in secret meetings. As part of an international network of researchers and news analysts, Fred obtains and disseminates key, reliable information about powerful, yet little-known forces which shape our world. For more, see articles and links in the right column of this page.
Comments
Mother's day really is more than about just a day of honoring your mother. It's a feeling, and spirit that should be felt and expressed all year round. But there is something to be said about uniting for a single thought or ideal on one big day. I honor my Grandmother on mother's day for she has always been, is, and always will be MY "mother". I avoid the commercial hype when doing something special to honor her. I try to do things for her she would never do for herself. I try to serve her in a way that shows how much I love her and appreciate her sacrifices and her unconditional love for me. I do these things anyhow throughout the year, but do extra special tings on this day. I know she loves me and I know she knows I love her, and despite the generation gap, we have an amazing and unique relationship most never get to experience!
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