A Lifetime Of Love

 Well, Mother's Day is coming up on us again. Are you ready to “WOW” your mom with a show of thanks and gratitude? Will you honestly remember what motherhood is all about and what she did for you? To prepare you for adulthood, the stresses of life, teaching you how to make lemon-aide out of lemons.

Some say Mother's Day is too commercialized now, but what was it really for to begin with? Originally conceived by Julia Ward Howe after the American Civil War as a day honoring (in her opinion) the inherent pacifism of mothers, Mother's Day now simply celebrates motherhood and thanks, mothers.

The first Mother's Day as we would recognize it was celebrated in Grafton, West Virginia, on May 10, 1908, in the church where the elder Anna Jarvis had taught Sunday School. Grafton is the home of the International Mother's Day Shrine. From there, the custom caught on — spreading eventually to 45 states. Finally, the holiday was declared officially by states beginning in 1912, and in 1914 the President, Woodrow Wilson, declared the first national Mother's Day.

Mother's Day is a busy time of year for mail in many countries. In 1973, the U.S. Postal Service was held up for eight days because of the number of letters and cards.

Here are just a few quotes from people that we have heard of but never thought to have a mother. They honored their mothers with these wonderful and memorable words about motherhood.

James Fenton: The lullaby is the spell whereby the mother attempts to transform herself back from an ogre to a saint

Oliver Wendell Holmes: The real religion of the world comes from women much more than from men – from mothers most of all, who carry the key of our souls in their bosoms

Abraham Lincoln: I remember my mother's prayers and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life.

Chinese Proverb: There is only one pretty child in the world, and every mother has it.

Remember mom, she was the world to you in your childhood, the weirdo in your youth, and the guide in your adulthood. She is “Mom.”