QUOTATIONS
"God could not be everywhere and therefore he made mothers." -- Jewish proverb
"All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel Mother." -- Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865)
"The heart of a mother is a deep abyss at the bottom of which you will always find forgiveness." -- Honore' de Balzac (1799-1850)
"Of all the rights of women, the greatest is to be a mother." -- Lin Yutang
"My mother was the most beautiful woman I ever saw. All I am I owe to my mother. I attribute all my success in life to the moral, intellectual and physical education I received from her." -- George Washington (1732-1799)
"By and large, mothers and housewives are the only workers who do not have regular time off. They are the great vacationless class." -- Anne Morrow Lindbergh (1907- )
"Youth fades; love droops, the leaves of friendship fall; A mother's secret hope outlives them all." -- Oliver Wendell Holmes (1809-1894)
"The mother's heart is the child's schoolroom." -- Henry Ward Beecher (1813-1887)
"I remember my mother's prayers and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life." -- Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865)
"The most important thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother." --Author Unknown
Poem submitted by Cloud
MOTHER
again your kindly, smiling face i see.
do i but dream? and do my eyes deceive?
again you whisper through the years to me.
i dream once more i sit upon your knee,
and hear sweet counsel that i should not grieve;
my hand in yours at twilight time as we
talk low, and i your dear caress receive.
At times i see your face with sorrow wrung,
until, somewhat confused, i scarce believe
that i still dream. your friends when you were young,
your own great hopes, your cheer and laughter free
in some weird way are strangely haunting me.
O mother of my childhood's pleasant days,
still whispering courage and dispelling fears,
are you a dream come from my younger years,
and know my triumphs or my inner tears.
that quickly cease when you close by me seem?
let me sleep on, dear God, if i but dream.
Unknown
The earliest Mother's Day celebrations can be traced back to the spring celebrations of ancient Greece in honor of Rhea, the Mother of the Gods. During the 1600's, England celebrated a day called "Mothering Sunday". Celebrated on the 4th Sunday of Lent. "Mothering Sunday" honored the mothers of England.
During this time many of the England's poor worked as servants for the wealthy. As most jobs were located far from their homes, the servants would live at the houses of their employers. On Mothering Sunday the servants would have the day off and were encouraged to return home and spend the day with their mothers. A special cake, called the mothering cake, was often brought along to provide a festive touch.
As Christianity spread throughout Europe the celebration changed to honor the "Mother Church" - the spiritual power that gave them life and protected them from harm. Over time the church festival blended with the Mothering Sunday celebration . People began honoring their mothers as well as the church.
In the United States Mother's Day was first suggested in 1872 by Julia Ward Howe (who wrote the words to the Battle hymn of the Republic) as a day dedicated to peace. Ms. Howe would hold organized Mother's Day meetings in Boston, Mass ever year.
In 1907 Ana Jarvis, from Philadelphia, began a campaign to establish a national Mother's Day. Ms. Jarvis persuaded her mother's church in Grafton, West Virginia to celebrate Mother's Day on the second anniversary of her mother's death, the 2nd Sunday of May. By the next year Mother's Day was also celebrated in Philadelphia.
Ms. Jarvis and her supporters began to write to ministers, businessman, and politicians in their quest to establish a national Mother's Day. It was successful as by 1911 Mother's Day was celebrated in almost every state. President Woodrow Wilson, in 1914, made the official announcement proclaiming Mother's Day as a national holiday that was to be held each year on the 2nd Sunday of May.
While many countries of the world celebrate their own Mother's Day at different times throughout the year, there are some countries such as Denmark, Finland, Italy, Turkey, Australia, and Belgium which also celebrate Mother's Day on the second Sunday of May.
Background by:
Rosie's Backgrounds