Postage Stamp Project
100+ Stamps in 100 Days – Day 51
A daily happy mail campaign and blog! I will be making an effort to send out at least 100 cards/letters over the next 100 days and blogging it. Encouraging a return to written correspondence!
Monday May 2, 2011
HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!
I know it’s not today but I thought I’d encourage you to get your Mother’s Day Cards in the mail. Did you know that Mother’s Day is the third largest card sending day in the United States, preceded only by Christmas and Valentine’s Day? Here are some other fast facts about Mother’s Day.
Happy Mother's Day
Mother’s Day fast facts
Mother’s Day is always the second Sunday in May.
Carnations are the official flower for Mother’s Day — pink for mothers living, white for those passed away.
Mother’s Day is the third-largest card-sending holiday in the United States, with 162 million cards exchanged annually.
Mother’s Day is the second most popular holiday for gift-giving, following Christmas.
Mother’s Day is observed across a wide range of relationships. In addition to mothers, grandmothers and wives, the celebration extends to daughters, sisters, aunts, mothers of loved ones, friends, and any others who play a mother-like role.
While Mother’s Day has quite a lengthy history, I was especially intrigued by the development of Mother’s Day as a holiday in the United States. In 1870 Julia Ward Howe, author of the Battle Hymn of the Republic, distraught with the futility of sons killing sons and mothers pitted against mothers, called for a celebration of Mothers. She encouraged them to stand together to celebrate peace and motherhood. Originally she wanted the day to be July 4th, but it was relegated to June 2 instead.Only 18 North American cities celebrated it because Julia Ward Howe funded them, but as her funds dried up, so did these celebrations.
Anna M. Jarvis
Again, in the name of peace, an official holiday for Mothers was proposed in 1908 by Anna M. Jarvis after her mother died. 407 people attended the first event on May 10, 1908 at Andrew’s Methodist Church in Grafton, and each attendee received a white carnation, hence the beginning of the white and pink carnation tradition. White carnations would later be used only to honor the deceased and pink for the living. While this first event took place on a Sunday, our national Mother’s Day Holiday also falls on the second Sunday of May every year. Interesting though, in Mexico and India they chose the date and celebrate every May 10th.
As the holiday grew in popularity, florists capitalized on the trend and in Ms. Jarvis mind over-commercialized what she hoped would be a day of honor, not of exploitation. She even tried, unsuccessfully, to copyright the day to avoid the commercialization and went so far as to protest an event and ended up being arrested for disturbing the peace. She died in 1948, blind, poor and without children of her own. Ironically it was the Florist’s Exchange who anonymously paid for her care. By the time she died over 40 countries observed Mother’s Day. (Information compiled from http://www.mothersdaycentral.com/about-mothersday/history/ and http://www.wickedlocal.com/burlington/multimedia/x2133273961/Mother-s-Day-history#axzz1LG7dlTEu)
Today I am sending 4 cards. One to my Mom Katie, who lives in Oregon. Mom has always had a comforting hug, a tender kiss, or a much needed swat to guide me on my way. I can only imagine how much her love for us was shown through worry, concern, grief, laughter, pride and joy.
Another goes to my 2nd Mom Dee in Kansas. She married my Dad when I was in junior high and jumped right in to parenting 4 confused and rambunctious kids. She loves us as her own along with the two boys she had with my Dad.
Another mother in my life is my Mother-In-Law Adela who lives in Mexico. She too loves me as her own, and keeps our entire family in constant intercession through prayer.
Last, I am sending a card to LaQuita, Dee’s Mom. She is the only mother of my parent’s still alive. She also lives in Kansas. She too became an overnight grandmother to us and never treated us differently than the other kids.
Ladies, I Love You All!
P.S. Personally, I don’t mind receiving flowers on Mother’s Day, but the best thing is a homemade card from my daughters. The pouring out of their hearts with flowing ink (or crayon wax) is the best gift I could receive! What are your Mother’s Day Traditions?
