Mother's Day

Welcome to my blog. This is the first posting of what I hope will be an interesting series of mullings, musings, and the occasional rant as I continue on this "long strange trip" that is my life. Nothing written here is intended to insult or offend, but in the event that occurs, I apologize in advance. My thoughts are merely my thoughts, and I think and wonder about many things, questioning the world around me, the people that fill it, and what gets done and said. If you do, too, then I believe you will enjoy visiting here regularly.

Since I am a passionate logophile, I often ponder the language, words--meanings and derivation. And since Mothers’ Day (which is written Mother’s and Mothers, but never, apparently, Mothers’ Day) was yesterday, I want to begin there. I am entitled. I have borne a child.

Holiday. The word comes from the Old English: Holy day. So when did creating handmade greeting cards and taking Mom out for dinner become a holy day?

In case you wondered, there’s a Web site devoted to Mother’s Day. Are you smiling? It’s called "Mothers Day Central," and it’s dedicated, so it says, to celebrating Mother all year long. According to the site, we can thank the Egyptian goddess, Isis, and others of her ilk in early polytheistic cultures, for Mom’s special day. Pursue the full story at your leisure.

Cutting to the chase (fascinating phrase from the "talkies"), pagan goddesses aside, European Christians began celebrating Motherhood by honoring Mother Church. The festivities included: flowers, jewelry, and food. Eureka!

 When the English clergy broadened the celebration in the 1600's, they called it Mothering Day. The working classes of England traveled back to their hometowns to visit their mums and enjoy a family feast. Would it surprise you to discover that mothers were presented with cakes and flowers? I didn’t think so. Jewelry? Working classes, so probably not.

At this point I have to admit, I am surprised. I thought Hallmark invented the day.

The American roots of the day trace to New York born poet and activist, Julia Ward Howe, who, in the wake of the Civil War, issued a proclamation (read the dramatic text at www.mothersdaycentral.com/) that planted the seed for Mothers’ Day. It was to be a day of reconciliation and peace, spearheaded by mothers who lost their sons in that conflict. A commendable and lofty ideal.

After Howe’s death, two women, mother and daughter Jarvis, furthered the establishment of the holy day. On May 10, 1908, the first official Mother's Day celebration took place at Andrew's Methodist Church in Grafton, WV. (See . . . Holy Day.) White carnations were presented to all mothers.

Wikipedia asserts that Pres. Woodrow Wilson initiated national observance in 1914, declaring the second Sunday in May as Mother's Day. Spelled that way purposely to emphasize the individual’s honoring of his/her mother. Fascinating stuff, right?

Perhaps more interesting than fascinating are the following factoids:

Mother's Day is a $14 Billion industry, with flower sales for May exceeding all other months. It’s the busiest day of the year for restaurants. A fact to which I can attest, having waited two hours to eat at the Cheesecake Factory in Thousand Oaks yesterday. (Side bar: When you have dinner for 12 at a noisy restaurant, best place to sit is at the end of the table.) Postal service and telephone services experience increased volume. ET phone home. And I’d bet the farm (if I had one) that Hallmark does more business for that day than any other holiday.

So . . . there you have it. Mother’s Day in America. As Yacov Smirnoff said, "What a country!" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GK8ewRec7c)