Mother's day History � ������������������������ How did it all get started? ����������������������������� Mother's Day ����� The earliest Mother's Day celebrations are 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 .� Most servants lived far from home, and their employers, encourage them ��� to take a day and visit with their mothers.� 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 ������� Howe, who wrote the words to the Battle Hymn of the Republic, saw Mother's ���������������������� Day as being dedicated to peace.. �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 other's Day. It was successful, by 1911 Mother's Day �� was celebrated in almost every state. President Woodrow Wilson, in 1914, made the official �� announcement proclaiming Mother's Day a national holiday that was to be held each year on ��������������������������������� the �������������������������� 2nd Sunday of May. ������� Countries such as Denmark, Finland, Italy, Turkey, Australia, and Belgium ������������� also celebrate Mother's Day on the second Sunday of May. ***************************************************** �������������������������� "What Is A Mother" ������������������������� It takes a Mother's Love ������������������������ to make a house a home, ����������������������� A place to be remembered, ������������������������ no matter where we roam. ����������������������� It takes a Mother's Patience, ������������������������� to bring a child up right, ������������������� And her Courage and her Cheerfulness ������������������������ to make a dark day bright. ��������������������� It takes a Mother's Thoughtfulness ��������������������� to mend the heart's deep "hurts," ��������������������� And her Skill and her Endurance ���������������������� to mend little socks and shirts. ����������������������� It takes a Mother's Kindness ������������������������ to forgive us when we err, ������������������������ To sympathize in trouble ����������������������� and bow her head in prayer. ������������������������ It takes a Mother's Wisdom ������������������������� to recognize our needs ����������������������� And to give us reassurance ���������������������� by her loving words and deeds. ��������������������� It takes a Mother's Endless Faith, ������������������������ her Confidence and Trust ���������������������� To guide us through the pitfalls ������������������������� of selfishness and lust. ���������������������� And that is why in all this world ������������������������ there could not be another ���������������������� Who could fulfill God's purpose ����������������������� as completely as a mother! ��������������������������������� By ��������������������������� Helen Steiner Rice MAY YOU ALL HAVE A WARM AND SUNNY DAY THIS MOTHERS DAY AND MANY MORE TO COME, Deborah L. Fox from,N.E.Philly,Pa to Fairfax,Va.to Front Royal,Va. MY WEBSITE - GENEALOGY & RESEARCH LINKS-UPDATED MAY 3,2001 http://sites.netscape.net/INVESTIGATORFOX/bookmark.htm http://sites.netscape.net/INVESTIGATORFOX/homepage FOR FREE GROCERIES-COUPONS http://www.valupage.com/Entry.pst?From=AFF002909 �