Next Sunday, May 12, is Mother’s Day. This will actually be the 99th anniversary of the official Mother’s Day holiday, which was first proclaimed by President Woodrow Wilson on May 9, 1914.
The concept of a holiday honoring mother’s had existed long before that date. But the campaign to have an official Mother’s Day was led by a woman named Anna Jarvis. Anna’s mother Ann was the founder of the “Mothers’ Day Work Clubs.” These clubs worked to improve sanitary and health conditions in major cities. They also treated soldiers in the Civil War, on both sides, with neutrality. They demonstrated compassion to others.
Today, we take one day out of the year to recognize what our mothers have done for us. We can certainly do more – there’s no doubt about that. But one of the ways we can honor our mothers is to live our lives in a way that exemplifies the compassion and love that they instilled in us.
I look at the many mothers that have touched my life. From my own mom to my mother-in-law, grandmothers to close family friends, and certainly to my wife, the mother of our son. I am so blessed to have such wonderful mothers in my life. And I think about the selfless way they live their lives – giving so much to raise me, my family, my friends, and my son.
Next Saturday night is our SleepOut for Shelter – where we give one night to sleep outside in an effort to make sure that others do not need to. We will wake up on the morning of Mother’s Day. If I think about the selfless way the mothers in my life have already lived, I want to show that same compassion to others that they have instilled in me. It is a very small way to honor them.
I will be celebrating Mother’s Day on May 12. But I am also going to remember the love, values, and compassion for others that all the mothers in my life have demonstrated for me. And I am going to try and exemplify that throughout the year.
Happy Mother’s Day everyone!
