Mother's Day - Anna Jarvis & how it all started

Today is Mother's Day. So in honour of my mum, my wife & all the mums out there who sacrifice daily for us all, I thought I'd write a short article on Mother's Day. Turns out, it's actually a pretty sad story!

Ann Reeves Jarvis organized the "Mothers' Day Work Clubs" in West Virginia in 1858 to improve sanitary conditions & help improve the terrible infant mortality rate of her community. Ann herself had 13 children, out of which only 4 made it to adulthood! Ann died in 1905 on the Second Sunday of May.

On the 2nd Sunday of May in 1907, one of Ann's daughters, Anna Jarvis organized a small service in honour of her mum at the Andrews Methodist Episcopal Church in Grafton West Virginia. In 1908 the first formal Mother's Day is celebrated at the same church in Grafton & also with another much bigger celebration in Philadelphia. Anna distributes white carnations at the Grafton Service. In 1910, the Governor of West Virginia makes Mother's Day an Official Holiday on the 2nd Sunday of May.

In 1912 Anna Jarvis creates the Mother's Day International Association and Trademarks the phrases "second Sunday in May" and "Mother's Day". Basically, she wanted Mother's Day to be celebrated in a very private way to acknowledge all that a mother does for her family. You will notice that the apostrophe in "Mother's Day" which makes it a "singular possessive" and not "plural possessive". In 1914 US President Woodrow Wilson makes Mother's Day a National Holiday. In 1915, Canada follows suit by making Mother's Day an Official Holiday too.

Shortly after 1915, Anna Jarvis notices that the Florist, Card and Candy Industries cashing in on the Mother's Day Holiday. Even "Public Interests Groups" were using this day to make Political Statements! Anna Jarvis began endorsing open boycotts against the Florist Industry in 1922. Basically, Anna Jarvis began "fighting" against these establishments over the next 22 years, ending in her being committed to the Marshall Square Sanitarium in 1944! She spent most of her money fighting legal battles over the holiday she started. In fact in the 1940's she even threatened to end this holiday. In 1948 Anna Jarvis died at the age of 84, alone and penniless (she never made any money from the holiday she created), and probably the worst thing of all she was childless.

Come to think of it, Anna had the right idea! Just look at how this day is commercialized today. So, maybe on this day, when we celebrate with our own mothers to thank them for the many sacrifices that they have done for us over the years, we should take some time to remember the woman who started it all and ended up pretty much alone & without any thanks!