On Sunday, May 11th we celebrate Mother's Day. The origin of Mother's Day goes back to the era of ancient Greek and Romans. The Greeks used the occasion to honor Rhea, wife of Cronus and the mother of many deities of Greek mythology.  Ancient Romans, celebrated a spring festival, called Hilaria dedicated to Cybele, a mother goddess.  The celebration, made on the ides of March by making offerings in the temple of Cybele, lasted for three days and included parades, games and masquerades.  The celebrations were notorious enough that followers of Cybele were banished from Rome.  Early Christians celebrated a "Mother's Day" type of festival on the fourth Sunday of Lent in honor of the Virgin Mary, the Mother of Christ.  Mother's Day in the U.S. was first suggested by Julia Ward Howe in 1872.  She was an activist, writer and poet and became famous after writing the civil war song, " Battle Hymn of the Republic."  She originally suggested that June 2nd be the annual date of celebration and she wrote an appeal to women in her "Mother's Day Proclamation" in Boston in 1870.  Anna Jarvis is recognized as the Founder of Mothers Day in the U.S.  She never married or had kids, but she was inspired from her mother, Mrs. Anna Marie Reeves Jarvis in her childhood.  An activist and social worker, she used to express her desire that someday we must honor all mothers, living or dead, and pay tribute to the contributions made by them.  Carnations were her mothers favorite flower and she felt that they symbolised a mothers pure love.  Anna and her supporters wrote letters to people of power to declare the official Mother's Day holiday.  And on May 8, 1914 President Woodrow Wilson signed a Joint Resolution designating the second Sunday in May as Mother's Day.

 

As a mother I am blessed with a son who I believe is a gift from God, as all children are.  And the bible says, we as mothers have a duty to "bring up our children in the way they should go."  Which means, teaching them about God, His word and His law. Even if they stray away, eventually they will return.  This is one of the most difficult jobs we have on earth, but also the most rewarding.  And as long as we keep God first and consult Him while raising our children, then they will remain close to us and God at all times.