The Forgotten History of Mother’s Day Mother’s Day is more than a celebration of mothers; it is also a commemoration of the timeless love and effort of women everywhere. While we celebrate by gifting lovely cards and elegant bouquets, the meaning and history behind Mother’s Day is deeper and more consequential than you might imagine. Mothers Teaching Mothers sadly experienced this firsthand: Of her 13 children, only four would live long enough to reach adulthood. Driven to help others avoid the tragedy that had befallen her, Ann, along with her brother, the physician Dr. James Reeves, organized events to promote proper hygiene and parenting techniques. Promoting Reconciliation to commemorate the selfless love and care mothers give to their children. Ann lamented that while there were plenty of holidays lauding the accomplishments of men, there were none for the women who helped raise them.
Anna Jarvis set out to make her mother’s dream a reality and began lobbying politicians and journalists to recognize Mother’s Day as an official national holiday. In 1908, she organized the first official Mother’s Day celebration at a church in Grafton, West Virginia. By 1912, states across the country were already celebrating the day. Then, in 1914, Anna Jarvis convinced President Woodrow Wilson to establish Mother’s Day as an official national holiday on the second Sunday of May. Ann and Anna’s legacy is still felt today, with annual celebrations taking place in countries around the world — from Japan to Ethiopia — to commemorate the service and sacrifice of mothers everywhere.
The story of Mother’s Day begins in West Virginia in 1858 — just three years before the outbreak of the American Civil War — at a time and place when the public mistrusted physicians and lacked access to adequate medical care; antibiotics would not be invented for another half- century, and an epidemic of typhoid fever had devastated the country. The local infant mortality rate was terribly high, with nearly 1 in 3 children dying before they could reach their first birthday. Ann Reeves Jarvis, a Sunday school teacher and mother to Anna Jarvis, had
During the Civil War, Ann would use her Mothers’ Day Clubs as neutral gathering points to feed and treat wounded Union and Confederate soldiers alike. She would continue her efforts in the aftermath of the war, hosting Mothers’ Friendship Day events to promote friendship and reconciliation between veterans from
both sides of the conflict. Advocating for Mothers
Anna was the 10th of Ann Jarvis’ 13 children. During Ann’s Sunday school lessons, Anna remembered how her mother had expressed hopes for an official celebration
Take a Break
Citrus BBQ Chicken
Inspired by FoodNetwork.com
INGREDIENTS
DIRECTIONS
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8 skin-on chicken leg and thigh pieces 1 1/3 cups ketchup 2 tbsp brown sugar Juice and zest of 1 orange Juice and zest of 1 lemon 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 tbsp Dijon mustard 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce 2 tsp ground cumin
1. Place chicken in a large resealable plastic bag. Combine all other ingredients in a small bowl. 2. Reserve 1 cup of the sauce and add the rest to the plastic bag. Toss to evenly coat the chicken and marinate overnight. 3. In a small saucepan over medium- high heat, add remaining sauce and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer to thicken sauce, about 10 minutes. Set aside. 4. On grill set for medium-high heat, arrange chicken skin side down. Cook until grill marks form, about 4 minutes. Flip chicken, cover grill, and cook until a thermometer inserted into thighs reads 165 F, about 20–25 minutes.
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BLOOM CINCO COMIC DERBY
EMERALD GEMINI GRADUATION LILY
MEMORIAL MOTHER RENEWAL VETERANS
1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika Salt and pepper to taste
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5. Serve with remaining sauce.
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