Happy Mother’s Day 2020
The modern holiday of Mother’s Day was first celebrated in 1908, when Anna Jarvis held a memorial for her mother at St Andrew’s Methodist Church in Grafton, West Virginia. Her campaign to make Mother’s Day a recognized holiday in the United States began in 1905, the year her mother Ann Reeves Jarvis died. Anna Jarvis wanted to honor her mother by continuing the work she started and to set aside a day to honor all mothers because she believed a mother is “the person who has done more for you than anyone in the world”.
Although Jarvis was successful in founding Mother’s Day, she became resentful of the commercialization of the holiday. By the early 1920s, Hallmark Cards and other companies had started selling Mother’s Day cards. Jarvis believed that the companies had misinterpreted and exploited the idea of Mother’s Day, and that the emphasis of the holiday was on sentiment, not profit. The point I am trying to make is that all the times I didn’t send a Mother’s Day Card, I was paying a tribute to Anna Jarvis, not that I forgot.
I would like to tell you about some special Mother’s I am blessed to have in my life. I want to talk about Kristi’s Mom, Dixie Richardson. Dixie is an extraordinarily strong, intelligent, and compassionate woman. She has worked extremely hard her entire life to help and guide as many people as she can. She has an incredibly strong testimony of our Heavenly father and is a great example of faith and service. It is heartwarming to see how much love she has given and receives from her entire family. Dixie is adored and admired by everyone in her family and her community. I am grateful for the way Dixie treats me with love and respect, and I am proud to know her. Happy Mother’s Day Dixie.
“I Love my Mother-In-Law!” How many of you can say that? Not only can I say that, I would gladly shout it from the rooftops to everyone. My Mother-In-Law Berna Deane has always treated me with kindness and respect. She has also done so much to help and guide as many people as she can. She has always worked tirelessly to help anyone in her community that needed it. Her powerful testimony of our Heavenly father serves as a compelling model of dedication and service. I started writing these weekly stories in January 2012 and I look forward every Sunday to call and read them to her. Thank you Berna Deane for everything you have done for all of us. Happy Mother’s Day.
This will be our family’s first Mother’s Day without our Mom. There have been so many times I have wanted to pick up the phone and call her. Our Mom was just like Dixie and Berna Deane. She worked hard to help as many people as she could. We have no doubt she is still fulfilling her commitment of service to our Heavenly Father faithfully and tirelessly. I have wanted to hear her voice and get her much needed advice and counseling. But I realize I don’t need to hear her say the words. I know exactly what she would say to me. I know she will always be there to give me strength and guidance. Thank you Mom, and Happy Mother’s Day.
These incredible Mother’s have taught me three simple but valuable life lessons.
Work Hard. Help as many people as you can. Have a strong testimony of our Heavenly Father. I hope all of you have a very wonderful Mother’s Day. Thanks for reading.
Next week: Secret shopping
P.S. Now I just need to find out who I am paying tribute to when I forget to send a birthday card.