Mother’s Day – An Ode To Mothers by Sanghmitra Datta
? All that I am or ever hope to be , I owe to my angel mother. ?
– Abraham Lincoln
Whenever I think about the word “mother”, the image of Mother Teresa comes into my mind. A Nun who never bore a child, took care of innumerable orphan children and sick adults, including lepers as well.
So, being mother is not about only giving birth to kids and raising them. The glory of Motherhood need not be limited to biology. There have been many childless women, taking care of their parents, just as a mother does.
Hence, a mother to me is who gives love to, and takes care of anyone who needs her. A mother is a protector. This quality of a mother is common across species. Birds protect their chicks from predators. A tigress is ruthless when her cubs are in danger.
Mother’s Day is not just about our own mothers. We get affection and care from so many women in our lifetime, apart from our biological mother – grandmothers, aunts, sisters, sisters-in-law, mother-in-law, friends, and even nannies. I remember my mami ji who was childless but showered loads of affection on all of the children in her relations.
Motherhood is defined by unconditional love, care, and nurturing. Anybody who feels these emotions has activated the mother in them, whether they have children or not. Have you ever seen a 5 year old playing with her doll? Could you deny her the title of Mother?
A mother doesn’t necessarily have to cook or do chores for her children, even though she does it out of love and care. But the best thing she does for her children is to inculcate values in them. To do that, she has to be a person of integrity. We learn most of our habits from our mothers. She is our first teacher and role model.
What does a mother, who dedicates her life to her children, ask for in return? A bit of respect, love, and care. She deserves the best from us. You won’t find a heart more tender than that of a mother. Nothing hurts a mother more than seeing her child hurt and upset. Nothing makes her more happy than seeing her child happy.
While thinking of mothers, and the significance of Mother’s Day, I started wondering how and when it was first celebrated. Google mata (of course! Moms are everywhere ?) came to the rescue. What I found out is mind blowing and amazing!!!! The story quite resembles how Maa2Mom started. I am sharing below the history of mothers day with you all.
Historically, mothers have always held essential roles in society. From Sita, the first known woman to become a single mother, to Kareena Kapoor, with a brilliant acting career in spite of having two kids, moms have changed the world. For this reason, numerous individuals gather to celebrate all forms of motherhood on Mother’s Day, and we have a few extraordinary women to thank for that.
Ann Reeves Jarvis
In 1858, Ann Reeves Jarvis, an Appalachian homemaker, established Mothers’ Work Days during the Civil War in an effort to improve sanitation for soldiers and children. She also helped start a club to teach women how to take care of children. You see, as a mother, she had lost eight out of her twelve children due to poor sanitation conditions.
When the Civil War broke out in the United States, she asked various members of the clubs she helped organize to pledge that the war wouldn’t interfere with their work. They vowed to provide medical care and assist those with illnesses regardless of which side they were fighting on. She then started Mother’s Friendship Day as a day to promote the reconciliation between Union and Confederate soldiers.
Julia Ward Howe
Around this time, Julia Ward Howe, an abolitionist, writer, and suffragette, wrote a Mother’s Day Proclamation to ask mothers to join her in promoting world peace. In 1873, she campaigned to establish a Mother’s Day of Peace in order to achieve world peace and resolve the conflicts between human beings. She was greatly inspired by the work of Ann Reeves Jarvis.
Anna Jarvis
It wasn’t until Ann Reeves Jarvis’ daughter, Anna, came along that Mother’s Day became the widely recognized holiday we know and love today. After the death of Anna’s mother in 1905, she wanted to create a memorial day to honor mothers who had passed away and acknowledge the sacrifices mothers endure for their children.
The first official Mother’s Day celebration was held in Grafton, Thanks to the financial backing of John Wanamaker, a Philadelphia business owner, this Mother’s Day was an enormous success. On this day, thousands of people also showed up to a simultaneous Mother’s Day event occurring at one of Wanamaker’s stores.
Seeing how successful this first Mother’s Day event was, Anna vowed to make it a national holiday. She tirelessly wrote to politicians and newspapers from around the country, asking them to adopt the day and celebrate motherhood.
Finally, in 1914, former President Woodrow Wilson announced the first national celebration of Mother’s Day. Now, Mother’s Day is celebrated every second Sunday in May.
Festivals honoring mothers and mother goddesses date to ancient times. The Phrygians held a festival for Cybele, the Great Mother of the Gods, as did the Greeks for the goddess Rhea. In India, we have always considered a mother a Goddess and have a festival, Durga-puja, dedicated to the Mother Goddess, honoring the goddess Durga.
So this is the history of Mother’s Day. I’d like to add here, that every year when we celebrate Mother’s Day, we are creating history!
I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to the mother of all mothers – our Mother Earth! Without her, our existence isn’t possible. She provides us everything we need – air , water, food, soil and a home in this vast universe. She nurtures us, takes care of us, just like a dutiful, affectionate mother would. Let us all be grateful to her and take care of her in return. Let us try to keep her clean and healthy. Let’s love her as sincerely as we love our own biological mother.
? The influence of a mother in the lives of her children is beyond calculation. ?
– James E. Fraust