By Jason Miller
Life is short and while nothing is ever guaranteed, there are somethings that remain consistent. Family, specifically mothers play a large role in defining one’s character during youth. It’s important to appreciate mothers and all of their responsibilities that they take alongside the burdens, helping everyone. Taking a moment to live in somebody else’s shoes and be more open minded about life is one aspect of the holiday celebrating mothers.
The current version of Mother’s Day that is widely acknowledged originated in Philadelphia by Anna Jarvis whose mother had organized women’s groups to promote friendship and health and on May 12, 1907 she held a memorial service for her late mother. It was traditionally a day of honor but this evolved into something that was out of her control through mass marketing of the event. So in honor of her original wishes, this is dedicated to what she envisioned as a simple recognition of the women who had done so much and sacrificed what they had for their families and their communities.
The hyper focus on commercialization of the holiday takes away from the inherent value. While for many of us in the current day have access to technology we should use this advancement for furthering prosperity. Back in the day when the holiday first originated in the 1900s there was a large emphasis on writing letters and more physical means since that’s all they had at the time but nowadays it can be as easy as posting pictures of your mothers, aunts or even grandmothers. Any attempt of reaching out and giving attention to those who had served you is an indication of respect which is the foundation for the holiday.
Being somebody that is on the younger side, it’s always nice to hear stories from my mother and learn of things that I am not always knowledgeable of. Spending time just talking about the past or how to do things and approach situations that I’ve never encountered before – it’s simple things that make all the difference. Asking others about themselves is an easy way to connect and show genuineness.
Well for Mother’s Day in the spirit of celebration there are a variety of ways that you can implement ineffective methodology to celebrate with your loved ones with some examples being the following…
- A family gathering. Being surrounded with those you were raised with allows for a day of nostalgia
- Partake in favorite hobbies. Allowing one’s mother to choose the event
- Spas. Unwinding and getting away from the mundane tasks in life allows for some reflection
You don’t have to be a mother to acknowledge all of the hard work that they have done. This day is dedicated to respecting and honoring mothers but not just them- any significant female figure in one’s life since that was the core of the foundation of the holiday back in the 1900s. Understanding others allows you to have a better notion of the world in general and therefore will benefit everyone.