Becoming Mother's Day

• Posted on 7 May 2020
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Expanded hours: Saturday 9am ‘til 4pm!

It is a time to celebrate all mothers, past and present. I celebrate my grandmother, Bessie FlowersBates, for this legacy she gave birth to 88 years ago. Flowers, was indeed her maiden name. I celebrate all mothers, the givers of life, including the maternal bond we all share: Mother Earth.

The Greeks honored Rhea (mother of Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades, Poseidon and Zeus) with an annual spring festival. Their tributes included honey-cakes, fine drinks, and flowers at dawn.

Early Christians honored the Virgin Mary, on the fourth Sunday of Lent. They would decorate the churches with flowers, jewels, precious metals, and other gifts. England later expanded the holiday to include all mothers, and decreed the fourth Sunday of Lent as "Mothering Sunday". After church children went "a-mothering", returning home with gifts, flowers, and special cakes.

Mother's Day was not observed officially in the United States until the 1900's. In 1870, Julia Ward Howe, author of the, “Battle Hymn of the Republic”, tried to establish “Mother's Day for Peace” after the Civil War. It did get some attention, but was never given formal recognition. Her idea was influenced by Anna Jarvis, who attempted to improve the sanitary conditions for both the north and the south during the Civil War. She organized women from both sides to work together on what she called “Mother's Work Days”.

Anna Jarvis' daughter, also named Anna Jarvis, finally established Mother's Day in her mother's honor. The second Sunday of May was recognized as a national holiday in 1914 when President Woodrow Wilson declared the first national "Mother's Day". In honor of Mrs. Anna Jarvis, the House of Representatives adopted a resolution that all officials of the federal government are to wear white carnations on Mother's Day.

Here’s a ‘top-ten’ clickable line-up of flowering beauties to show your Mother’s Day appreciation:

6P Mandevilla Shrub
Hydrangea Blue Jangles (Let’s Dance)
Hydrangea Heartthrob
Rosa Knockout Double Pink
Rosa Knockout Double Red
Rosa Mister Lincoln Patio Tree
Rosa Ketchup and Mustard
Hanging Baskets
Hibiscus patio trees
Itoh Peony

David Bates