 Mother's
Day Celebrates 100th Anniversary in 2008
By J.
E. Williams
 The
first ball was dropped in Time Square signifying the
new year; it was 1908. Theodore Roosevelt was still
president, the Chicago Cubs beat Detroit in the world
series, and the cost of a first class stamp was two
cents. While it would still be more than 20 years before
the Nineteenth Amendment granted women the right to
vote, there was a growing public awareness of the value
of women in America, and Mother's Day was born.
It was Anna Jarvis, who is credited with organizing
the first official Mother's Day observance -- at Andrews
Methodist Episcopal Church in Grafton, West Virginia
on May 10, 1908 -- three years after her mother's passing.
Hundreds of children and mothers participated, with
fresh carnations supplied by Anna in remembrance of
her mother. By 1911 Mother's Day had caught on across
much of the nation and mother's were finally getting
the public recognition Anna felt they deserved.
On May 8, 1914, the U.S. Congress passed a joint resolution
establishing the second Sunday in May as Mother's Day.
President
Woodrow Wilson issued the proclamation making it the
official U.S. holiday we know today. This year marks
the holiday's Centennial. "Anna's efforts are a prime
example of what women can accomplish with determination
and dedication," said Gayle Manchin, West Virginia's
2001 Mother of the Year. "As we celebrate the centennial
anniversary of Mother's Day this year, we remember the
women in our lives who have nurtured and provided us
guidance on a daily basis."
 A
lot has changed for mothers since that first Mother's
Day in Grafton one hundred years ago. The challenges
of motherhood have multiplied. With more dual-income
famiies and single-parent families, today's moms aren't
just moms anymore.
Many are soldiers, doctors, civic leaders, and business
people, juggling the daily demands of both work and
home. And, all of them face the daunting task of raising
a family in an increasingly complex world. Yet, they
remain the glue that holds so many families together.
Maybe that's why, amid the all the changes over the
past 100 years, Mother's Day remains one of the most
cherished of U.S. holidays.
By John E. Williams, courtesy of 1-800-FLORALS
and 800Florals.com.
For additional information, visit Mother's
Day Gift Ideas. This article may be reprinted on
the Web with this credit included.
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