It’s Mother’s Day Weekend! We Love Mom!!

This weekend is the very special time that we honor that special lady in all of our lives -- our mothers, the ones who raise us, protect us and give us the support to be the best we can be. We love our moms!

Mother's Day is observed the second Sunday in May. It is a time to honor mothers, grandmothers and great-grandmothers for their contributions to family and society. Since it is not a federal holiday, businesses may be open or closed as with any other Sunday.
celebration or observance

Mother's Day is celebrated with gifts, cards, flowers, a special meal out, jewelry, or chocolates and candy. Other special treats might include a spa or beauty treatment. It has become the most commercialized holiday for dining out and jewelry sales.

History
The origins of Mother's Day are attributed to different people. Many believe that two women, Julia Ward Howe and Anna Jarvis, were important in establishing the tradition of Mother's Day in the United States. Other sources say that Juliet Calhoun Blakely initiated Mother’s Day in Albion, Mich., in the late 1800s. Her sons paid tribute to her each year and urged others to honor their mothers.

Around 1870, Julia Ward Howe called for Mother's Day to be celebrated each year to encourage pacifism and disarmament among women. The observance continued in Boston for about 10 years under her sponsorship, but died out after that.

In 1907, Anna Jarvis held a private Mother's Day celebration in memory of her mother, Ann Jarvis, in Grafton, W.Va. Ann Jarvis had organized "Mother's Day Work Clubs" to improve health and cleanliness in the area where she lived. Anna Jarvis launched a quest for Mother's Day to be more widely recognized. Her campaign was later financially supported by John Wanamaker, a clothing merchant from Philadelphia.

In 1908, she was instrumental in arranging a service in the Andrew's Methodist Episcopal Church in Grafton, which was attended by 407 children and their mothers. The church has now become the International Mother's Day Shrine. It is a tribute to all mothers and has been designated as a National Historic Landmark.

Mother's Day now focuses generally on recognizing mothers' and mother figures' roles. Mother's Day has also become an increasingly important event for businesses in recent years. This is particularly true of restaurants and businesses manufacturing and selling cards and gift items.