Happy Mother's Day!

Betty Rice, Gary's dear mom

The 20th century may well have been marked by some of the greatest disputes known to humanity, but one holiday created at the dawn of that century enjoys universal agreement around the world. That holiday, of course, is Mother's Day.

Although days honoring motherhood have been known since time immemorial, the first official American holiday occurred in 1908 through the efforts of one Anna Jarvis. Anna's own mother had worked in sanitation during the Civil War, and had organized "Mother's Work Days" at that time. Another famous woman, Julia Ward Howe (composer of the words for the "Battle Hymn of the Republic"), had also written a "Mother's Day Proclamation" in 1870 encouraging peace on earth, though she was unable to obtain official recognition back then for a Mother's Day for Peace.

In 1914, the United States Congress passed a law declaring the second Sunday in May to be Mother's Day. An older tradition from England had been known as Mothering Sunday.

Traditionally, carnations have been passed out in churches on the occasion of Mother's Day. Red carnations have been given to those whose mothers were still living, and white ones to those whose mothers had passed on. Ironically, Anna Jarvis, in her later years, seemed to very much disapprove of the commercialization of the holiday.

In the pulse of our city, we spend a great deal of time discussing the various issues that impact our lives. I can think of nothing that would have a greater impact on our lives than the influence of our mothers. While most of us probably have endearing memories of our childhood, it should be noted, with sorrow, that many people do not share those memories. They might not have experienced the love and support of a caring Mom, for any number of reasons. To those people, my heart goes out.

Fortunately, I had a beautiful mother who was the light of my life. She's been gone nearly six years now, but she lives in every thought and action that I do. Like many children, I did not always do everything the way she wanted it to be done, and I certainly feel badly about some of those moments when we did not agree. Still, on the whole, our life together was a precious blessing. The lessons she brought to my life will always be with me.

Happy Mothers Day to all of the Mothers sharing the pulse of this city.