Recognizing Moms of All Ages
Mother's Day is an opportunity to celebrate the most important woman in your life-your mom. It is also a day to celebrate West Virginia history and the mother of Mother's Day, native West Virginian Anna Jarvis.
Most West Virginians know that Mother's Day was started in Grafton, West Virginia but what some do not know is the story of Anna's sheer determination to create an honor to reflect the importance of her mother to her life.
Although Anna was never a mother herself, she set out to make Mother's Day a nationally recognized day to pay tribute to her beloved mother, Mrs. Anna M. Jarvis, as well as all mothers all over the world. It was an effort to call attention to the selfless commitment and unconditional love of mothers - the "unsung heroes" in our lives - whose work day in and day out means so much, yet often goes unrecognized.
Anna was born in the town of Webster, WV in Taylor County in 1864, into a family of eleven children. She moved to Grafton when she was a young child. Anna attended school in Grafton and after attending the Augusta Female Academy in Staunton, Virginia for additional schooling, she returned home to teach in the community for seven years.
Growing up Anna watched her mother helping others. Mrs. Ann Marie Reeves Jarvis was a remarkable woman who was dedicated to her community and went above and beyond the call of duty. During the Civil War, she was instrumental in saving thousands of lives by teaching women the basics of nursing and sanitation, which she herself had learned from her brother, Dr. James Reeves, a local physician. Mrs. Jarvis not only tended to the physical wounds of the soldiers, she also worked to soothe tensions among families from opposing sides of the Civil War by organizing and conducting services for soldiers and their families. Her work helped to heal entire communities that were torn apart by the war. Anna's mother firmly believed that the role and efforts of all mothers was not fully appreciated or recognized and it was her wish that a day be set aside to honor all mothers.
Anna had so much admiration for her mother that she made a promise at her mother's gravesite in 1905 to dedicate her life to fulfilling her mother's wish and began her work to establish a Mother's Day to honor mothers, living and dead.
Soon after her mother's death Anna began an extensive advocacy campaign to establish a national Mother's Day. She organized an aggressive letter writing campaign and held events where she spoke about the importance of establishing the holiday. By 1911, Mother's Day was celebrated in almost every state, and finally in 1914, President Woodrow Wilson made the official announcement proclaiming Mother's Day as a national holiday on the second Sunday of May every year.
Anna was a remarkable woman who was ahead of her time. And although she did not fit the traditional role of a woman at that period in history, she not only recognized the timeless dedication and role of mothers in our lives, she revered all mothers - especially those who quietly dedicated their lives to their children and families.
In order to recognize this special day, the House of Representatives voted to pass H.RES.1295, celebrating the role of mothers in the United States and supporting the goals and ideals of Mother's Day.
Mother's Day is a time for families across the Nation to come together to honor those who gave us life and who, throughout our lives, have given us encouragement, inspiration, and unconditional love. It is a heart-felt and loving tradition, one of which West Virginians can be especially proud. It takes a lot of patience, perseverance and love to raise a child. Luckily for all of us, as Anna Jarvis once said, "A mother's love is new every day."
As we each celebrate Mother's Day let us all be truly thankful for our mothers-all 82.5 million of them in the United States. This day is all about them. Perhaps an old proverb sums it up best, "God could not be everywhere and therefore he made mothers."
God bless our mothers and everything they have done for our families and our communities on this special day and every day of the year, and thanks to Anna Jarvis who had the determination to have this day officially recognized over 95 years ago.
U.S. Rep. Nick Rahall (D-WV) represents West Virginia's 3rd District
