Mother's Day 2010: Introduction

Today is the day in the US when we celebrate Mother’s Day. And we aren’t the only ones in the world to do so, as at least 46 countries honor mothers with a special day, though not all the same day. Now, we have grown up with this Mother’s Day since it was declared a national holiday in 1914. And because it is Mother’s Day, our women’s group which has been meeting for 3 yrs, continuing on past our origins studying goddesses and which we now call the UU Spirit Sisters decided to give back to the congregation by doing a service. We asked our fellow Sisters group to join us and some of the women of both groups are participating in the service today. I want to give a special thank you to Debbie Olson who was very instrumental in coordinating the 2 groups.

But in researching issues about mother’s day for the service, I found out that I really didn’t know what this day was MEANT to be about. So today, we are going to find out that, though the origins of a day honoring mothers probably goes back to ancient Greeks honoring Rhea, the mother of ancient Greek gods… in the US it started out really much more than flowers and candy. Indeed, the idea was started as a day dedicated to peace or a Mother’s Peace Day by a Unitarian woman who lived through the horrors of the civil war. This woman was very influential in her day in the anti-slavery, peace and women’s suffrage movements, and was a writer, poet, essayist, lecturer, reformer and biographer and she is still well known for writing the words to “Battle Hymn of the Republic” which she wrote after her carriage was chased by confederate soldiers during the civil war. So we are extremely lucky to have with us today as the first of 3 guests, straight from the late 1800s, Julia Ward Howe.

ARJ

So Julia’s…. Mother’s Peace Day observance in June was held for a number of years as her idea spread, so that 18 cities were celebrating it by 1910. And at the same time and influencing Julia’s ideas was another woman who had worked hard creating Mother’s Day Work Clubs to promote sanitation after 8 of her children died due to unsanitary conditions in the cities. And her group later provided aide to sick soldiers of both sides once the civil war broke out. Once the Civil War was over, she also started Mother’s Friendship Days to unite the people of her area who had been on different sides of the conflict. I am pleased to introduce to you now, Ann Reeves Jarvis.

AJ

Our next guest, is credited by most with bringing about the official observance of Mother’s Day in the US. She is the daughter of Anne Reeves Jarvis, our last speaker, and worked tirelessly to honor her mother’s bravery. She was finally responsible for having this day made a national holiday in 1910. We will hear how she felt about what it became. I introduce to you, Anna Jarvis.

CLOSING WORDS

Julia Ward Howe envisioned this day as a day of solemn council where women from all over the world could meet to discuss the means whereby to achieve world peace. They would also convene as mothers keeping in mind the duty of protecting their children.

So that was then and this is now. It makes us think…what are we doing to make a difference? Women face new challenges in society today, but motherhood remains a lasting influence on us as individuals and as a nation.

One thing we can do is to join with organizations such as the UU Service Society that today is helping flood victims in TN and KY, helping rebuild in New Orleans and many other great projects. It is an organization that advances human rights and social justice in the US and around the world envisioning a world free from oppression and justice.

And there are groups such as Robbie is in, called the Standing Women who have asked that at 1pm today women all over the world stand for 5 minutes in silence in the spirit of the following pledge. It is beautiful and embodies the spirit of this day, so I would ask that we all stand while I read the Standing Women Declaration for the World’s Children:

We are standing for the world’s children and grandchildren, and for the 7 generations beyond them.

We dream of a world where all of our children have Safe drinking water Clean air to breathe and Enough food to eat.

A world where they have access to a basic education to develop their minds, and healthcare to nurture their growing bodies.

A world where they have a warm, safe and loving place to call Home

A world where they don’t live in fear of violence-in their home, in their neighborhood, in their school or in their world.

This is the world of which we dream.

This is the cause for which we stand.

Blessed Be.