The
story of Mothers Day is the story of firm determination of a daughter,
Anna Jarvis who resolved to pay tribute to her mother, Mrs Anna M Jarvis
and all other mothers of the world. Anna Jarvis dedicated her life to
fulfill her mother's dream of the recognition of a day for honoring
mothers. Though never a mother herself, the founder of Mother's Day,
Anna Jarvis is today recognized as the 'Mother of Mothers Day'. An apt
title to define the remarkable woman's ceaseless devotion to her mother
and motherhood in general.

Anna Jarvis: Childhood



Anna
Jarvis was born in Webster, Taylor County, West Virginia, on May 1,
1864. She was the ninth of eleven children born to Ann Marie and
Granville Jarvis. Her family moved to Grafton when Anna was a year old.
It was here that the Anna did her schooling. In 1881, she enrolled at
the Augusta Female Academy in Stanton, Virginia, now Mary Baldwin
College. After finishing her academics, Anna returned to Grafton and did
teaching in a school for seven years.

Anna Jarvis: Inspiration for Mothers Day



Anna
Jarvis got the inspiration of celebrating Mothers Day quite early in
life. It so happened that one day when Anna was 12 years old, Anna's
mother Mrs Jarvis said a class prayer in the presence of her daughter.
To conclude the lesson on 'Mothers of the Bible', Mrs Jarvis said a
small prayer,

"I hope that someone, sometime will found a
memorial mothers day commemorating her for the matchless service she
renders to humanity in every field of life. She is entitled to it."

Anna
never forgot this prayer. And at her Mothers graveside service, she
recalled the prayer and said, "...by the grace of God, you shall have
that Mothers Day." The words were overheard by her brother Claude.

Anna Jarvis: The Struggle for Mothers Day



After
the death of her mother in 1905, Anna Jarvis resolved to honor her
mother. She became all the more serious in her resolution when she found
that adult children in the US were negligent in their behavior towards
there parents. Besides the desire of her mother that someone would one
day pay tribute to all mothers, living and dead and appreciate their
contributions made Anna decisions even stronger.

In 1907, Miss
Anna began an aggressive campaign to establish a National Mothers Day in
US. On the second death anniversary of her mother she led a small
tribute to her mother at Andrews Methodist Church. By the next year,
Mother's Day was also celebrated in her own city of Philadelphia.

To
give shape to her resolution, Miss Anna Jarvis along with her
supporters began to write hundreds of letters to those holding the
positions of power to advocate the need for a national Mothers Day. A
fluent speaker, Anna used every platform to promote her cause. Though
the response was cold initially, she achieved a breakthrough by gaining
the support of great merchant and philanthropist, John Wanamaker of
Philadelphia. The movement gained a fresh impetus with his support. In
1909, forty-five states including Puerto Rico, Hawaii, Canada and Mexico
observed the day by appropriate services. People also wore white and
red Carnations to pay tribute to their mothers, according to the tradition started by
Anna Jarvis. Anna chose carnations because they were her mother's
favorite flowers. White carnation was her most favorite because it
represented the purity of a mother's heart. A white carnation was to be
worn to honor deceased mothers, and a red one to honor a living mother.

By
1911, Mother's Day was celebrated in almost every state of the Union.
And in 1914, President Woodrow Wilson made the official announcement
proclaiming Mother's Day as a national holiday that was tor be held each
year on the second Sunday of May.

Anna Jarvis: Purpose of Celebrating Mothers Day



An
activist to the core, Anna Jarvis stepped outside the four walls of the
house. To wit: The actitvitstriking feature of her personality is that
she did not object to mother staying at home. Instead she tried to
bestow honor and dignity on women who were homemakers. This was one of
her main purpose of celebrating Mothers Day.

Mothers Day is meant
to give due honor to the woman who gave us birth and life. Though we
often have the feeling of gratitude towards our mothers, we do not
confess it often. Mothers Day is celebrated to share those feelings with
our mothers. To spend some time with her and make her feel special.
Those staying away from mothers must express their feelings of love and
gratitude by writing to them or talking to them over the phone.

Anna Jarvis: Her Disappointment with Mothers Day
Commercialization



It
is poignant to note that though Miss Anna Jarvis devoted her life to
the establishment of national Mothers Day,in the end she was
disappointed at the way things turned out. She was concerned with
reform,not revenue. She hated the commercialization of the day, so much
so that she felt sorry for ever starting the tradition of celebrating
Mothers Day.

Anna died at the age of 84 on November 24, 1948. She
is interred beside her mother in West Laurel Hill Cemetery in
Philadelphia. On the day of her burial, the bell on the Andrews Church
in Grafton was tolled eighty-four times in her honor. The Anna Jarvis
Birthplace Museum is located four miles south of Grafton on U.S. Route
119/250.

Anna Jarvis: Her Mother, Mrs. Ann Marie Reeves Jarvis



Mrs
Anna M. Jarvis gave birth to 11 children but only four lived to
adulthood. In spite of the large family, Mrs Jarvis maintained an active
life. She regularly participated in activities of the church and civic
affairs. Her remarkable contribution to the society in which she lived
was the formation of Mothers' Day Work Clubs in the local churches. Mrs
Anna Jarvis called on the women of Webster, Philippi, Pruntytown,
Fetterman and Grafton to join the club and combat poor health and
sanitation conditions that existed in those times in their neighborhood
and attributed to the high mortality rate of children. The clubs were
highly successful and their role in tackling the local community problem
was honored by all.

During the Civil Wars, Mrs Anna Jarvis urged
the members of Mothers' Day Work Clubs to take a neutral stand and
nurse both Union and Confederate soldiers. Near the end of the war, the
Jarvis family moved to the larger town of Grafton, West Virginia.

In
1865, after the Civil War, Anna Jarvis organized a Mothers' Friendship
Day at Pruntytown Courthouse to bring together soldiers and neighbors of
all political beliefs. The event was a big success and came to be
organized annually for several years to promote peace and friendship.

Mrs
Anna Jarvis was also an active member of the church. She took charge of
the primary department of the Andrews Methodist Episcopal Church school
when the church was completed in 1873. For more than two decades, she
taught the students of the school. Mrs Jarvis was also a renowned
speaker of her time. Her lectures were quite popular in the church

After
the death of her husband, Granville E. Jarvis, in 1902, Ann Marie
Reeves Jarvis moved with her daughters, Anna and Lillie, to Philadelphia
to live with her son, Claude. Mrs. Jarvis died at the age of 72 on May
9, 1905. She was interred in the West Laurel Hill Cemetery in
Philadelphia. On the day she was laid to rest, the bell of Andrews
Methodist Episcopal Church in Grafton was tolled seventy-two times in
her honor.



posted on May 13, 2012 7:04 AM (CST)