[Grovenet] Mother's Day

[Ron D'Eau Claire]

...is coming again. 

I didn't realize it was really a "pre-Christian" holiday but have long been
aware that the modern Mother's Day was begun by Anna Jarvis who made it a
personal quest after her own mother died. 

What I didn't know what that Ms. Jarvis then fought a life-long battle to
save Mother's Day and failed, dying in poverty after having been imprisoned
for a time for advocating her vision of a true "Mother's day". Is that a
fitting end? 

There's a lesson in her tragic story. It's a lesson for every person who
hears an ad, who listens to a "pitch" for this or that, especially those
pitches  try to install a sense of guilt about how we might show that we
"love" and "care" for our spouses, children, parents or friends by spending
money on them, whether it's a Birthday, Christmas, Mother's Day, Father's
day or any other such day intended to honor someone who we care about.  

Understanding that lesson might be the best possible way to celebrate the
life of Ms. Jarvis and our own Mothers. 

The story of Ms. Jarvis' tragic battle and the lessons it provides are
available from the BBC at:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/6409411.stm

Ron D'Eau Claire