Anna Jarvis Wouldn't Approve

It's Mother’s Day weekend. But if the day’s founder, Anna Jarvis, were here, she wouldn’t celebrate it. We know that because, though it was her work and influence that put the special day on the map, and even brought it to National Holiday status, after the commercialization set in, she began to loathe what it became. She openly denounced it, begging people to stop buying cards, flowers, and candy. By the end of her life, she spent all of her personal savings in legal fees lobbying congress to do away with the holiday altogether.Why? She felt that it had become simply an occasion for merchants to make money, and rather than truly honoring their mothers, people tended to buy things. She wanted the day to be about giving time and appreciation for mothers’ sacrifices. She felt the day she had inaugurated, ended up having the opposite effect of what she was going for.In general, holidays tend to do that. I don’t think it’s a reason to stop celebrating them. I think Mother’s Day is a wonderful day. For some moms, it’s the only day she hears from her kids. Some of you are in church this weekend because it’s Mother’s Day (also something Anna Jarvis promoted). But she won’t see you in church for the rest of the year. We’re glad you’re here, but your mom would love to have you come more often :-).And that’s the problem with Mother’s Day, and holidays in general. They become a replacement of who we should be and what we should be doing all the time, not just one day of the year.Can you imagine if your mom sacrificed for you only one day a year while you were growing up? Well…some of you wouldn’t have grown up!Instead, Mother’s Day, and other holidays, ought to be annual reminders of who we should be, and what we should do, throughout the year. Call your mom on Mother’s Day. Get her flowers or candy. But she’ll appreciate it a lot more if/when you do that on some random day in June, just because. And more than the card or flowers, she wants time with you. Not just today, but throughout the year.If we view our holidays that way, as reminders and not replacements, then Anna wouldn’t have had a problem with the day she started. Instead, Mother’s Day, like other holidays, should become catalysts to help us be the people we should be all year long.