Mothers hold a special place

Motherhood is celebrated today through the work of a girl from Grafton, W.Va., who turned the drive for Mother’s Day into a national movement in the early 20th century.

Mothers nationwide have Anna Jarvis to thank for helping establish the custom which caught on to the point where President Wilson declared the first national Mother’s Day in 1914.

It most assuredly is not a holiday just about greeting cards and flowers, though both of those are welcome expenditures with which to honor Mom.

It’s about exactly that, honor for mothers.

Motherhood is not a mere biological attachment. Tales abound of babies abandoned, aborted, abused.

Motherhood is a calling, a vocation of the highest power.

Because of that, today is about more than biological mothers. Mother’s Day is to honor any woman, be it mother or stepmother or aunt or foster parent who made that valuable mark on our lives. Fathers who have lost their own mothers can take a moment today to appreciate and express gratitude to the mothers of their children, the wives who do much to keep a home running, despite often having more than the all-consuming job of homemaker nowadays.

Mothers have the power to shape and mold their children into the world’s next leaders. Through their dedication to children, they set an example of life being about more than what we want for ourselves.

Good mothers not only nurture their young but also teach them lessons about leading a disciplined life, about enjoying days of happiness and dealing with days of sorrow.

Motherhood is not something to be considered only as a reason for political commentary, comedic satire or psychological analysis.

The bond that forms between child and woman is where the source of the word “motherhood” is found. A mother cannot be a mother without that bond.

Thus it is fitting that today children, no matter how old, set aside some time for mom, to let her know that we’re aware, 365 days a year, of her role.

Mother knows what her child needs even before the child asks. She knows how a child will respond in a given situation, even before the child speaks.

She knows how to motivate, how to console, comfort and share the joys of life with her child.

A good mother always knows who her child is as an individual, and in life is the only one who has the capacity to accept, unconditionally, that child, warts and all.

Whoever the woman in your life is who had that mothering influence deserves your respect.

Visit her today. Call her. Bring her a gift.

Be sure she knows your appreciation for her efforts at making you move along life’s path. Be sure she knows you consider her as something more than just the biological delivery instrument who brought you into the world.

Don’t wait until next year, either.

Ask anyone who has lost their mother what life is like without her. Say what you feel while she is still alive to hear it.

Happy Mother’s Day.