Anna Jarvis is recognized as the founder of Mother’s Day in the U.S. Though she never married or had kids, she is also known as the Mother of Mothers Day, an apt title for the lady who worked hard to bestow honor on all mothers.
Anna Jarvis got the inspiration of celebrating Mother’s Day in her childhood from her own mother, Anna Marie Reeves Jarvis. An activist and social worker, her mother used to express her desire that someday someone must honor all mothers, living and dead, and pay tribute to the contributions made by them.
A loving daughter, Anna never forgot her mother’s word, and when her mother died in 1905, she resolved to fulfill that desire. She wanted to honor her mother by continuing the work she started and to set aside a day to honor all mothers. She believed a mother is the person who has done more for you than anyone in the world.
The modern holiday of Mother’s Day was first celebrated in 1908, when Anna Jarvis held a memorial for her mother at St Andrew’s Methodist Church in Grafton, W. Va. Carnations were sent to the church because they were her mother’s favorite flower, and Anna felt that they symbolized a mother’s pure love. Later Anna, along with her supporters, wrote letters to people in positions of power lobbying for the official declaration of the Mother’s Day holiday. The hard work paid off. By 1911, Mother’s Day was celebrated in almost every state in the Union, and on May 8, 1914, President Woodrow Wilson signed a Joint Resolution designating the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day.
