Brie Karls Feature Story April 29, 2014COM 327

May 11, 2014, is a day to celebrate the most influential person in our lives. She baked cakes on my birthdays, and made chicken and wild rice soup when I stayed home sick. She was in the stands supporting me at all my hockey games and choir concerts. She was my shoulder to cry on and the one I trusted with all my secrets. She was there for the big moments like my first paycheck and getting into college. More importantly she was there for all the small moments like walks with the dog and decorating the tree for Christmas. She happily sacrifices many of her dreams and ambitions so that I may pursue my own. Mother’s Day should be celebrated with the acclaim of the 4th of July because for all the things she does she deserves a few fireworks.

Mother’s Day celebrations date back to ancient Greek and Roman times. The Greeks and Romans held festivals to honor the goddesses Rhea and Cybele, who were considered the mothers of the gods. But the modern tradition of Mother’s Day that we all know and celebrate today can be traced back to the 19th century. In the year’s preceding the Civil War, Ann Reeves Jarvis created “Mother’s Day Work Clubs” to help teach the women of West Virginia how to care for their children. In a region that was divided between Union and Confederate soldiers Jarvis organized a “Mothers’ Friendship Day” to promote reconciliation and peace for the area. Julia Howe, an abolitionist and suffragette, is also credited for helping bring about modern Mother’s Day celebrations because of her campaigns for a “Mother’s Peace Day” in 1873 to promote world peace.

The official Mother’s Day came about in the 1900s because of efforts by Ann Reeves Jarvis’ daughter Anna Jarvis. She wanted to create a holiday to honor the sacrifices mothers make for their children. May 1908 was the first official Mother’s Day celebration in a Methodist church in West Virginia. By 1912 many churches, towns and states had taken up annual celebrations of Mother’s Day and in 1914 President Woodrow Wilson officially established the holiday as the second Sunday in May. Things, however, did not go as planned for Anna Jarvis because once Mother’s Day was established as a national holiday the swarms came in and started to use it for monetary gains.

This is not the first holiday to be commercialized with flowers, cards, candies and stuffed animals. Christmas and Valentine’s Day are infamous for their big spending and Mother’s Day isn’t far behind. According to research by the National Retail Federation, the amount consumers spend on their mothers on Mother’s Day has increased from $97.37 in 2003 to $152.52 in 2013. This could also be due to the fact that men and women over the age of 30 don’t give their mothers homemade crafts anymore. Instead they are buying spa treatments, jewelry and electronics with their higher adult incomes. But don’t fret, those darling kids making paper flower bouquets in school next week will have a great surprise for their moms too. As the cliché goes, it’s the thought that counts, but a spa package doesn’t hurt either.

Everyone has his or her own story to tell, so I thought I would start with my mom, Nancy’s favorite Mother’s Day. “You and your brother made me these clay hand prints when you were both in Pre School. Those little hands are hanging in my office right now and every time I look at them I remember how excited and giggly you both were the morning you gave them to me,” she said. Mother’s Day isn’t really about gifts; it’s about

the time we get to spend together as a family. “Those family moments are rare as kids grow up, but Mother’s Day I get to spend time with my two favorite people in the world,” she said. I spoke with a few other women about their most memorable Mother’s Day experiences, the best gifts they have given and received, and what Mother’s Day means to them.

Becky Benavides, a junior nursing student at Bradley University, said, “My favorite Mother’s Day was when I was 15. It was the first time my whole family had gotten together since my cousins moved to California and Florida. We went to Lilacia Park and had a big family picnic.” She remembered that she and her sisters picked and made flower crowns for her mom and grandmother while listening to a band play a live show on that wonderful Sunday afternoon. “Mother’s Day is a great way to show appreciation for the one person that gives you unconditional love and support,” said Benavides.

Pictured to the left are Becky and her mother Dawn. Morgan Kelly, a

junior nursing student at Bradley University, shared a story about the best gift she and her siblings gave to their mother. “My siblings and I recreated an album full of our baby pictures last Mother’s Day. We spent a whole day restaging my mom’s favorite pictures of us. It was a blast and my mom cried when we gave it to her,” said Kelly. It was a really touching moment going through all the pictures with her and having her tell us the stories behind the photos. “Mother’s Day is an opportunity to create more of those family moments, and to honor and give thanks for everything your mom does for you,” said Kelly. Morgan hopes that she and her siblings will be able to come up with a present equally as special this year

for Mother’s Day. Pictured above and to the right is Morgan, her sister Amanda and brother Ryan in the photo album they gave their mom. Lastly, I spoke with Holly Williams, a teacher at Peoria High School. She told me

about the most memorable gifts she received on Mother’s Day. “When my kids were younger they would make little plants or handprints and those will forever be my favorite gifts,” said Williams. She says she likes the gifts her kids buy her now, but there is nothing better than those heartfelt, handmade pipe cleaner plants. Mother’s Day is fast approaching so make sure you show some love and appreciation for that special person in your life.

Source List:

Becky Benavides – Junior Nursing Student at Bradley University (773) 415-6256

Morgan Kelly – Junior Nursing Student at Bradley University (815) 822-2340

Nancy Karls – My Mother (952) 938-8446

Holly Williams – Teacher at Peoria High School (309) 648-3836

Interview Questions:

1. What was the most memorable gift you have given or received?2. What was the most memorable Mother’s Day moment?3. Why is Mother’s Day an important holiday to celebrate?