Mother's Day! It's coming this Sunday- ever wonder how it started?

Mothers and motherhood have always been worthy of celebrating. In fact, the ancient Greeks and Romans would hold extravagant celebrations and festivals that would honor not only their mother goddesses, but their own nurturing and loving mothers as well. The Mother’s Day we celebrate, however, wasn’t inspired by mythical gods or ancient cultures. It was inspired by a need for reconciliation after the end of the Civil War. In 1868, a woman named Ann Reeves Jarvis, along with other local women’s clubs, organized a day that was called “Mothers’ Friendship Day” – a day when all mothers would gather with their sons so friendships could be made between the formerly warring regions. For years, Anna Jarvis, the daughter of Ann Reeves Jarvis and leader of the Mother’s Day International Association, pushed for Mother’s Day to be an official holiday. It wasn’t until 1914, though, that President Woodrow Wilson officially established the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day. (Adapted from Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen newsletter)