FAMILY BUILDING: Mother's Day Special

1981

It's Mother's Day and I am thrilled to be on the receiving end of the calls, hugs and attention accorded to moms on the one day every year set aside for the occasion.

According to a piece in today's Prairie Home Companion, a woman named Anna Jarvis was the person behind the official establishment of Mother's Day. Her mother, Anna Reeves Jarvis, had a similar idea, and in 1905 the daughter swore at her mother's grave to dedicate her life to the project. She campaigned tirelessly for the holiday. In 1907, she passed out 500 white carnations at her mother's church, St. Andrew's Methodist Episcopal Church in Grafton, West Virginia — one for each mother in the congregation. In 1912, West Virginia became the first state to adopt an official Mother's Day, and in 1914 President Woodrow Wilson made it a national holiday.

I feel especially grateful to be called someone's mom. Without adoption, I'd have probably missed out on the opportunity. My first child, a two-year-old from Korea, fulfilled my dream of parenthood over thirty years ago. He was followed by five sisters and two more brothers over the next ten years, and created a full house and full heart for this single mom.

Adoption has changed a lot in the last three decades. International adoption is in crisis. If I were just beginning my journey to parenthood today, what options would be available to me? Bookmark this blogspot to return to check on FAMILY BUILDING: From Where I Sit. There's a brave new world out there to help you achieve your goal!

Keep your eyes on the prize,
Cindy