Resolution Honoring the Founder of “Mother’s Day,” Miss Anna Jarvis
Society of American Florists and Ornamental Horticulturists, Proceedings of the Annual Conventions, 1909
Above: the wind scattering the petals from our magnolia tree, April 21, 2015
Letter to Mr. F. R. Pierson, President, Society of American Florists and Ornamental Horticulturists, 1909:
Dear Sir: “Considering the great impetus given to the business by the founding of ‘Mother’s Day’ by Miss Anna Jarvis, of Philadelphia, the observance of which, by the wearing of flowers on that day, has become almost universal in all parts of the country, should not this Society, that is so representative of the trade, recognize in some substantial way the work of this lady, whose efforts in establishing this custom in honor of her mother has at the same time proven so beneficial to the business?”
My own mother was born in 1909. As of today’s date, January 20, 2017, when I set fingers to keyboard to write these words , she is still alive, 107 years old.
I do not know what if, in any measure, our determination to persevere enters into our lifespans. Living to 107 is not something I personally want for myself. My mother, who had polio as a child, often recounted to me, growing up, that when she was stricken with paralysis, her mother carried her to Mt. Rainier, where in a summer among the high mountain meadows, she learned to walk again. But now, she has not walked on her own for decades; she does not feed herself, but will accept food put into her mouth by others; she does not talk anymore except on rare occasions. The last thing she said lately, which was a few months ago was: “I have a lot of sewing left to do.”
I read this resolution for the 29th volume of the Nonfiction Collection.
You might also like My Mother and I by Elizabeth Gertrude Stein.
Also: The First Successful Ascent of Mt. Rainier, by Hazard Stevens
