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I feel you Anna Jarvis. I do.
Mother’s day, 2008. Mothereffing Mother’s day. The holiday that will always feel acidic until, well until it doesn’t. And here we are…full swing into it and so far it is just your every day Sunday around these parts. Things accomplished today: fed my cat (2 x’s so far), gave cat a bath (holy fuck! don’t EVER do that!), fed my Grandmother, gave my Grandmother a bath, worked on header art (check out the latest in the Header Art page above), and tried to look forward to tomorrow when the effing Mother’s Day advertisement would finally end.
So just who was the genius that came up with Mother’s Day? You might be surprised. I was. Her name was Anna Jarvis and get this: she never married and never had children. She actually created the holiday to commemorate the passing of her Mother. But two decades after the holiday was officially made a national greeting card bonanza Anna saw how bat crazy the day had become.
She then, with her sister’s help, spent the rest of her life and her entire inheritance campaigning AGAINST the holiday. She fricken hated it and spoke out every chance she got. “A printed card means nothing except that you are too lazy to write to the woman who has done more for you than anyone in the world. And candy! You take a box to Mother—and then eat most of it yourself. A pretty sentiment!”
We get it, Anna. Some times the things we put into motion are never really as perfect as the original plan.
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12 Responses to “I feel you Anna Jarvis. I do.”
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Oh! Suddenly I think I might like Anna Jarvis after all.
I agree on the never giving a cat a bath. I learned to get those wipe things and just kind of wipe the cat off.
I love the Anna Jarvis story.
so interesting! thanks for sharing.
You deserve a MD of your very own for sure. You are one of the most nurturing people I have ever known.
xoxo
we did nothing special today, because it”s just another Sunday, as far as we’re concerned….
love you
I’d never known the origin of the holiday, and now that I do, I actually like it a bit better.
How horrible is it that when I thought of you and Mother’s Day I mused: “Well, she doesn’t have to tell GM what day it is, so they can just skip it!” Which, by the way, would be my preference.
Interesting history on m-day. Thanks for sharing it. I really used to hate the day and honestly, still don’t care for it much. It just makes me uncomfortable. I guess to many years of fertility issues. Anyway, I do think I like the day more after hearing the real story behind it.
really? thanks for sharing and hope you came through intact. Just posted on my day
I actually got the stomach flu again and called my Mom crying “Please bring me some pepto!” So, we didn’t do anything special. Except I was going to stab one of my co-workers eyes out before I left work. They said and I quote “Happy Mother’s Day, oh that’s right you aren’t a Mother.” They didn’t say it mean…but you know what I was feeling..I replied, “Well, I’m a Godmother” I didn’t mention that this is the first year that none of my Godsons sent me a card
Thank you so much for sharing this story. Since I lost my mom I have a miserable bitch every year around Mother’s Day. I know it is a different reason than you don’t like the holiday, but I really love the back story on the holiday.
Hmm, Mother’s Day. Well I don’t talk to my mom so didn’t spend it with her but I did send grandma some flowers and she LOVED them. Grandma is more like a mom to me anyways. Someone (a realtive) gave me a mothers day card but not my partner and guess what I don’t even have children. Odd and just added to the whole I’m not a mom yet after 4 freakin years of trying and blah, blah, blah!!! Kristine