Mother's Day

Mother's Day is set apart every year in honor of motherhood. On the second Sunday in May, many families and churches make a special point of honoring mothers. Many people follow the custom of wearing a carnation on Mother's Day. A colored carnation means that a person's mother is living. A white carnation indicates that a person's mother is dead.

Mother's Day, first observed in 1908, was recognized officially by Congress and the President in 1914. It is celebrated in honor of the nation's mothers on the second Sunday in May. Mother's Day is one of the holidays that have been designated by Presidential proclamations.

As far back as the 1600s, there was a day called "Mothering Sunday" when servants in England were given the day off to spend with their Mothers. In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson declared the second Sunday in May to be a nationally observed "Mother's Day" in the United States. Throughout the world their are many countries that honor Mothers on similar days,

Jarvis, Anna M. (1864-1948), founder of Mother's Day, born Grafton, West Virginia,

Anna Jarvis of Grafton, W. Va., and Philadelphia, began a campaign for a nationwide observance of Mother's Day. She chose the second Sunday in May, and began the custom of wearing a carnation. On May 10, 1908, churches in Grafton and Philadelphia held Mother's Day celebrations. The service at Andrews Methodist Episcopal Church in Grafton honored the memory of Anna Jarvis' own mother, Mrs. Anna Reeves Jarvis.

 

Mother's Day received national recognition on May 9, 1914. On that day, President Woodrow Wilson signed a joint resolution of Congress recommending that Congress and the executive departments of the federal government observe Mother's Day. The next year, President Wilson was authorized to proclaim Mother's Day an annual national observance.

 

 

 

Proverbs 31:
 Verse 10: Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.

Verse 28: Her children arise up, and call her blessed.

 

 

 

 

"The most important thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother."

 

 

 

The Cost of a Child

The Cost of a Child

The government recently calculated the cost of raising a child from birth to 18 and came up $160,140! That doesn't even touch college tuition.

For those with kids, that figure leads to wild fantasies about all the money we could have banked if not for (insert your child's name here). For others, that number might confirm the decision to remain childless.

But $160,140 isn't so bad if you break it down. It translates into $8,896.66 a year, $741.38 a month, or $171.08 a week. That's a mere $24.44 a day! Just over a dollar an hour.

Still, you might think the best financial advice says don't have children if you want to be "rich." It is just the opposite.

 

What do your get for your $160,140?

- Naming rights. First, middle, and last!

- Glimpses of God every day.

- Giggles under the covers every night.

- More love than your heart can hold.

- Butterfly kisses and Velcro hugs.

- Endless wonder over rocks, ants, clouds, and warm cookies.

- A hand to hold, usually covered with jam.

- A partner for blowing bubbles, flying kites, building sandcastles, and skipping down the sidewalk in the pouring rain.

- Someone to laugh yourself silly with no matter what the boss said or how your stocks performed that day.

 

For $160,140, you never have to grow up.

- You get to finger-paint, carve pumpkins, play hide-and-seek, catch lightning bugs, and never stop believing in Santa Claus.

- You have an excuse to keep reading the Adventures of Piglet and Pooh, watching Saturday morning cartoons, going to Disney movies, and wishing on stars.

- You get to frame rainbows, hearts, and flowers under refrigerator magnets and collect spray-painted noodle wreaths for Christmas, hand prints set in clay for Mother's Day, and cards with backward letters for Father's Day.

 

For $160,140, there is no greater bang for your buck.

- You get to be a hero just for retrieving a Frisbee off the garage roof, taking the training wheels off the bike, removing a splinter, filling the wading pool, coaxing a wad of gum out of bangs, and coaching a baseball team that never wins but always gets treated to ice cream regardless.

- You get a front row seat to history: to witness the first step, first word, first bra, first date, and first time behind the wheel.

- You get another branch added to your family tree, and if you're lucky, a long list of limbs in your obituary called grandchildren.

- You get an education in psychology, nursing, criminal justice, communications, and human sexuality that no college can match.

- In the eyes of a child, you rank right up there with God.

- You have all the power to heal a boo-boo, scare away the monsters under the bed, patch a broken heart, police a slumber party, ground them forever, and love them without limits, so one day they will, like you, love without counting the cost.

- You also have the wonderful benefit of eating [low calorie] egg salad sandwiches for 2 weeks straight... after Easter Sunday each year.

COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS!! ENJOY YOUR KIDS AND GRANDKIDS!

 

--Author unknown; found circulating the Web via email.

Biblical Mother's Day cards that didn't make it:

Biblical Mother's Day cards that didn't make it

 

10.  TO MY MOM ON MOTHER'S DAY: Dear Mom, The bible says to honor you and dad so that I can live long in the land (Exodus 20:12) Did I tell you I was moving?

9.  TO MY WIFE ON MOTHER'S DAY: Hey Honey, I just read Proverbs chapter thirty-one--Indeed, "a wife of noble character, who can find?" (Prov. 31:10a)

 

8.  TO MY WIFE ON MOTHER'S DAY: Adam once said: "She shall be called 'woman,' for she was taken out of man." (Gen. 2:23b) Is this why you've been "taking it out" on me all this time?

 

7.  TO MY MOM ON MOTHER'S DAY: Dear Mom, I know I've been a pain this year, but I'm just helping out God! (Genesis 3:16a says, 'To the woman he [God] said, "I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing."')

 

6.  TO MY WIFE ON MOTHER'S DAY: Gee, Hon., I just found out why I have so many cavities! (Proverbs 12:4 b says, "A disgraceful wife is like decay in the bones")

 

5.  TO MY WIFE ON MOTHER'S DAY: Hon., I have to agree with you; you need a new washer! (Proverbs 17:15a says, "A quarrelsome wife is like a constant dripping.")

 

4.  TO MY MOM ON MOTHER'S DAY: Proverbs 23:22b says, "Do not despise your mother when she is old." Hey, Mom, you're really not that old!

 

3.  TO MY WIFE ON MOTHER'S DAY: Hey, Honey, In your honor, I'm finally making some needed renovations to the house! (Proverbs 21:9, says, "Better to live on a corner of the roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife.")

 

2.  *TO MY WIFE ON MOTHER'S DAY:How can I help it if we fight all the time? After all, Genesis 2:20a says, "But for Adam no suitable helper was found."

 

And the number one biblical Mother's Day card that didn't make it is:

 

1.    TO MY WIFE ON MOTHER'S DAY:: You're simply de-vine! (Psalm 128:3a says, "Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house.")

Little Known 'Quotes' from Famous Moms

Little Known 'Quotes' from Famous Moms

 

PAUL REVERE'S MOTHER
"I don't care where you think you have to go, young man. Midnight is past your curfew!"

MONA LISA'S MOTHER
"After all that money your father and I spent on braces, Mona, that's the biggest smile you can give us?"

HUMPTY DUMPTY'S MOTHER
"Humpty, If I've told you once, I've told you a hundred times not to sit on that wall. But would you listen to me? Noooo!"

COLUMBUS' MOTHER
"I don't care what you've discovered, Christopher. You still could have written!"

MICHELANGELO'S MOTHER
"Mike, can't you paint on walls like other children? Do you have any idea how hard it is to get that stuff off the ceiling?"

NAPOLEON'S MOTHER
"All right, Napoleon. If you aren't hiding your report card inside your jacket, then take your hand out of there and prove it!"

CUSTER'S MOTHER
"Now, George, remember what I told you ­ don't go biting off more than you can chew!"

ABRAHAM LINCOLN'S MOTHER
"Again with the stovepipe hat, Abe? Can't you just wear a baseball cap like the other kids?"

BARNEY'S MOTHER
"I realize strained plums are your favorite, Barney, but you're starting to look a little purple."

BATMAN'S MOTHER
"It's a nice car, Bruce, but do you realize how much the insurance is going to be?"

GOLDILOCKS' MOTHER
"I've got a bill here for a busted chair from the Bear family. You know anything about this, Goldie?"

LITTLE MISS MUFFET'S MOTHER
"Well, all I've got to say is if you don't get off your tuffet and start cleaning your room, there'll be a lot more spiders around here!"

ALBERT EINSTEIN'S MOTHER
"But, Albert, it's your senior picture. Can't you do something about your hair? Styling gel, mousse, something...?"

GEORGE WASHINGTON'S MOTHER
"The next time I catch you throwing money across the Potomac, you can kiss your allowance good­bye!"

JONAH'S MOTHER "That's a nice story, but now tell me where you've really been for the last three days."

SUPERMAN'S MOTHER
"Clark, your father and I have discussed it, and we've decided you can have your own telephone line. Now will you quit spending so much time in all those phone booths?"

THOMAS EDISON'S MOTHER
"Of course I'm proud that you invented the electric light bulb, Thomas. Now turn off that light and get to bed!"

--Author unknown.

Mom's Dictionary

Mom's Dictionary

AIRPLANE:
What Mom impersonates to get a one-year-old to eat strained beets.

ALIEN:
What Mom would suspect had invaded her house if she spotted a child-sized creature cleaning up after itself.

APPLE:
Nutritious lunch-time dessert which children will trade for cupcakes.

BABY:
1) Dad, when he gets a cold.
2) Mom's youngest child, even if he's 42.

BATHROOM:
a room used by the entire family, believed by all (except Mom) to be self-cleaning.

"BECAUSE":
Mom's reason for having kids do things which can't be explained logically.

BED AND BREAKFAST:
Two things the kids will never make for themselves.

CARPET:
Expensive floor covering used to catch spills and clean mud off shoes.

CAR POOL:
Complicated system of transportation where Mom always winds up going the furthest, with the biggest bunch of kids, who have had the most sugar.

CHINA:
Legendary nation reportedly populated by children who love leftover vegetables.

COOK:
1) Act of preparing food for consumption.
2) Mom's other name.

COUCH POTATO:
What Mom finds under the sofa cushions after the kids eat dinner.

DATE:
Infrequent outings with Dad where Mom can enjoy worrying about the kids in a different setting.

DUST:
Insidious interloping particles of evil that turn a home into a battle zone.

EAR:
A place where kids store dirt.

EAT:
What kids do between meals, but not at them.

ENERGY:
Element of vitality kids always have an oversupply of until asked to do something.

"EXCUSE ME":
One of Mom's favorite phrases, reportedly used in past times by children.

EYE:
The highly susceptible optic nerve which, according to Mom, can be "put out" by anything from a suction-arrow to a carelessly handled butter knife.

FABLE:
A story told by a teenager arriving home after curfew.

FOOD:
The response Mom usually gives in answer to the question "What's for dinner tonight?"

GARBAGE:
A collection of refuse items, the taking out of which Mom assigns to a different family member each week, then winds up doing herself.

GENIUSES:
Amazingly, all of Mom's kids.

GUM:
Adhesive for the hair.

HAMPER:
A wicker container with a lid, usually surrounded by, but not containing, dirty clothing.

HANDI-WIPES:
Pants, shirt-sleeves, drapes, etc.

HANDS:
Body appendages which must be scrubbed raw with volcanic soap and sterilized in boiling water immediately prior to consumption of the evening meal.

HINDSIGHT:
What Mom experiences from changing too many diapers.

ICE:
Cubes of frozen water which would be found in small plastic tray if kids or husbands ever filled the things instead of putting them back in the freezer empty.

INSIDE:
That place that will suddenly look attractive to kids once Mom has spent a minimum of half an hour getting them ready to go outside.

"I SAID SO":
Reason enough, according to Mom.

JACKPOT:
When all the kids stay at friends' homes for the night.

JEANS:
Which, according to kids, are appropriate for just about any occasion, including church and funerals.

JOY RIDE:
Going somewhere without the kids.

JUNK:
Dad's stuff.

KETCHUP:
The sea of tomato-based goop kids use to drown the dish that Mom spent hours cooking and years perfecting to get the seasoning just right.

KISS:
Mom medicine.

LAKE:
Large body of water into which a kid will jump should his friends do so.

LEMONADE STAND:
Complicated business venture where Mom buys powdered mix, sugar, lemons, and paper cups, and sets up a table, chairs, pitchers and ice for kids who sit there for three to six minutes and net a profit of 15 cents.

MAYBE:
No.

MILK:
A healthful beverage which kids will gladly drink once it's turned into junk food by the addition of sugar and cocoa.

"MOMMMMMMM!":
The cry of a child on another floor who wants something.

NAILS:
A hard covering on the end of the finger, which Mom can never have a full set of due to pitching for batting practice, opening stubborn modeling clay lids and removing heat ducts to retrieve army men and/or doll clothing.

OCEAN:
What the bathroom floor looks like after bath night for kids, assorted pets, two or three full-sized towels and several dozen toy boats, cars and animals.

OPEN:
The position of children's mouths when they eat in front of company.

PENITENTIARY:
Where children who don't eat their vegetables or clean their rooms eventually end up, according to Mom.

PETS:
Small, furry creatures which follow kids home so Mom will have someone else to clean up after.

PIANO:
A large, expensive musical instrument which, after thousands of dollars worth of lessons and constant harping by Mom, kids will refuse to play in front of company.

PURSE:
A handbag in which Mom carries the checkbook and keys she can never find because they're buried under tissues, gum wrappers, a plastic container full of cereal, toys from a fast-food restaurant, a teddy bear, a football, wallpaper samples, a grocery list and several outdated coupons.

QUIET:
A state of household serenity which occurs before the birth of the first child and occurs again after the last child has left for college.

RAINCOAT:
Article of clothing Mom bought to keep a child dry and warm, rendered ineffective because it's in the bottom of a locker stuffed in a book bag or because the child refuses to wear "the geeky thing."

REFRIGERATOR:
Combination art gallery and air-conditioner for the kitchen.

ROOM MOTHER:
A position of great honor and responsibility bestowed on a mom who inadvertently misses a PTA meeting.

SCHOOL PLAY:
Ritual in which adults derive pleasure from watching offspring stumble through coarse reenactments of famous historic events.

SCREAMING:
Home P.A. system.

SNOWSUITS:
Warm, padded outer garments that, when completely zipped and snapped performs two important functions: Protecting children from the cold and reminding them that they have to go to the bathroom.

SOAP:
A cleaning agent Mom puts on the sink on the off-chance one of her kids will accidentally grab it while reaching for the towel.

SPOILED ROTTEN:
What the kids become after as little as 15 minutes with Grandma.

SWEATER:
Magically charmed article of clothing that can ward away colds, flu and even pneumonia.

TERRIBLE TWO'S:
Having both kids at home all summer.

"THAT WAY":
How kids shouldn't look at moms if they know what's good for them. Also applies to how they talk.

TOWELS:
See "FLOOR COVERINGS"

TROUBLE:
Area of nonspecific space a child can always be sure to be in.

UMPTEENTH:
Highly conservative estimate of the number of times Mom must instruct her offspring to do something before it actually gets done.

VACATION:
Where you take the family to get away from it all, only to find it there, too.

VITAMINS:
Tiny facsimiles of cave people Mom forces you to swallow each morning as part of her sinister plot to have you grow up to be "Just like Daddy."

WALLS:
Complete set of drawing paper for kids that comes with every room.

WASHING MACHINE:
Household appliance used to clean blue jeans, permanent ink markers, loose change, homework, tissues and wads of gum.

XOXOXOXO:
Mom salutation guaranteed to make the already embarrassing note in a kid's lunch box even more mortifying.

XYLOPHONE:
Small toy musical instrument often given as gifts to children who show their appreciation by playing the stupid thing constantly, over and over, all day long! See also "DRUMS"

YARD SALE:
Heart-wrenching emotional process wherein Mom plans to sell kid's outdated toys and clothing that she decides at the last minute are treasured mementos she can't bear to part with.

ZILLION:
Amount of times Mom must have gone to the supermarket already this week.

ZUCCHINI:
Vegetable which can be baked, boiled, fried or steamed before kids refuse to eat it.

--Author unknown.

"Things Only a Mom Can Teach!"

"Things Only a Mom Can Teach!"

My Mother taught me about ANTICIPATION:
"Just wait until your father gets home."

My Mother taught me about RECEIVING:
"You are going to get it when we get home!"

My Mother taught me to MEET A CHALLENGE:
"What were you thinking? Answer me when I talk to you...Don't talk back to me!"

My Mother taught me LOGIC:
"Because I said so, that's why." & "If you fall out of that swing and break your neck, you're not going to the store with me."

My Mother taught me MEDICAL SCIENCE:
"If you don't stop crossing your eyes, they are going to freeze that way."

My Mother taught me to THINK AHEAD:
"If you don't pass your spelling test, you'll never get a good job."

My Mother taught me ESP:
"Put your sweater on; don't you think I know when you're cold?"

My Mother taught me HUMOR:
"When that lawn mower cuts off your toes, don't come running to me."

My Mother taught me how to BECOME AN ADULT:
"If you don't eat your vegetables, you'll never grow up."

My Mother taught me about SEX:
"How do you think you got here?"

My Mother taught me about GENETICS:
"You're just like your father."

My Mother taught me about my ROOTS:
"Do you think you were born in a barn?"

My Mother taught me about WISDOM OF AGE:
"When you get to be my age, you will understand."

My Mother taught me about JUSTICE:
"One day you'll have kids, and I hope they turn out just like you. Then you'll see what it's like."

My mother taught me RELIGION:
"You better pray that will come out of the carpet."

My mother taught me about TIME TRAVEL:
"If you don't straighten up, I'm going to knock you into the middle of next week!"

My mother taught me FORESIGHT:
"Make sure you wear clean underwear, in case you're in an accident."

My mother taught me IRONY:
"Keep crying and I'll *give* you something to cry about."

My mother taught me about the science of OSMOSIS:
"Shut your mouth and eat your supper!"

My mother taught me about CONTORTIONISM:
"Will you *look* at the dirt on the back of your neck!"

My mother taught me about STAMINA:
"You'll sit there until all that spinach is finished."

My mother taught me about WEATHER:
"It looks as if a tornado swept through your room."

My mother taught me how to solve PHYSICS PROBLEMS:
"If I yelled because I saw a meteor coming toward you, would you listen then?"

My mother taught me about HYPOCRISY:
"If I've told you once, I've told you a million times: Don't Exaggerate!!!"

My mother taught me THE CIRCLE OF LIFE:
"I brought you into this world, and I can take you out."

My mother taught me about BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION:
"Stop acting like your father!"

My mother taught me about ENVY:
"There are millions of less fortunate children in this world who don't have wonderful parents like you do!"

--Selected from Mikey's Funnies.

Mother Scriptural References

MOTHER

And Adam called his wife's name Eve; because she was the mother of all living" Genesis 3:20

"And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her." Genesis 17:16

"Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee." Exodus 20:12

"Honour thy father and thy mother, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee; that thy days may be prolonged, and that it may go well with thee, in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee." Deuteronomy 5:16

"He maketh the barren woman to keep house, [and to be] a joyful mother of children. Praise ye the LORD." Psalms 113:9

"Hearken unto thy father that begat thee, and despise not thy mother when she is old." Proverbs 23:22

"Thy father and thy mother shall be glad, and she that bare thee shall rejoice." Proverbs 23:25

"As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you; and ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem." Isaiah 66:13

"And he answered and said unto them, My mother and my brethren are these which hear the word of God, and do it." Luke 8:21

"For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother." Mark 3:35

The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left [to himself] bringeth his mother to shame. Proverbs 29:15

"He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me."
Matthew 10:37

Proverbs 31:
 Verse 10: Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price [is] far above rubies.

Verse 28: Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband [also], and he praiseth her.

Verse 29: Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all.

Verse 30: Favour [is] deceitful, and beauty [is] vain: [but] a woman [that] feareth the LORD, she shall be praised.