Just Musing: A day to pay tribute to our mothers

Today is Mother’s Day — a day set aside to honor mothers for their love, influence in your life, and often sacrifices by your mother to ensure your needs were met.

Did you know the first Mother’s Day was held as a service of worship in Grafton, West Virginia? It was organized by Anna Jarvis as a liturgy to honor motherhood but quickly commercialized to how it is celebrated today.

This is a day to recognize and appreciate the roles mothers play or played in our lives. Think about it. Who taught you how to eat, crawl, walk and talk? Who cuddled and rocked you to sleep as a newborn? Who cleaned up your skinned up knees and elbows and then gave you a hug and kiss? Who held your hand and walked into that big building with you on your first day of school? I could go on and on for each of us have special and different memories of our mother’s and their loving care.

I fondly remember my children coming home from school with a small gift they had made for me — a potted flower in a paper cup, handmade cards (some with a picture of their child inside), a shadow of their head or hand, a poem and original art work among others. They were always so proud of their gift, and I made sure it had a place of prominence in the house for a few weeks.

The most popular ways to honor moms today seem to be to treat her to breakfast, lunch or dinner out and flowers. Those who live a distance away will call or send cards, flowers or gift cards. But, in reality, most moms would rather hear the words "I love you" or "thanks for all you do for us" in place of an expensive gift. I know for me personally that is the best gift.

As we look ahead on the calendar, graduations loom on the horizon for seniors who have worked so hard to make that walk to receive their diploma. Many families will host receptions or open house celebrations to share the joy of their child’s special milestone. Thinking back to my era, we had cake and punch and celebrated with grandparents, aunts and uncles and maybe a few special friends unlike some today that will include a hundred or more. Enough reminiscing. Congratulations to all graduates and their parents. It is a day to celebrate as the graduate looks and plans ahead to their next chapter in life. Some will further their education in college or technical school, join the military, the work force and more. Whatever you decide to do, I wish each of you the best in your next endeavor.

I look forward to making a visit in the near future to see the veterans banners hanging along Main Street in Marion and to especially find the one I purchased in honor of my late husband. Belle Center, the village where I was born and raised, has theirs up in preparation for Memorial Day also.

One last thing before I sign off. I went to the cemetery this week to see if I needed to weed or mulch around the gravesites of my two deceased children only to find that someone had stolen the grave saddle from my daughter's tombstone. It made me mad and sad. My first thought was to walk all over the cemetery looking for it and return to her grave. My second thought was to pray for the thief and make a new one — and that’s my decision.

Let me leave you with this quotation by anonymous: (actually, I copied it from a greeting card) “If you have children, remember this: When you finish with them, the rest of the world has to live with them, so please teach them respect.” Good advice.

Until next week. Happy Mother’s Day.

Brenda Donegan is a former Marion Star staffer. She may be reached at brendadonegan55@gmail.com.

This article originally appeared on Marion Star: Just Musing: Celebrating moms, graduates and our veterans