May is time to celebrate the many roles of mothers

“Giving birth is little more than a set of muscular contractions granting passage of a child. Then the mother is born.” — Erma Bombeck

“Ma” is the first sound a baby can vocalize, which is why it is thought that in many languages the word for mother begins with the letter M or the “ma” sound. For example: Latin, mater; English, mama; Polish, matka; Italian, madre; Welsh, mam.

Tomorrow is Mother’s Day. Anna Jarvis honored mothers in 1908 by organizing the first Mother’s Day service at Andrews Methodist Sunday School in Grafton, W.Va. On May 8, 1914, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day. However, in 1870, abolitionist Julia Ward Howe first proclaimed an annual day of recognition for mothers, many of whom rallied for pacifism and disarmament during the Civil War.

As the mother of six children, I expect Howe had many at-home opportunities to call for disarmament. The Rooney Bin only has two children, but can sympathize with Howe’s need for peace. I still remember annual 15-hour car trips to visit grandparents when war frequently broke out between the young Binsters, ages 2 and 6 at the time.

“I don’t care if your sister did kick you in the knee,” I said. “You shouldn’t hit someone smaller than you. Now cut it out before I knock your heads together!”

Sawgrass fashion show

There’s nothing like a spring fashion show to perk up lives of mothers and others after two years of pandemic shut down. The Sawgrass Women’s Club held a “Passport to Style” luncheon featuring fashions of Sawgrass Village shops: A’Propos, Lemon Twist, Scout & Molly and the Sawgrass Club Pro Shop. Before member models paraded through the dining area, the 160 guests had an opportunity to shop at boutique pop-up shops.

Club president Elise Beard conducted a brief business meeting, announcing the club has grown to 429 members and in addition to monthly meetings offers special activities such as fun with flowers, day-tripping, bunco, bridge, needlers and a writers group.

A’Propos fashions were modeled by members Cindy Feeley, Michaele Harried, Sharon Jones, Susan Latshaw and Katie Tartt; Mary Ann Augustine, Donna Berger, Mary Carol Stearns, Tracy Stevenson and Jan Wilson showed off the clothes of Lemon Twist, while Lauren Daly, Kim Fleischer, Dee Koutoufaris, Stacy Rendzio and Ana Reyes looked glamorous in Scout & Molly fashions. Surprise models were Sawgrass Club assistant general manager Perry Kenney and director of golf Stefan Brunt wearing golf shop attire.

Favorite travel destinations the models had been to or hoped to visit soon included Alaska, Paris, Italy, the Mediterranean, Europe and the Baltic countries. The moderators described the cool summer fashions and offered tips: travel light, take comfortable clothes, plan a full itinerary before you leave and take lots of pictures.

Retro night for Rotary

Guests at the Ponte Vedra Beach Rotary Mineral City Celebration took a trip back in time. On April 23, the Sawgrass Marriott became a scene from the 1970s. Guests dressed the part, wearing bell bottom trousers or short skirts and glitzy sequined dresses and jackets that reflected the colorful overhead disco lights. It was “Rotary Night Fever.”

The Boogie Freaks played top hits of the era: taking everyone on the crowded dance floor back to the days of disco, boogie and Bee Gees hits. Prior to dancing, they bid at a silent auction, purchased raffle tickets for a luxury vacation trip and enjoyed a disco buffet.

The highlight of the evening was the presentation of the “Rock of the Community Award” to community philanthropist Ernie Bono. Club president Lori Anderson said, “I am proud to present this award to Ernie Bono, but I’m even prouder to call him my friend.”

President-elect and event chairman Ron “Doc” Renuart added that Bono “lives by the credo ‘everything is a gift.’”

Bono was honored for his work with Catholic Charities, Baptist Beaches Medical Center, a prison ministry aiding the incarcerated and as secretary of the Tom Coughlin Jay Fund, where he helped raise more than $5 million for families impacted by childhood cancers.

Jay Fund CEO Keli Coughlin paid Bono a tribute citing “his willingness to roll up his sleeves and get whatever job done … he has helped create a culture of caring.”

It was the first live event the Ponte Vedra Beach Rotary has held in three years. Over the past 20 years, Mineral City celebrations have raised $1.7 million for charities, such as Beaches Habitat for Humanity, BEAM, Betty Griffin Center, HEAL Foundation, MaliVai Washington Youth Foundation, Beaches Dial-a-Ride, Community Hospice and the Council on Aging.

A Fine HeART fundraiser

Art with a Heart in Healthcare (AWAHIH) supporters gathered at the Ponte Vedra Concert Hall for the nonprofit’s first fundraiser since 2000, A Fine HeART Experience. The pandemic pause didn’t interrupt the work of the organization dedicated to healing and the arts founded in 2001.

Since that time, AWAHIH has served more than 100,000 young patients and their families in several Jacksonville locations — Wolfson Children’s Hospital, Nemours Specialty Care Children’s Clinic, Mayo Clinic Cancer Center at St. Vincent’s Riverside, Baptist Medical Center and Mayo Clinic — by providing individualized fine art sessions that meet patients’ needs.

A team of staff artists, community volunteers and University of Florida interns provide opportunities for artistic expression that promote physical and emotional wellness leading to improved patient outcomes.

“I am so excited about the turnout of this event,” said Christy Ponder, executive director. “All of the generous support we received from our sponsors and guests will allow us to provide more fine art experiences for patients and their families in the hospital that help to enhance the healing process.”

This year’s event featured a live performance by Them Vibes, cuisine by TacoLu Baja Mexicana, caricature artists and a live painting by AWAHIH artist-in-residence Dylan Bauer. Live and silent auctions and raffle prizes added to the fun. Patients and families who have worked firsthand with AWAHIH while in the hospital talked about their experiences and how they benefited from the healing process through a fine art experience. To learn more about AWAHIH, visit the website at www.awahih.org.

Advice on auctions

Jacksonville Beach artist Gretchen Alter grew up in New York City where, she worked in human resources at Christie’s after graduating from college. She had frequent opportunities to take in what goes on behind the scenes at the famed auction house and gave members of St. Johns Questers buying and selling tips.

Questers is an organization for women interested in collecting and learning about antiques and the arts. In April, they met at the Plantation home of Corinne Martin to learn the ins and outs of shopping at high-end auctions.

Alter didn’t run the auctions, but she offered an interesting perspective on what goes on before, during and after auctions of high-end items sold by celebrity clients. Fall and spring evening auctions are the best times to go, according to Alter.

“However, because of the internet there are things for sale all the time,” she said. “One of my favorite things when I worked at Christie’s was getting the auction ready. Before the auction there is a preview open to the public. You could try on incredible jewelry; after the auction you can go online and print out the results.”

Subscription catalogs are also available online by going to Christie’s.com or Sothebys.com, another famed auction house. Some items are so valuable they have their own special book; or you can fly to New York, Hong Kong, London -- wherever the auction is held – to bid in person. Values are determined by provenance, the history of ownership of a valuable object, work of art or literature.

In June 2004, Alter went to Doris Duke’s auction.

“Some people have others go for them because they are so famous. It is so stressful. It’s exciting,” said Alter.

One final tip for auction shoppers: “keep in mind there are so many sales that things are affordable, or you might be better off just selling it yourself.”

The final word …

Celebrating mom goes back to pagan times. Early Greeks honored Rhea, mother of the Gods, by taking honey cakes, sweet beverages and flowers to their mothers at dawn; call it the origin of breakfast in bed (hint, hint). In Yugoslavia, however, children tie up their mother on Materitse (Mother’s Day), only releasing her after she pays them with sweets (don’t even think about it).

The Bible says Eve is the mother of all living things. But did Adam serve her breakfast in bed? An early morning feast may not be what your mom truly desires. Something as simple as a card, handmade or purchased could do the trick. Mother’s Day is the third largest card-sending day. But all mom really desires is undying gratitude as she who brought you into this world ... and can take you back out if you don’t shape up.

Keep in mind the words of comedic mom Phyllis Diller: “I want my children to have all the things I couldn’t afford. Then, I want to move in with them.”

Jackie Rooney is a freelance writer living in Ponte Vedra Beach. Contact her at rooneybin@comcast.net.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: THE ROONEY BIN: Celebrating the many roles of mothers