An authentic Mother's Day
Division and vicious hatred ruled the day. Deeply held beliefs, passionate politics, and religious convictions clashed in a violent brutality that was tearing the nation asunder. Ann Jarvis was a young wife and mother in Virginia during the brutal days of the war. As with much of the nation, she was torn as friends, church members, and community leaders chose sides and deepened the violent divide between North and South.
A devout Christian, dedicated Sunday School teacher and compassionate disciple of Christ’s teachings in Scripture, Jarvis abhorred the war, its senseless brutality, and the devastating effect it had on both the church and community. Sensing the need to uphold a genuine Christian response amid the rancorous division and brutal hatred of the war, Jarvis reached out to women and mothers such as herself with pleas for unity, wholeness, and healing.
She organized clubs that were devoted to providing healing ministries to wounded soldiers of both sides and advocacy for neutrality amid the conflicts. In addition to her wartime peace work, Jarvis worked to improve health conditions, sanitation, and education. Her efforts lead to larger public health endeavors, reduction in infant mortality, and dramatic improvements in food safety. All this was accomplished through the faithful work of Jarvis and her women’s clubs.
After the war Jarvis remained dedicated to ministries of healing for the war-torn community. Quite notably, she organized a Mother’s Friendship Day where families from both North and South could work at reconciliation and restoration.
The seeds of peace and reconciliation sown by Jarvis were also tended by another notable woman who gained national prominence during the Civil War, Julia Ward Howe. Already a prolific writer and poet, Howe met with President Lincoln during the war and the encounter inspired her to write “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.” This hymn granted her the national recognition which would later help catapult her into leadership for Women’s Suffrage and become an outspoken advocate for peace for the remainder of her life.
Like Jarvis, Howe organized women across the country and encouraged great movements through her writing. Among her notable published works was her landmark “Appeal to Womanhood throughout the World” which would eventually be deemed a proclamation for establishing Mother’s Day. A few years later, Anna Jarvis, daughter of Ann Jarvis, would eventually memorialize her mother by calling for the formal declaration of Mother’s Day.
Far from just a day to honor mom, Mother’s Day is truly a day to honor peace, wholeness, reconciliation, healing, equality, and the restoration of friendships. Reclaiming the truly Christian origins of the American observance of Mother’s Day, we can more authentically embrace many of the Biblical values that are so painfully lacking in today’s culture.
Far too often, Mother’s Day restricts a woman’s value to the ability or choice to bear children, or the day is relegated to a consumer-driven day that honors mom with an outpouring of well-deserved gifts, restaurant outings and special cards. While it is a wonderful and noble thing to celebrate motherhood and offer our sincere appreciation to those incredible women who have given us life, there is so much more that tomorrow’s holiday can embrace.
Tomorrow, as we celebrate mom, we can also embrace the original meaning of the day. We can honor mom by working for peace, justice, equality, wholeness, and lovingly restore the broken relationships that undermine the gift of human life mothers so wondrously give.