Valley Pacific Floral Blog

 Working in the floral Industry for many years and reflecting on my childhood, I could never really understand what all of the hype and excitement surrounding Mother’s Day was all about, for me it was a Day to celebrate Mother’s but not being a Mother myself it was not a sentimental holiday.  I did always wish my mom a happy Mother’s Day with a phone call, gift, card, or a visit.

 I grew up in a large family, Mom, Dad and my nine siblings, twelve of us all together.  My birthing order was the fourth oldest and the oldest female.  With three older brothers and six younger siblings you can image the work and the responsibility involved as the oldest female.  I can remember coming home from school each day mom would have the meat in the oven cooking.  It was up to me to get started peeling the nightly 10lb bag of potatoes for our family dinner.  It wasn’t usually too go through a ten-pound bag of potatoes each meal.   After the potatoes were put on to boil I would then go out to the fruit room and pick out two quarts of a home canned vegetable of my choosing.  Once the vegetables were on the stove to cook my sisters and I would set the table.  We then would go out and get the four youngest kids and help get them all washed up for supper.  My dinner seat was in the center nearest the kitchen.  I was up and down throughout the meal as the goffer, go for this, go for that.  Anything that was forgotten on the table or needed for the meal I would be the one to go retrieve it from the kitchen.  Once dinner was finished it was time to clean up all of the dishes.  In order to get all of the dishes from the meal it usually took two loads of dishes in the dishwasher and that’s if the dish washer was working.  Of course all of the pots and pans needed to be cleaned by hand and any leftover food needed to be put in the fridge.  When dishes were complete it was then time to retrieve the younger sibling and get them ready for bed.  Most often that was a big screaming match.  The younger kids didn’t want to come in from playing outside and they sure didn’t want their big sisters telling them it was time for bed.  After their baths and clean pajamas were put on, it was off to bed for them.  Once the younger kids were all quite it was time for any homework I might need to do.  I would quietly sneak off to my bedroom and do my homework up in my bedroom often times under the covers with a flashlight.  If mom or dad told us to go on up to bed that meant lights out.  Homework was not a priority in our house.  My folks thought it should be done in school not at home.  I can remember being so tired I could hardly keep my eyes open.  I didn’t want the wrath of Sr. Joan or Sr. Damion keeping us in from recess or making us run extra laps across the parking lot and around the tree.  If homework was all complete often times we might get an extra ice cream or our name up on the chalk board in the good kid column. 

As the years went on and I grew older I never really wanted kids of my own.  I thought it was way over-rated and way too much work. 

I personally didn’t think Mother’s Day was all that special, until the day I had my first child.  The day my first child was born gave me a special insight that many women had already came to know.  Finally, the meaning of Mother’s Day was as clear as a bell.  The feeling of being a Mother was actually different than the relationship of being an older sibling and having a motherly roll taking care of my younger siblings.   Mother’s Day is indeed a very special day! 

The birth-date of my children were the most heartfelt and spiritual days of my entire life.  I now clearly understand the meaning of Mother’s Day and why there is such a need to celebrate all Mother’s on the second Sunday of May each year.

The tradition of flowers at Mother’s Day came to be in England in the early 1600’s.  Mother’s Day was first celebrated forty days after lent to honor the Virgin Mary.  After Sunday prayer services children would leave flowers for the Virgin Mary and for their own Mother’s.  As time went on the tradition grew. Businesses closed everyone stayed home from work and payed tribute to their own Mother’s.   The holiday eventually grew and today is celebrated in many parts of the world.  Forty day’s after Lent would put the celebration of Mother’s Day in May.

 Anna Jarvis was the founder of Mother’s Day in the United States.  During her life she wanted all Mother’s to be honored and united after the Civil War.  Anna worked hard toward that goal.  She was inspired by the love shown by her own Mother and wanted all mother’s to be honored and celebrated.  Anna would take carnations to the church service on Mother’s day to honor her mother.  Carnations were Anna’s mothers favorite flower. Her church the Methodist Church in Grafton, West Virginia, is called “the Mother’s Day Church”. 

 During the Civil War Anna’s Mother helped organize nursing stations and helped treat injured men on both sides.   After the war she worked hard to became a peacemaker.  She organized “Friendship Days” to bring together families from across the Mason Dixon line.

 Anna’s Mother worked hard on the war against poverty.  Throughout her life she organized groups that helped provide medicine, she provided nursing care for the sick.  She also set up shelters for children with tuberculosis and other contagious diseases. 

 Carnations are still a large part of the flowers we sell at Valley Pacific Floral each Mother’s Day.  Churches in the Woodburn area buy large quantities of carnations on Mother’s Day to hand out to all of the Mother’s in honor of the lifelong contributions made to peace, love, spiritual guidance and their dedication to family. Today Mothers are the peacemakers in the world.  Mother’s today are the caretakers of children and a strong spiritual guidance for their children.  Mothers are wonderful role models for all to follow and should be celebrated and honored with their own holiday.

  Happy Mother’s Day to all of the Mother’s all over the world you are truly a blessing!