Happy Mothers Day

In the United States, Mother’s Day began in 1908 when Ann Jarvis’s mother died.  She wanted to honor her mother. She believed we should set aside a day for “the person who has done more for you than anyone in the world”.  By 1911 all states honored the day and in 1914, Woodrow Wilson signed Mother’s Day into law.  Jarvis went on to trademark “Second Sunday in May” and “Mother’s Day” and created Mother’s Day International Association.  Today the day is celebrated throughout the world.

The family is universal.  What we see across the globe is rarely the joys of home, the everyday lives that people live.  If you ignore the clothes, the backdrop, the ethnicity of the individual, the color of their skin, the color of their hair and just focus on the lives, all Mother’s are raising their families in many similar ways.

Six months ago, CNN sent out 20 disposable cameras to mothers around the globe who did not have access to phones or social media in places like Iraq, Brazil, China and the Middle East.  It was so others could see what they see.   Each story is different but the stories are similar to everyone.  Photos of their children playing, going to school, taking baths, having family dinners and more.  These mothers did what all mothers do, take pics of their kids and their lives.

So today, as I celebrate Mother’s Day with my kids, I am going to think about that connection of mothers around the globe who just want a happy life for their families.  We may all be different but we are all the same and we should embrace each of us because if can shed all of our prejudices, then the world be a much better place for our kids.  After all, isn’t that just what every mother wants?