Happy 100th Mother's Day

Mother's Day is a special day and this year it is special for a different reason. This is the 100th anniversary of Mother's Day. This morning's Philadelphia Inquirer has an article on the history of this day:

Without the City of Brotherly Love, historians agree, there likely would not be an enduring celebration of motherly love.

One hundred years ago, on May 10, 1908, the first Mother's Day was marked in Philadelphia when merchant John Wanamaker agreed to host a big to-do at his Market Street store.

Anna Jarvis, now recognized as the founder of Mother's Day, had lobbied Wanamaker for a special day honoring mothers; she spoke for 70 minutes in the Wanamakers auditorium, and more than 15,000 sought entrance, the story goes.

But earlier that morning, also at the behest of Jarvis, Andrews Methodist Episcopal Church in Grafton, W.Va., had held a Mother's Day celebration. Jarvis' mother had taught Sunday school at the church.

So two states - Pennsylvania and West Virginia - can lay legitimate claim to the centennial celebration of Mother's Day this year.

Happy Mother's Day to all who are celebrating in one way or another.