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Sunday, May 03, 2009
Remember, Rejoice
May has become America's month for remembering. On the second weekend we observe Mother's Day; two weekends later we will stop business as usual to celebrate Memorial Day.
Memorial Day is now mostly a time for picnics, recreation, athletic events, and (last but not least) cheering on the Indianapolis 500 auto race. But in May 1866, in Waterloo, NY a solemn assembly was held to honor the memory of Union soldiers who had died in battle during the Civil War. The idea spread across the country (except in certain southern states) and ultimately grew to include (in every state) special honors for military personnel killed in two world wars and numerous other conflicts around the world.
Mother's Day celebrates motherhood and the positive contributions of mothers to society. The tradition resulted from the efforts of Anna Marie Jarvis, after the death of her mother in May 1905, to honor all mothers on the second Sunday of every May. Interestingly, earlier efforts to honor American mothers also grew out of the Civil War. In the 1870s, Julia Ward Howe promoted a national Mother's Day to oppose the kind of warfare that recently cost the lives of so many sons and husbands. Her movement didn't last long, but sowed the seeds of today's tradition.
This year my heart has a special place for Mother's Day. On that special morning I will baptize my grandson Mateo. We will celebrate and dedicate his young life, yes; we will also honor my daughter Sharon's new life role as his mother. (We won't forget Victor, of course; but on Mother's Day all dads step back a pace and all moms must rule.)
My heart also holds a special memory on this Mother's Day. Mateo's name comes from the Greek word for "gift from God," which he surely has proven to be. Almost two years ago Sharon and Victor lost another baby boy in the making, four months before his due date -- a boy they had named Jonathan, from the Hebrew word for "God has given." So we will give God thanks for two special gifts that day, and we'll treasure all the more our beautiful boy's healthy, happy, hope-filled presence in our life together.
posted by Jack Buckley at
12:32 PM
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