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Sunday is Mother’s Day · Commentary - TJ Meadows

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  Speaker 1: We pause this weekend to celebrate Mother's Day. The roots
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  Speaker 1: of this holiday trace back to Grafton. Most know Anna
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  Speaker 1: Jarvis as the founder, but the story really begins with
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  Speaker 1: her mother, Anne Jarvis. During the American Civil War, Anne
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  Speaker 1: Jarvis organized Mother's Day work clubs. They focused on public health.
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  Speaker 1: They cared for soldiers on both sides. After the war,
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  Speaker 1: she kept going. She brought families together, Union and Confederate.
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  Speaker 1: She called it Mother's Friendship Day. It was about healing.
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  Speaker 1: When Anne passed away in nineteen oh five, her daughter
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  Speaker 1: Anna wanted to honor her. In nineteen oh eight, the
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  Speaker 1: first Mother's Day service was held in Grafton. Just six
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  Speaker 1: years later, in nineteen fourteen, Woodrow Wilson made it official,
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  Speaker 1: a national holiday, a public expression of love and reverence
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  Speaker 1: for mothers. And it all started here in West Virginia.
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  Speaker 1: This Sunday, many will celebrate with flowers, with meals, time together,
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  Speaker 1: that special gift. Those things all matter, but so do
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  Speaker 1: the small everyday moments. A phone call, a kind word,
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  Speaker 1: time spent for some. Mother's Day is also a time
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  Speaker 1: of reflection. A mother remembered, a grandmother missed, a voice
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  Speaker 1: no longer heard for others. It can be especially difficult.
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  Speaker 1: Mothers who have lost a child or a pregnancy carry
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  Speaker 1: a grief that never fully leaves. I've seen that up close.
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  Speaker 1: My grandmother lost her teenage son. She rarely spoke of it,
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  Speaker 1: but you could feel it. She once said, God took one,
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  Speaker 1: but gave her four grandsons in his place. That kind
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  Speaker 1: of strength is often quiet, So if you know someone
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  Speaker 1: carrying that weight, reach out. A simple message can mean
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  Speaker 1: more than you may realize, And if distance has grown
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  Speaker 1: between you and your mother, consider closing it. Forgiveness matters,
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  Speaker 1: reconciliation matters, but they require attention. However you mark the day,
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  Speaker 1: take the time to make it meaningful. Happy Mother's Day, everyone,