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14 OUR YUCAIPA | MAY 2014 OUR YUCAIPA | MAY 2014 15 The Middle of the Road: By Randy Peters, a middle-aged, middle-income, middle-school teacher 5% Military Discount (former & current members) Ask for the Jarhead! 909-965-8404 Since 1985 Licensed & Insured DON'S TREE SERVICE • Ornamental Beautification of Trees • Preventative Maintenance from Wind Destruction • Correct Pruning, Trimming Skills • Tree Removals, Stump Grinding • Tree Planting/Transplanting 3rd Generation Painter Contracting For Over 30 Years Minor Repairs: Exterior Wood & Stucco, Interior Drywall, Wood Trim Thank you in advance for the opportunity to give you a free estimate! 909-208-6142 Lic. #423807 Bonded HIGH QUALITY HIGH STANDARDS INTERIOR & EXTERIOR yucaIPa sPrInG sPecIal 10% off InterIor PaIntInG ! Offer good with ad until June 1, 2014 What else is there to write about in May except Mother's Day? That's an easy 'middle of the road' idea. It shouldn't offend anyone; it should be full of apple pie and thankful families. Mother's Day is good for our country's economy. It is one of the biggest holidays for consumer spending. But, most importantly, it is a great opportunity for a relaxing day with mom. It is the day to pin a corsage on mom, watch her compare her corsage to her friends' at church, and then pack up mom and the kids to meet for a nice relaxing early dinner at a restaurant designated as the mid-point where all the members of the extended family live. Once there most of the family will sit outside on wooden benches. After all, the restaurant won't seat you until the entire party is there, and you are still waiting for the one sister and her rude husband and three snotty children who will show up 45 minutes late. You take advantage of the 45 minutes to discuss the sister and why her family is always late. Jokes are made to keep the mood light, but you know it is actually getting tense. You've snuck cracker packets out of from the restaurant and fed the small children like pigeons in the park. Mom is concerned that her corsage will wilt in the heat before she can get it home and pressed between the pages of the family Bible. Finally the family gets set up for dinner. The late sister insists she sits near mom. After all, she knows what mom likes to eat best. Presents are exchanged. The late sister wants everyone to see the special gift she ordered from QVC for mom. The bill gets settled, without the help of the late sister. Mom gets kisses from everyone. The late sister smiles at mom and says, "See, Mom. Wasn't this so much more relaxing than staying home and cooking?" On your drive home, you realize that this is probably why more phone calls are made on Mother's Day than any other holiday. You make a point of suggesting a phone call from your sister to your mom next year. Mother's Day can actually be traced back to the Ancient Romans and Greeks. They celebrated annual tributes to the goddesses of motherhood, Rhea and Cybele. Later, early Christians held festivals honoring a festival called "Mothering Sunday." Christians in the United Kingdom and Europe continued this tradition by returning to their church of origin (their mother church) on the fourth Sunday of Lent. Over time, the tradition became more secular with children presenting moms with flowers or other tokens of appreciation. It finally merged with the American tradition in the 1930s and 1940s. Most American traditions trace back to Julia Ward Howe and Anna Jarvis. In 1870, Julia Ward Howe promoted a yearly day to honor mothers. Ward Howe was an abolitionist and suffragette. She felt that be honoring mothers society would be encouraged to pacifism and call for disarmament. This tradition continued in Boston for about 10 years. In 1907, Anna Jarvis started a private Mother's Day tradition of honor the memory of her mother. She began Mother's Day Work Clubs for women in West Virginia to get together and improve health and cleanliness issues for children. They were also taught techniques to help with the proper caring for children. Because many of these families were came from Union and Confederate backgrounds, her work promoted reconciliation during the Reconstruction Movement following the Civil War. Jarvis promoted a special service for mothers at the Andrew's Methodist Episcopal Church in Grafton, West Virginia. It was attended by 407 children and their mothers. The church is now called the International Mother's Day Shrine. By 1914 President Woodrow Wilson was convinced that Mother's Day should become an American holiday. The argument included the fact that all the other American holidays honored men; women needed a day to honor them. I find it interesting that once Mother's Day became official and commercial, Anna Jarvis denounced it. She spent the rest of her life trying to remove it from the calendar. Perhaps she had a sister like yours. Keep your eyes on the road. Mother's Day means dinner with that annoying sister

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