ArizonaRealCountry.com 31 May 2018 One afternoon a man came home from work to find total mayhem in his house. His three children were outside, still in their pajamas, playing in the mud, with empty food boxes and wrappers strewn all around the front yard. The door of his wife’s car was open, as was the front door to the house. Proceeding to the entry, he found an even bigger mess. A lamp had been knocked over, and the throw rug was wadded against one wall. In the front room, the TV was loudly blaring a cartoon channel, and the family room was strewn with toys and various items of clothing. In the kitchen, dishes filled the sink, breakfast food was spilled on the counter, dog food was spilled on the floor, a broken glass lay under the table, and a small pile of sand was spread by the back door. He quickly headed up the stairs, stepping over the toys and more piles of clothes, looking for his wife. He was worried she may be ill, or that something serious had happened. He found her lounging in the bedroom, still curled in the bed in her pajamas, reading a novel. She looked up at him, smiled, and asked how his day went. He looked at her bewildered and asked, “What happened here today?” She again smiled and answered, “You know every day when you come home from work and ask me what in the world did I do today?” “Yes,” was his incredulous reply. She answered, “Well, today I didn’t do it.” Have you ever wondered how Mother’s Day got started? People started honoring mothers a very long time ago. When it first started it was called Mothering Sunday because it was celebrated the fourth Sunday during Lent. Then 150 years ago Anna Jarvis, organized a day to raise awareness of poor health conditions in her community, something she thought mother’s believed in doing. She called it “Mother’s Work Day.” After Anna Jarvis died, her daughter (also named Anna) wanted to honor all that her mother did. Anna heard her mother say that one day she hoped someone would make a special day just for mothers. So Anna worked very hard and spoke to presidents and other leaders to try to create a special day just to honor them. By 1914 (almost 100 years ago) President Wilson signed a bill recognizing Mother’s Day as a national holiday. It just so happened that Anna’s mothers’ favorite flower was the white carnation and that’s why mothers often receive carnations on Mother’s Day. Anna ended up disliking Mother’s day. She didn’t want Mother’s day to be all about the expensive gifts and fancy flowers but just a day to tell your mom that you love and appreciate her. So remember, moms don’t need all that fancy stuff. Make her a nice card and treat her very special today (and everyday) and she won’t need anything else. How Mother’s Day Began A Mother’s Work Day