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Yorkshire Times
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Jan Harris
Deputy Group Editor
1:00 AM 27th March 2022
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What Is A Mother?

 
image / pixabay
image / pixabay
A mother is someone who loves and cares for you unconditionally in every way. Mother and child form a strong bond which is eternal.

When is Mother's Day?

There is no fixed date in the calendar for Mother's Day as it is linked to Easter, which also changes annually due to the lunar calendar.

Mothering Sunday in the UK always falls on the fourth Sunday in the month of Lent, as it is linked to Easter, which also changes annually.

Although we tend to call it Mother's Day it has no connection with the American festival with that name, which is celebrated in May.

In the UK Mother's Day has become a day of appreciation where mums are given flowers and other gifts as a sign of thanks.

In the rest of the world it is celebrated on different days but most commonly in the months of March or May.

In 2022 Mother's Day falls this weekend on Sunday 27 March.

Some inspiring quotes on mothers:

Being a mother is learning about strengths you didn't know you had, and dealing with fears you didn't know existed - Linda Wooten

Motherhood: All love begins and ends there - Robert Browning

God could not be everywhere, so therefore he made mothers - Jewish Proverb

A mother is one to whom you hurry when you are troubled - Emily Dickinson

All that I am, or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel mother - Abraham Lincoln


Why celebrate?

It is the time to show our mothers or even grandmothers, step-mums or whoever takes the maternal role in our lives that we love them and want to spend time with them, showering them with love and gifts.

Mind you it is the thought that counts and not the cost of the gift. Most mothers just like to be appreciated and it is simply good just to spend some time together. Research has shown that men tend to spend more on their mothers for Mother's Day compared to other days in the year.

The History of Mother's Day

In the 16th century in the UK it was the custom to visit your mother church once a year and this is how Mothering Sunday seemed to have evolved, as the majority of people visited in the middle of Lent.

Most churchgoers used to worship at their nearest parish, also known as a 'daughter church', every Sunday. So Mothering Sunday was originally a celebration of the 'mother' church and not of motherhood.

Mother's Day was also a time for families to get together and children who were working, especially daughters who were often working as domestic servants, were given the day off to visit their family and especially mothers.

Historians seem to think that the children used to pick wild flowers on the way home and so now this has become the practice of children giving presents to their mothers and usually a bouquet of flowers.

A Mother's Love by Helen Steiner Rice

A Mother's love is something
that no one can explain,
It is made of deep devotion
and of sacrifice and pain,
It is endless and unselfish
and enduring come what may
For nothing can destroy it
or take that love away . . .
It is patient and forgiving
when all others are forsaking,
And it never fails or falters
even though the heart is breaking . . .
It believes beyond believing
when the world around condemns,
And it glows with all the beauty
of the rarest, brightest gems . . .
It is far beyond defining,
it defies all explanation,
And it still remains a secret
like the mysteries of creation . . .
A many splendoured miracle
man cannot understand
And another wondrous evidence
of God's tender guiding hand.


image / pixabay
image / pixabay
Show your mum just how much she means to you this Mother's Day as it is the perfect opportunity to thank her for all her love, hard work and support, so don't forget to treat her and thank her for being there for you.