If you check out its history, you will find that Mother’s Day is attributed to several women, who for various reasons, are given some credit for the idea.
But one of them is especially one to look at in these times of division in our culture and our country.
She was Julia Howe Ward, the woman who wrote the words to "The Battle Hymn of the Republic". Described as a post-Civil War peace activist, she had a vision of mothers coming together for an international peace movement. As she laid out in a peace proclamation. her idea was that, “we didn’t raise our sons to die in the trenches."
By 1872, her actions had prompted annual gatherings in homes and churches in various cities including Philadelphia, where our country was born, for what was called Mother's Peace Day, which happened on June 2nd back then.
Mother’s Day has evolved over the years to a day in May that is about a celebration of mothers and a day to thank mothers for what they do to guide us, counsel us, discipline us and inspire us as their sons and daughters.
But looking back in history and remembering how Mother’s Day at least in part was started by someone who wanted peace in our country at that time after the Civil War to heal our divisions and promote a vision for Americans to work together for the common good…and our country’s future…is just what we need to think about on this Mother’s Day in 2023.
READ MORE about the history of Mother's Day.
(Photo Getty Images)