Mother's Day was first suggested in the United States in 1872 by Julia Ward Howe as a day dedicated to peace. A campaign to establish a National Mother's Day was begun in 1907. It was successful, by 1911 Mother's Day was celebrated in almost every state in recognition of[1] the influence mothers have in the making of better citizens.

　In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed that the birthday of Mrs. Anna Reeves Jarvis, the "mother of Mother's Day[2] ", would become the National Mother's Day of the United States. And that from then on, the second Sunday in May would be Mother's Day in memory of the work Mrs. Jarvis had done to bring families together after the Civil war, her work to bring the whole North and South together, her work to honor all the mothers of America throughout history and on into the future, but most of all to honor Mrs. Anna Reeves Jarvis as America's National Mother. President Wilson asked that the American people fly the United States flag from public buildings and homes on that day as he said, as a public expression of our love and reverence[3] for the mothers of our country.

　Well, what value is Mother's Day now? As the Congress said in 1914, it reminds people of[4] the influence mothers have had in the making of better citizens. Jarvis was one such mother. On Mother's Day much attention is given to the important part that each mother plays in giving her children a sense of what is right and what is wrong, what is good behavior and what is bad.

　If the observances[5] of Mother's Day can even in a small way remind mothers of this, then this day will help both the families and the whole country.

1. in recognition of：对……的认可、褒扬。例如：Please accept this cheque in recognition of your services.请收下这张支票作为酬劳。

2. mother of Mother's Day：母亲节之母。Mrs. Anna Reeves Jarvis早在1907年就发起设母亲节的运动，所以她被称为为"母亲节之母"。

3. reverence：尊敬、爱戴。有时还可以在前面加冠词a，例如：show (a) deep respect to someone向某人表达深挚的崇敬之意。

4. remind...of:提醒、使……想起。如：You remind me of your father.你使我想起了你的父亲。

5. observance:这里是"纪念、庆祝"的意思。它还有"遵守"的意思，如：strict observance of the rules规则的严守。

　　1872年，美国的朱丽娅·伍德·霍夫提出设立母亲节的建议，用以纪念和平。继而1907年，人们掀起了一场设立国家母亲节的运动。这项运动取得了成功，到1911年的时候，美国几乎每个州都开始庆祝母亲节，以表达对母亲们在塑造良好公民方面所做出努力的肯定。

　　1914年，伍德罗·威尔逊总统宣布"母亲节之母"安娜·瑞斯文·杰文斯夫人的生日为"美国国家母亲节"。从那时起每年五月的第二个星期天都是母亲节，以纪念在内战结束后杰文斯夫人在使家庭团聚方面所做出的种种努力，她的工作使美国南北得以统一，她的工作给历史上所有美国母亲都带来荣誉，这种荣誉会一直继续下去。但是这个节日最主要的还是为了感谢被人们尊称为"国母"的--安娜·瑞斯文·杰文斯夫人。威尔逊总统要求，在母亲节那一天，各个公众建筑和每家每户都要挂美国国旗，他说，这是对全国所有的母亲公开表示我们的尊敬和爱戴。

　　那么，现在母亲节的价值是什么呢？首先，就像在一九一四年国会所宣称的一样，他提醒人们母亲在塑造良好公民方面所做出的努力。杰文斯夫人就是这样一位母亲。在母亲节人们更加关注每个母亲是否真的扮演好自己的角色，教会孩子什么是对，什么是错，什么是好，什么是坏。

　　如果庆祝母亲节能在提醒母亲们自身责任重大方面起到哪怕一点点作用的话，那么这一天也是有助于家庭和整个社会的。

关 于 母 亲 节 的 诗 总 是 能 使 人 激 动 得 热 泪 盈 眶 ， 下 面 的 诗 献 给 我 们 致 爱 的 母 亲。 ( 为 了 保 持 诗 的 原 貌 ，这 里 采 用 了 英 文。)


A Mother's Part

It is a wonderful part each mother plays
In this old world of ours;
She rules with just a kindly word
O'er the great and mighty powers.
She builds our nations large and small
With just a kindly touch,
For she builds them in the very heart
Of the child she loves so much.
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 Phyllis C. Michael


A Rose for Mother

Another Mother's Day is here,
Bringing joy and pleasure new.
On this special day, Mother dear,
I want to remember you.
I cannot give you costly gifts,
And I've told you this before,
No matter what I give you, You give back much, much more.

I'm giving you a pure, sweet rose,
Gathered in the early morn,
This rose you planted in my heart,
The day that I was born.

In kindly, loving thoughts of you,
And with the faith you still impart,
The rose I give to you today
Is the love that's in my heart.

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 Cleo M. Shoffstall


Mothering Sunday

It is the day of all the year,
Of all the year the one day
When I shall see my mother dear,
And bring her cheer,
A-mothering on Sunday.
So I'll put on my Sunday coat,
And in my hat a feather,
And get the lines I writ by rote,
With many a note
That I've a-strung together.

A-mothering on Sunday.
It is the day of all the year,
Of all the year the one day;
And here come I, my mother dear,
To bring you cheer.
A-mothering on Sunday.

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 George Hare Leonard


Happy Mother's Day

I wish you joy and laughter,
No doubts or times of fear,
Love forever after
Through all of your many years.
I wish you sunshine and roses,
Blue skies for every day,
And, as each day closes,
Starlight to grace the way.

I wish you friendship's warming hand
And doors that never close,
Rolling tides and silver sands,
God's blessing-all of those.

I wish you moonlight and rainbows,
A prayer to wrap around your day,
All the good things, heaven knows,
And a super Mother's Day.

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 Irene Larsen