Anna Jarvis believed a mother is “the person who has done more for you than anyone in the world,” so in 1905 she ran a campaign to make Mother’s Day a recognizable holiday. On May 8, 1914, Woodrow Wilson signed a proclamation designating the second Sunday of May will be the official day for honoring mothers, hence, Mother’s Day.

What is a mother and who should be considered a mother? There are many categories of mothers: birth mothers, step-mothers and foster mothers. All mothers have one thing in common: they love and comfort their children. Their children know that they are cared for and loved unconditionally. There’s nothing that the child does that can stop the mother from loving him/her. Mothers are trusted through the best and worst of times.

I remember when my siblings and I were small children, our mother always walked us to church and we had so much fun. My mother could really tell some funny jokes and she kept us amused.

My mother’s name is Mary Pennington and she loved her family with a passion. She was the first to get up in the morning and the last one to go to bed. She made sure that we ate breakfast before we went to school and she had a snack ready for us when we came home. On Saturdays she would bake cakes and pies for Sunday. She knew I loved hot plain cake so she would cut it while it was hot and give me a slice.

My mother ran a laundry business at home (washing and ironing). She did the washing on a scrub board and it wasn’t until many years later that she bought a washing machine to ease some of the burden. She even made her own lye soap to wash the clothes. Even though she had so much to do during the course of the day, she still found time to have dinner ready when her family returned home for the evening.

She was a remarkable woman that always put her family first. I never realized how hard my mother worked until I became an adult. When I was pregnant with my first child I was happy but also very scared. My mother was an amazing mother and I didn’t know if I could measure up. My mother told me to relax, and enjoy my pregnancy. She said to take the time to know your baby while he is growing inside of you. I would talk to my baby constantly while he was in my stomach, and told him how his dad and I are so excited that he chose us to be his parents. Whenever I talked to my son he would move and I would laugh. I was so happy that my mother was there to share the experience with me because she was such a great mother and I knew she would know what to do and guide me in the right direction. Nine months later my mother assisted in bringing my son into the world.

My mother departed this world on Dec. 26, 1975. Even though she is no longer here, my heart sings when I think of her. Thank you Jesus for blessing me and my siblings with the world’s best mother. Congratulations to all mothers, step-mothers and foster mothers. Thank you for a job well done. Be bless in Jesus’ name.

Mary Simmons can be reached at aboxoflovekvd@gmail.com