Charlie Fineran’s Photo of the Week is a tribute to moms “everywhere”

Spring is in the air, and of course, so was Mother’s Day yesterday.

This past week, I had been out and about ‘Looking for Stuff’ and came across a couple of photos that showcase Spring, Motherhood and even the World Series of Birding.  Came across the fox kits returning from dinner just getting dark near my home last Friday night.  The night before I visited Rutherfurd Hall and Allamuchy Pond.

This second weekend of May 2021 was certainly a busy weekend for many, animals included!

Was going to begin by saying, “I am trying to kill three birds with one stone” with this article, HOWEVER, my birding friends might object!!  OK, how is this? I would like to cover Mother’s Day and The World Series of Birding while “Spring is in the Air!!”  NOTE:  I am a little uncomfortable with this “Spring is in the Air” though as it was 56 degrees at noon on Saturday when I wrote this.  Hmmm, that is better than my last year’s article at this same time, it was 32 degrees then!!  However, it is Spring and my photos are about renewal of life and the young of wildlife exploring and experiencing their new worlds!!

First, allow me to begin with a heartfelt, HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY to all our moms!!!  Hope you had a wonderful Mother’s Day!!  We All have been scrambling, getting flowers, making dinner arrangements and even traveling to see and honor our moms!!  Writing this article, I did a little looking around and found some fascinating facts regarding Mother’s Day!!

A LITTLE HISTORY

The earliest Mother’s Day celebration can be traced back to the Spring Celebrations of ancient Greece, in honor of Rhea, the mother of the gods.  Today, it is celebrated on various days in many parts of the world, most commonly in the months of March or May.  Mother’s Day is a celebration honoring the mother of the family, as well as motherhood, maternal bonds and the influence of mothers in society.  Mother’s Day became a recognized National Holiday for the United States in 1914.  You would think, AND I WAS, this would have just been a slam dunk formality!!  NOT SO, the following is the story behind officially creating Mother’s Day in 1914. 

In the United States, the modern holiday was first celebrated in 1907. Anna Jarvis, held a memorial for her mother at St. Andrew’s Methodist Church in Grafton, West Virginia.  Her campaign to make Mother’s Day a recognized holiday in the United States began in 1905, the year her mother, Ann Reeves Jarvis died.  Her mother had been a peace activist who cared for wounded soldiers on both sides during the Civil War, she then created Mother’s Day Work Clubs to address public health issues.  She and another peace activist and suffragette Julia Ward Howe had been urging for the creation of a Mother’s Day dedicated to peace, 40 years before it became an official holiday!  Ward Howe had made her Mother’s Day Proclamation in 1870, which called upon mothers of all nationalities to band together to promote the “amicable settlement of international questions, the great and general interests of peace”.  Anna Jarvis wanted to honor this and to set aside a day to honor all mothers because she believed a mother is “the person who has done more for you than anyone in the world.”

In 1908, the U.S. Congress rejected a proposal to make Mother’s Day an official holiday.  However, owing to the efforts of Ann Jarvis, by 1911 all U.S. states observed the holiday, with some of them officially recognizing Mother’s Day as a local holiday (first being West Virginia, Jarvis’ home state, in 1910).  In 1914, Woodrow Wilson signed a proclamation designating Mother’s Day, held on the second Sunday in May, as a national holiday to honor mothers.  NOTE: St. Andrew’s Methodist Church, mentioned above, now holds the International Mother’s Day Shrine.

DID YOU KNOW? More phone calls are made on Mother’s Day than any other day of the year, it’s the busiest day of the year in the restaurant industry, the Friday before Mother’s Day Weekend is the heaviest traffic day of the year, and Mother’s Day is also a big demand on the florist and greeting card industries.

WORLD SERIES OF BIRDING

This past Saturday, for the 38^th year in a row, starting at 12:01 midnight, birders were birding, looking and listening for as many bird species as possible.  This year, they will be participating throughout the Atlantic Flyway and more.  The World Series of Birding is the country’s largest and most prestigious birding competition and provides participants and sponsors with a fun and interactive way to raise money for critically needed conservation priorities.  I have many friends along with many groups and organizations that I belong to, that are out participating in the World Series of Birding!!  A wonderful past-time and a great way to visit and see our Open Space Lands.

DID YOU KNOW? Birding is a fast growing hobby.  Bird watching, also known as birding, has become one of the fastest growing hobbies in North America.  About 50 million Americans plan an outing to observe wild birds every year!!

Please visit my Flickr site for more photos on the Fox Family

Enjoy Your Open Space

Charlie Fineran

Charlie Fineran is Allamuchy’s Director of Open Space, Allamuchy Township Environmental Commission Chairman and Allamuchy Historical Society President.