A Word from Mike Crapo ...
...about Mother's Day:
An ounce of mother is worth a ton of priest. --Spanish Proverb
Historians have traced Mother's Day back to ancient Greece and Rome. Springtime, with signs of new life emerging in the fields and forests, was perfect for celebrating the mother goddesses. During the Middle Ages in Europe, the
fourth Sunday in Lent became known as "Mothering Sunday." Mother's Day in the United States was first suggested by Julia Ward Howe, the author of the words to the Battle Hymn of the Republic, but it was Mrs. Anna Jarvis of West Virginia who convinced her home state to proclaim it a holiday in 1910. In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed it a national holiday.
Mother's Day traditions vary by country and culture, but regardless of the form the celebration takes, the intent is the same: to honor our mothers for their hard work, dedication to their families, and reflect back to them the love and care they have given. Stories about mothers are repeated throughout history, and bring to mind the lessons they have taught us. I have learned many lessons in my own life, but being kind to others is by and large the most compelling and important one. I learned this from my mother, Melba
Olson Crapo. She was a selfless example of kindness, virtue, and strength to me and to my brothers and sisters. Over the course of her life, she experienced joy as well as quite possibly two of the worst tragedies a mother and wife could face: the loss of her husband, and the early death of one of her adult children. She didn't allow these terrible events to change her character, personality, and outlook. She was committed to serving families, her church and her community, encouraging her children to do the same.
Throughout my childhood, she taught me that in all circumstances, it was vital to treat others with kindness - a lesson that I have tried to apply to every aspect of my life. Giving others the gift of kindness and respect opens many more doors than harsh and threatening words and actions. From working with clients as an attorney to working with constituents and stakeholders as an elected official, I have found time and again that the lessons I learned from my mother about kindness and respecting the dignity of those people with which I come into contact, has opened doors of friendship, as well as my career for me.
This Mother's Day we find ourselves in the midst of a military conflict. Our sons and daughters are engaged in a fight for freedom and justice for those once terribly oppressed, and their efforts will liberate others and ultimately preserve our own freedom. The difficult reality which accompanies this situation is the fact that many mothers will spend this Mother's Day knowing that their child is facing danger in a foreign land. There are even some American mothers who will spend Mother's Day in uniform in Iraq, Afghanistan, orother dangerous places, away from their children. Some mothers here and in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other places of conflict, will experience their first Mother's Day after having laid their child to rest in a tragic reversal of the way life should be.
Our mothers gave us the gifts of life, love, and wisdom. On the inside, they are infinitely stronger than they might look. They can take a hopeless situation and find a solution, doing whatever needs to be done. They bear weighty burdens of care and worry. They are the soft heart that hides a formidable will and provides quiet but undeniable strength during difficult times. Their love for us is fierce, unapologetic, and cannot be replicated. Their love doesn't
depend on where we are in our lives, it remains the same.
DFO: So, you're without excuse if you forget to do right by Mommy Sunday.
