A Mother’s Hands

They tenderly held you when you were first born
They caressed silky skin as she soothed you to sleep
They provided never-ending hugs
They fed you
They wiped away your tears
They washed your clothes, prepared your food, kept you clean
They tucked you in at night
They wiped your brow when you were sick
They snapped millions of pictures
They prayed for you
They clapped for you
They guided you
They protected you
They lovingly kept each drawing, project, report card, and homemade gifts you
brought her
They held your hand whenever you needed it – even if you thought you didn’t
A Mother’s Hands will always be there, even when the time comes that she herself
will not
They leave an imprint on your heart, on your life, on your very being
A Mother’s Hands never rest.

Happy Mother’s Day to All Moms on Mother’s Day and Always!

Photo Credit: maessive via photopin cc

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Happy Graduation!

“Graduation Day is tough for adults.  They go to the ceremony as parents.  They come home as contemporaries.  After 22 years of child-rearing, they are unemployed.”
-Erma Bombeck

As graduation season winds down, Silverpen Productions would like to take a moment to wish all the Graduates a very Happy Graduation!

Leaving high school for college is such an exciting time.  It’s a new start – a chance to re-create, or find, the real you.  A new place, new friends, and lots of wonderful new experiences await.  For most people, college is the best years of their lives. Enjoy every precious moment as it goes so fast!

Leaving college for “The Real World” is also an exciting, although often a much more scary time. It is the start of a whole new chapter of life, and sometimes those pages seem very blank. But the sign of a good book is when you are carried along with the words as they go across the page. When you are so involved in the story that you have no idea what is coming next, nor do you care because you are just enjoying the ride.  The same is true with life – just enjoy the ride. Don’t worry too much about what you think is supposed to happen next.  Enjoy the journey of getting there and everything else will fall into place!

As for parents, congratulations to you too! It is a tough job to get your kids to where they are today.  And as much as it may feel like that job is now over, it is never completely over.  Your kids will always need you and will always look to you for your guidance. Be proud of how far they have come and enjoy the journey along with them.  All relationships are meant to change and evolve.  Usually it means that it will become something better. Now that you don’t have to work quite so hard raising your children, revel in who they’ve become and have fun discovering all of the wonderful new things you will notice about them.

Congratulations!

Mother’s Day Reflections

As we come down from all the Mother’s Day celebrations and begin the work week, it is important to take a moment and think about what Mother’s Day really is all about. Obviously, it’s a day to celebrate mothers. But what does being a “Mom” really mean? Is it just that you have a blood offspring? Is it that you take care of others?  Is it that you give great advice? Make the best cookies? A great leader? Maybe just that you’re a good friend?

There are many types of “mothers” in the world. And not everyone will think of the same definition when hearing the word, “mother.” Our concept of mother is based on our experiences in our lives.  It’s based on the people in our lives, and what becomes important to us. It is fantastic that there’s a day out there to celebrate these amazing women. A day to pamper the people who have always pampered us. But it’s also important to remember to honor these women all throughout the year as well, because where would this world be without all the amazing mothers out there? Those women that are constantly encouraging us, encouraging change, encouraging a better world.

Various versions of Mother’s Day have been around for centuries in all cultures. It was slowly revived in America in multiple ways. In 1858 Ann Marie Jarvis first attempted to improve sanitation through what she called “Mother’s Friendship Day.”  She organized women throughout the Civil War to teach them the basics of nursing and sanitation, and in the process helped save thousands of lives.  Julia Ward Howe (author of the “Battle Hymn of the Republic”) took the idea one step farther in 1870. She was devastated by the death and carnage of the Civil War and was a great activist for peace. So she called upon all womanhood to unite together and rise against war. She wanted to protest the futility of sons killing sons of other mothers, so she created a day to celebrate peace, motherhood, and womanhood.  This became an annual event falling on the second Sunday of June each year. This practice of united women against war lasted for over 10 years before dying out, but the idea of the day was not totally lost.

Jarvis’ daughter, Anna M. Jarvis was the woman who finally succeeded in making Mother’s Day into the holiday that we are used to. After devoting her life to caring for her ailing mother, Jarvis wanted to find a way to honor her after her death. She felt that children often didn’t show enough appreciation for their mothers while they were still alive. In 1907 she began a campaign to establish a national Mother’s Day to honor mothers, living and dead. The first Mother’s Day was observed as a religious occasion on May 10, 1908 at the Andrews Methodist Church in Grafton, West Virginia. The idea quickly gained in popularity and on May 9, 1914 a Presidential proclamation declared the 2nd Sunday of May to be observed as the official Mother’s Day. White carnations became the official flower of the day since those were Jarvis’ mother’s favorite flower. As the holiday became more and more popular through the years, so did the commercialization, much to Jarvis’ dismay. She vigorously tried to fight against it, but it had gained too much momentum. Despite the commercialization, the day still stands as a day to honor Mothers, both living and dead, and to show appreciation for everything they mean in our lives.

This day is a reminder to show our mothers we care.  But it should also be a reminder to let them know throughout the year as well.

Thank you to all the Mothers out there!

More Mother’s Day Info:
–The Holiday Spot
–Mother’s Day Central