Do you ever wonder why we do some of the things we do? Do we do them out of habit, honor, proclamation, or simply because someone said we need to do it? Well, observing Mother’s Day is a combination of all of the above.
Mother’s Day was first observed in 1907 at the request of Anna Jarvis of Philadelphia, PA, who asked her church to hold a service in memory of all mothers on the anniversary of her own mother’s death. Two years later in 1909, Anna and some friends began a letter-writing campaign to create a Mother’s Day Observance. Their campaign was successful and in 1914, Congress passed legislation designating the Second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day. Some say the predecessor of Mother’s Day was the ancient spring festival dedicated to the Greek goddess Rhea and Roman goddess Cybele, known as the “Mothers of the Gods”. No matter when this day was first observed, Mother’s Day is a tradition everyone can celebrate at Kirby Pines.
You should begin making your plans now to attend our annual Mother’s Day Cookout on the Saturday before Mother’s Day, May 11th; this cookout is like no other in the Memphis area! We will be eating Bar-Bar-Q with all the “fix-ins”, hot dogs, hamburgers, cookies, cold watermelon, ice cream, soft drinks, and other treats. There will be games for children and plenty of space for as many family members as you would like to invite. More important, though, it is a day filled with smiles, laughter, love for one another, and, above all, a day to honor our mothers. This annual Kirby tradition is just one more reason Kirby Pines continues to win the Memphis Most Award year after year.
Michael Escamilla,
Executive Director, Kirby Pines