We have a tradition in our country of dedicating specific days, weeks or months during which we celebrate events, concepts, organizations, groups of professionals or any other entity that warrants highlighting and reverence. Certainly, the month of May is no different. In May we celebrate National Nurses Week, National EMS Week, National Hospital Week, National Nursing Home Week and Arthritis Awareness Month. Obviously, many of these days remind and encourage us to recognize those with whom we work in our hospitals, organizational settings and in our daily professional lives. But May also includes a very special recognition: We honor and thank Mom for everything that she has done for us.
In 1912, Anna Jarvis, born in the 1860s in West Virginia, trademarked the term “Mother’s Day” and recommended that the second Sunday in May be a time to remember mothers throughout the United States. Anna Jarvis, who began her campaign to create Mother’s Day after her own mother died, attained her dream in 1914 when former President Woodrow Wilson signed the law officially creating Mother’s Day as a countrywide celebration. It is noteworthy that the singular possessive form of the phrase Mother’s Day was utilized with a specific intent that each individual should honor his or her own mother.
Yes, Mother’s Day has always been so special for me, especially since I lost my mother almost 12 years ago. In 2021, however, we remember all the moms who sadly left us during the pandemic, and many reflect on all the months of quarantine that prevented us from seeing moms, grandmothers and even great-grandmothers. For those of you who still have your mom, it is my hope that you utilize every opportunity to say “thanks” to her for being there.
For those of you who may be estranged from your mom, perhaps it is time to begin a new relationship. For those, like me, we must stop to reflect on Mother’s Day and be thankful for the times that we had together. All of us need to remember how our moms influenced not only our very being but also our approach to our profession, our patients and to those special relationships we have forged throughout our lives. Perhaps Mother’s Day should be more than a daylong event and celebrated more than once a year.
In addition, each May brings the promise of growth and renewal. The beauty of spring has progressed to warmth throughout most of our country, except in some Northern climes where snow flurries and cold winds still remind some that global warming may not have become reality! This May will also usher in the excitement, once again, of in-person graduations and the realization for students at all educational levels that in-classroom schooling is an opportunity that should not be taken lightly. For sports enthusiasts, the hoopla of the Final Four has faded, another Masters champion has already been crowned, Major League Baseball has returned, and football with fans is beginning to be a topic of conversation. As we reflect on this month, let us also remember the most important and meaningful events and people in our lives. Yes, the month of May allows us to do all of that.
Dr. Greene is a surgeon in Charlotte, N.C.
This article is from the May 2021 print issue.
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