Mothering Sunday

Today is Mothering Sunday (better known as Mother's Day) in the UK and Ireland. It's celebrated on a different day than in America, mainly because it originated back in the 16th century as a Christian celebration and falls on the 4th Sunday of Lent (or exactly 3 Sundays before Easter), whereas in America (and for most of the world, in fact) it falls on the 2nd Sunday in May. President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the 1st Mother's Day in the US in 1914 as a day for Americans to fly their flags in honor of mothers who had lost sons in war. It has since become one of the most commercially successful US occasions- with more flowers being sold and more people eating out in restaurants than any other day of the year.

In any case, living in the UK poses a slight problem for me in that I need to be sure to buy my Mother's Day cards now while they're available so I'll have something to send my own mother (back in the US) in May. Otherwise I'd never find one to buy! An even bigger problem is that most cards sold here refer to 'Mum' and not 'Mother' and certainly never 'Mom'. So it's a real challenge to find something that fits. Hopefully my mom will understand if she gets a card that says 'I love you Mum' on it. Oh well. It's the thought that counts.