Good morning, it's Thursday, May 10, 2018, only three days before Mother's Day. Although venerating motherhood is a tradition that goes back thousands of years, the annual American celebration known as Mother's Day owes its existence to events that took place simultaneously 110 years ago on this date in Philadelphia and rural West Virginia.
The Philly event was held in the auditorium of Wanamaker's, the city's first department store. The West Virginia event was held in Andrews Methodist Church in the railroad town of Grafton. That church is officially designated as the International Mother's Day Shrine.
The two cities' Mother's Day origins were the result of efforts by the same woman, a dutiful daughter named Anna Jarvis. I'll have her story, as well, as a few of the most memorable political quotes about motherhood, in a moment.