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What would life be without mothers? They’re everything in our lives – as friends, mentors, critics, nurses, teachers… In the endless roles that mothers play so that we can feel safe, secure, and loved.

Do you know how Mother’s Day began? It has nothing to do with candies, roses or all that “stuff” that we think of when we think of Mother’s day. You’ll be surprised to know that it started with the need for sanitation. Here’s how it happened….

It all started way back in 1858 in a small town called Webster in West Virginia. There was a woman who lived there by the name of Anna Reeves Jarvis who strived to improve sanitary conditions in the town by forming Mothers’ Day Work Clubs. The Clubs raised money to buy medicine and to hire help for mothers with TB (Tuberculosis), and inspected bottled milk and food.

During the Civil War she extended the purpose of the Mothers’ Day Work Club to continuing her work for improved sanitary conditions for both sides of the conflict as well as actually treating the wounded. This somehow led to the reconciliation of several family members divided by the war, and she is credited with saving thousands of lives because of her teachings about sanitation.

The daughter of that woman, Anna Jarvis, swore at her mother’s grave in 1905 to dedicate her life to her mother’s project and to work for the establishment of Mother’s Day. True to her word, she quit her job and dedicated herself full-time to campaigning for this special occasion we now observe.

On May 10th, in 1907, the church of Grafton, West Virginia became the shrine of the first unofficial Mother’s Day.

Her hard work finally paid off in 1914 as President Woodrow signed the resolution that officially established Mother’s Day in the United States.

Ironically – in light of modern celebrations of Mother’s Day - as the years passed by Ms. Jarvis became disappointed with the increasing commercialization of the holiday. She even frowned on the practice of sending greeting cards and flowers, and later became critical of many public figures that were associated with the celebration of Mother’s Day.

Anna Jarvis died in 1948 with no children of her own and was buried beside her beloved mother.

Similarly, another woman by the name of Julia Ward Howe who was also involved in the Civil War influenced the celebration of Mother’s Day. Ms. Howe was known best for being the author of the words to the “Battle Hymn to the Republic”.

She was so appalled by the carnage of the Civil War and the Franco-Prussian War that she tried to issue a manifesto for peace at an international conference. In 1872, she began promoting the idea of a “Mother’s Day for Peace”. A year later mothers from 18 cities across America held a Mother’s Day for Peace Gathering. Some cities like Boston even continued to celebrate for many years, but the celebrations slowly died out once Howe was no longer paying for the costs.

It’s amazing to think that one woman – Anna Reeves Jarvis - whose simple goal of improved sanitation was able to build such a powerful bridge that she continues to connect people with different beliefs even today.

Modernly, Mother’s Day is celebrated in many countries around the world including Denmark, Finland, Italy, Turkey, Australia, Philippines, and Belgium. In fact more than 40 countries officially celebrate a Mother’s Day.

No matter who we are, how we grew up, or where we live, looking back at that time in our lives when we were still fragile, naive and curious, for most of us it was – and continues to be - our mother who safely guided us on our journey of life.

Our deepest secrets, hurts, fears, and aspirations are all still kept in her locket of memories, and in ours. She nurtured our pain as hers; sometimes sacrificing the things she would have like to have bought for herself just to be able to buy us our latest whim.

However Mother’s Day is celebrated, we just have to keep in mind that it’s not the things we buy for her that matters, it’s the counting of our blessings, the appreciation of the love in our loves, and the opportunity to create a truly memorable Mother’s Day this year – both for yourself – and for those special people in your life.

Tracy A. Phaup is an admiring daughter of Marian P. Turner and the creator of Mother?s Day Poems. Mother?s Day Poems was invented as a scholarship fund raising project for a unique training program to be held here in beautiful South Florida. Buy our package now - make Mom feel special on Mother?s Day and make a difference, too!

Asthma is a respiratory condition that affects 17 million Americans. Of this group, almost 6 million are children. In other words, approximately two out of every ten children suffer from this condition. If you feel that your child may have asthma, it will help you to decide on an effective treatment program if you first understand what asthma is and what symptoms it produces.

Asthma is defined as a chronic (long term) inflammatory disease of the airways. When the airways (known as bronchi) become irritated or inflamed, they narrow and cause the sufferer to gasp to wheeze and have difficulty catching his breath. During this “attack,” the muscle tissues that are found in the walls of the bronchi begin to spasm, causing the cells that line the airway to swell and secrete mucus. The combination of the two processes causes the airway to narrow, making breathing difficult. The victim’s airways will either open up on their own or in response to a variety of treatments. The condition causes the airways to become highly responsive and narrowing occurs when the airway is exposed to certain stimuli such as cold air, exercise, dust, pollutants, stress, and anxiety.

There are other symptoms of asthma other than the obvious wheezing. Some children suffer from slight occurrences of shortness of breath. Others may feel pain in their chest or begin coughing. In some cases, the child’s back or neck will begin itching right before an asthma attack. Most children will tire easily and become irritated before an attack is about to begin. In the case of an infant, the baby may have feeding problems, grunting while he is eating when his asthma is beginning to bother him.

Due to the variety of symptoms exhibited by different children, only your child’s physician can determine if your child is suffering from asthma. Some youngsters are in high risk groups to develop the condition. A child who has a variety of allergies or suffers from numerous respiratory infections may be more prone to develop asthma. Children who had a low birth weight or whose mother smoked or was exposed to smoking during her pregnancy are high risk for the condition. Children who are exposed to cigarette smoke regularly are more prone to develop it. Asthma also seems to be hereditary, so any child who has a family member who suffers from asthma is more likely to also develop it. If your child falls in to one of these high risk categories, you should inform your family doctor. This information will insure that he doctor will check your child regularly for any asthma symptoms.

When determining the treatment program for a child suffering from asthma, your doctor will first determine the category that your child’s symptoms fall into. There are several of these groups that are rated according to the frequency and severity of the asthma symptoms. From the mildest to the most severe they are as follows: mild intermittent (twice or less times a week), mild persistent (more than twice a week but not daily), moderate persistent (daily), and severe persistent (continually throughout the day). By determining the severity of your child’s condition, his doctor can recommend an effective treatment program.

Asthma is a controllable condition as long as your child follows his treatment program and avoids stimuli that may affect him adversely. In almost all cases, an asthma attack will pass and is not fatal. In the case of a severe attack, however, medical help should be called. One consolation is that most children outgrow asthma as they reach adulthood.

As a parent of an asthmatic child, you will need to teach your child the things that he should avoid as well as the warning signs that an attack may be coming on. If your child is age appropriate, you should make sure that he knows how to take his medication on his own. The combination of education and medication should enable your child to enjoy a normal, happy childhood.

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Father’s Day is the one time a year that our attention is focused on our fathers. It is usually celebrated by giving the father of the family gifts and planning a day of family-oriented activities.

The Roman Catholic Church celebrated Father’s Day on Saint Joseph’s Day, which is March 19th. Because this day falls during Lent, the Church could not celebrate it as a feast day. Many people felt that a secular holiday to celebrate fathers was needed.

The first modern Father’s Day celebration was held on July 15, 1908 in Fairmont, West Virginia. This first celebration may have been inspired by a tragedy. In December, 1907, a mine explosion in nearby Monongah killed 361 men, most of whom were fathers. Then, on May 10, 1908, the first Mother’s Day celebration was held in nearby Grafton, West Virginia. A woman by the name of Grace Golden Clayton suggested top her local pastor that their church should commemorate these fallen fathers with a celebration much like the one that had been dedicated to mothers.

Another advocate of Father’s Day was Sonora Smart Dodd who was one of six children raised by a single father, Civil War veteran William Jackson Smart in Spokane, Washington. The first of these celebrations was held on June 19, 1908 (which also happened to be the third Sunday in June). Although supported by President Woodrow Wilson and Calvin Coolidge, Father’s Day was not recognized as a holiday until 1966, when President Lyndon B. Johnson picked the third Sunday of June as the date for this celebration. It was 1972 when President Richard Nixon finally made it an official holiday.

In the United States, Father’s Day is usually celebrated with a barbeque and other outdoor activities. Most people give their father gifts or gift baskets based on a subject that he likes such a golf or baseball. In other countries, the celebrations vary as well as the method in which these countries pick the date for Father’s Day.

In Germany, Father’s Day is celebrated on Ascension Day, which if the Thursday that falls forty days after Easter. The celebration consists of small wagons that are pulled by manpower and pulled to the location that has been chosen for the activities. These wagons are loaded with wine, beer, and traditional German food, such as liverwurst and blood sausage. After making a toast to the fathers who are present, the party then begins, running into the wee hours of the morning or even sometimes until the next day.

In Taiwan, Father’s Day is not an official holiday but is usually observed on August 8th, which is the eighth day of the eighth month. In Mandarin Chinese (the language of Taiwan) the spoken word for the number “eight” is very similar to the word for “father,” both being slightly different pronunciations of the word ba. Thus, August 8th is usually known as Baba Day.

In Thailand, the celebration of Father’s Day is based upon the birthday of the current king. Today, the king is Bhumibol Adulyadej, also known as Rama IX. He has been king since June 9, 1946, which makes him the longest ruling monarch in Thai history. Since his birthday is December 5th, this has been the date for Father’s Day in Thailand for over sixty years. When the king passes away, it will be strange to most of his people to celebrate this holiday on another date as most of them have never observed it at any other time. There is speculation that December 5th may become the permanent date for Father’s Day in Thailand in the future.

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Mother’s Day is one of the most popular gift-giving holidays of the year, running a close fourth to Easter, Christmas, and Valentine’s Day. We can trace this holiday back to ancient times when the mother figure was greatly revered.

In ancient Greece, the festival of Cybele, the great mother of the Greek gods, was held around the Vernal Equinox which took place in the spring. This celebration was adopted by the Romans and celebrated between March 15th and March 18th. The Romans also celebrated Matronalia in honor of the goddess Juno which was also celebrated in the month of March. Roman mothers were given gifts on this day to show respect for them.

In Great Britain and Ireland, they celebrate Mothering Sunday. This day always falls on the fourth Sunday of Lent and began as a 16th century tradition that people went to visit their mother church annually, often reuniting mothers with their children for this one day. As society became more secular, the date was adopted as a time to celebrate and give thanks to mothers.

In the United States, Mother’s Day is celebrated on the second Sunday in May. The American holiday was loosely based on the British day and was introduced by Julia Ward Howe, a social activist and poet during the Civil War who wrote “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.” She introduced the holiday as a way to unite women against the war. While Howe was not very successful in this attempt, a young homemaker from Appalachia named Ann Jarvis attempted to improve sanitary conditions on both sides of the Civil War by adopting Mothers’ Work Day in 1858. After the war was over, she used the day to try to reconcile Union and Confederate neighbors. As a remnant of this conciliation, in some parts of the United States it is customary to plant tomatoes on Mother’s Day.

Upon her death, her daughter Anna Jarvis founded a memorial day for women that began in Grafton, West Virginia on May 10, 1908. The custom soon spread to 45 states until 1914, when President Woodrow Wilson declared the first national Mother’s Day to remember the mothers whose sons had died in war.

Once the holiday was official, businesses began turning it into a commercial venture. Anna Jarvis herself became an opponent of what the holiday that she had begun had turned into but to no avail. Mother’s Day is the busiest day of the year in the restaurant industry as most people take their mother out to dinner. Florists and gift basket companies also make a profit as people buy these items to give to their mothers.

Again, the holiday that we know as Mother’s Day falls on the second Sunday in May in the United States. This date varies from country to country. In Norway, it is celebrated on the second Sunday in February, while in the former Soviet Union it falls on March 3rd. Great Britain still celebrates it on the fourth Sunday in Lent, while many Middle Eastern countries celebrate it on March 21st. Portugal and Spain celebrates Mother’s Day on the first Sunday in May, while Mexico celebrates the occasion on May 10th. No matter what part of the world that you are in, there is some form of Mother’s Day celebrated.

No matter how commercialized this holiday has become, for some women this day represents the one time during the year that their families actually appreciate them and may even say “thank you” for all that they do. We can hope to celebrate Mother’s Day for a long time to come.

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Life insurance may seem like a no-brainer to those who have done the research and taken time to purchase a good policy. However, there are many individuals out there who do not have life insurance. For whatever reason, these people do not realize that life insurance is an incredibly important part of your long term financial plan. When someone passes away, life insurance helps those around them deal with the monetary issues once they are gone. Not having life insurance can mean that a potential financial crisis for your loved ones could be around the corner. This causes grief and issues on a family who is already suffering enough.

“People generally do not like to save,” said Rene Lacape, Member of the San Diego Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and Marketing Manager for Equote Life Insurance. “It isn’t that they cant save. It isn’t that they do not have money to save. It’s the fact that they do not want to save more. The money that should be set aside for your life insurance premium should be considered “savings” not just for your premium but understanding the big picture in terms of the security the policy provides in the event of death.”

It is important for people to have life insurance, which essentially replaces the policyholder with a monetary value once they are gone. They have put money and assets into the savings over the years and if they do not have the financial savings to replace that, it is considered a looming economic loss that can burden your loved ones for years to come.

“Economic loss is never good,” reminds Rene Lacape. “While it is sad to consider human life in terms of money, it is true. When someone passes away, there is a loss to the family with regards to spouses and children. Economically speaking, someone saving money to replace themselves financially is important but unfortunately unachievable for most people.”

Getting someone to replace himself or herself financially can be a stretch as some fail to see why they need to save money that would benefit survivors should they pass away. Some people are preoccupied with their own wants and often overlook investing in a vehicle like life insurance. It is important to get them to realize that they need to replace themselves in terms of income so their family avoids hardship in coming years.

“In the end, it is all about replacing the value of a human life in terms of assets and family security,” added Rene Lacape. “Everyone makes their own small stamp on the economy. If that value is not replaced in the form of monetary funds that would not be out there, it is lost. The goal is to not lose that economic value. This is viewed from sort of a macroeconomic perspective as well as a personal perspective.”

While it may seem awkward to think of human life in terms of its monetary and economic value, it is crucial to get clients to understand the value of life insurance. When they realize that not having life insurance can affect the family, and cause economic loss, they may begin to realize the importance of saving that much more money and purchasing the right insurance policy.

Jonathan Carlson is a veteran freelance writer covering the a Jonathan Carlson is a veteran freelance writer covering the life insurance industry.