“From the land of Play, from the land of Play.”
And where can that be, Mr. Jay?
“Far away – far away.”
Where do you come from, Mrs. Dove?
“From the land of Love, from the land of Love.”
And how do you get there, Mrs. Dove?
“Look above – look above.”
Where do you come from, Baby Miss? From the land of Bliss, from the land of Bliss.”
And what is the way there, Baby Miss?
“My Mother's kiss – My Mother's kiss.”
-Laurence Alma-Tadema (1897)
Much has changed since that children's poem was written, but fortunately one thing has not. It is the people in the M-obile O-perations M-anagerial S-ervice.
By Alex Berger
On May 9 these doctors, soldiers, teachers, politicians, editors, athletes, psychologists, nurses, bankers, home attendants, homebodies and members of every other profession and occupation you can think of will receive a much-deserved honor.
What name are they usually known by? I won't tell, but perhaps the lyrics of this song, written by Howard Johnson and Theodore Morse in 1915, may give you a hint.
“'M' is for the million things she gave me; 'O' means only that she's growing old; 'T' is the tears that were shed to save me; 'H' is for her heart of purest gold; 'E' is for her eyes with love light shining; 'R' means right, and right she'll always be. Put them all together they spell 'mother,' a word that means the world to me.”
That's right! The most loving word in the English language is simply “mother.”
The day to honor them is celebrated once a year on the second Sunday in May. It was first observed 97 years ago through the efforts of Anna Jarvis, who thought that her mother and all mothers are special people. She marveled at the role they play and the many things they do.
Jarvis grew up in West Virginia not long after the Civil War ended in 1865. There was a lot of friction at that time because many soldiers from the same family had fought on opposite sides. Jarvis' mother wished there were a holiday for mothers so sons would be better able to make peace with each other on their mother's special day. Jarvis carried out her mother's wishes and spread the idea of Mother's Day.
In May 1907 she arranged a special service in Philadelphia in honor of all mothers. The services proved so popular that the following year on the second Sunday in May many more Philadelphia churches conducted such services. By 1911 there was not a state in the nation without some observance of Mother's Day.
Jarvis also wrote to the president and other world leaders encouraging them to make Mother's Day an official holiday. With Congress' official approval in 1914, President Woodrow Wilson finally did, and the second Sunday in May was designated. Since that time, Mother's Day has become more of a celebration than an observance.
The painting “An Arrangement in Grey and Black,” known to most of the world as “Whistler's Mother,” was one of the most popular gifts in the early celebration of Mother's Day. Back then, many people wore a carnation on this day. A colored carnation signified that their mother was living, and a white carnation symbolized that their mother was deceased.
Mother's Day has grown into an international celebration. Festivities are held throughout the world. In England, however, people celebrate a special day called Mothering Sunday. It comes approximately three weeks before Easter. Children away from home return to give their mothers gifts. Other children give their mothers flowers that were blessed in church that day.
The remarkable growth of Mother's Day in a relatively short time can be attributed to everyone's having a reason to celebrate it. Everyone has or had a mother. Despite the many jokes and adverse comments to the contrary, we still appreciate the things that mothers do (or did) for us. It is only fitting that we set aside a day each year to honor our mothers.
“But,” you say, “what about the residents of Queens who come from other lands and speak a foreign language? How do they say their most loving word in their language?”
Hmm! I thought about that and ran out to interview many of my neighbors. I wandered from Astoria to Little Neck. I also found there are an unusually large number of languages spoken in Queens.
Compiling a complete list is virtually impossible. So in the event that your language has been unintentionally omitted, please forgive me. Contact me and I will include it in next year's Mother's Day column.
The following list contains the foreign city (alphabetically), language or mother tongue and word for “mother” for each. Can you name the country?
Athens………………Greek……………………Mite'ra
Calcutta……………Hindi……………………..Man
Canton……………..Cantonese………………..Ma
Casablanca………..Arabic……………………Um'm
Haifa………………Hebrew…………………..Eemah
Jakarta…………….Indonesian………………..Ibu
London……………English……………………Mater
Nairobi……………Swahili……………………Mama Mzazi
Port-au-Prince……..French……………………Mere
Rio de Janeiro……..Portuguese……………….Mae
Rome………………Italian……………………Madre
Seoul………………Korean…………………..Umah
Stockholm…………Swedish…………………..Moder
Valparaiso………….Spanish………………….Madre
Yokohama…………Japanese…………………Okasan
Queens……………All of the above and many others
My House…………Love…………………….Gloria
My mother (I called her “Mama”) passed away many years ago, but she still lives in my memory. Under her guidance, her children never knew we were poor. We always had three nutritious and delicious meals a day and wore clean and mended hand-me-down clothing.
We never knew that other people did not have hot and cold running cockroaches and mice in their homes. We never knew that our 10-person family's (my parents, eight children, a boarder and a cat) sharing a small two-bedroom apartment was overcrowded, and we never knew that being evicted at least once was not a normal living experience.
That is, until a bratty, richer cousin derogatorily mentioned it to me when I was 10. Nonetheless, we children would not exchange our happy childhood years for anyone else's, including those of the rich and famous.
So, Mama, you did well. Sleep well. And mothers everywhere, be proud. It is your day, so enjoy it. Happy Mother's Day.
Reach columnist Alex Berger at timesledger@aol.com or call 718-229-0300, Ext. 140.
