The 'Mother' of All Pandemics: An animated debate has already ensued among scientists, journalists, and among us, the 'unwashed', as to where the current pandemic will end up in the rankings of health related calamities. A debate that will persist many decades, I imagine. Beyond debate is the special place and powerful force mothers have always represented in our world. 

       The origin of Mother's Day, of course, can be traced back as far as the ancient Greeks and Romans, and the roots of the more modern version of Mother's Day can also be traced back in the UK where a Mothering Sunday was celebrated well before Woodrow Wilson signed the Joint Resolution in 1914 (or four years before the Great Pandemic of that era), designating the second Sunday in May as a day the United States would set aside to celebrate mom (then along came Hallmark to really institutionalize it!). A few decades after President Wilson's proclamation, a dramatic event unfolded which for me depicts a vivid illustration of the unparalleled power mothers represent to most of us. In "Flags of Our Fathers", while the opposing forces fighting for the volcanic ash heap known as Iwo Jima (coveted as a strategic piece of real estate near the end of WW II) were told they were fighting for different noble purposes, when wounded or lonely at night what could be heard above the din of battle in various languages and dialects was "Mom!". An even more contemporary and lighter side example of the power of the 'Mom Card' can be found in the vast footage of college and professional sports--when an athlete, who has probably been coached almost exclusively by men is candidly caught on camera, their first reaction is most often "Hi mom!".  

       So, whether we find ourselves at peace or war, in the midst of a pandemic or enjoying traquillity and prosperity, we join together today with a throng of voices across many nations and ages in a chorus of "Happy Mother's Day, I Love You Mom!"