My Mother, Norma Wright, co-author of Sunday’s post about Mother’s Day
Sunday is Mother’s Day. I’ll have another post on that day that I hope you’ll all be interested in reading. I have a co-author this time. My mother, Norma Wright, shared a few memories with me about being a mother as well as a story or two about her own mother. I really enjoyed them and I think you will, too.
Mother’s Day has an interesting history. Don’t you just love Wiki? Anna Jarvis of Grafton, West (By God) Virginia celebrated the first Mother’s Day in memory of her mother in 1908. She had begun a campaign to create a holiday honoring mothers three years earlier. She wanted to set aside a day to honor “the person who has done more for you than anyone in the world.” The first state to create the holiday was her home state of West Virginia in 1910. President Woodrow Wilson signed the proclamation declaring the second Sunday in May as a national holiday honoring mothers.
After she got what she wanted, Jarvis came to resent the commercialization of the holiday and wanted to do away with it. She said the day should be about sentiment, not profit. She organized boycotts and threatened court actions to stop the commercialization. In 1925 she was arrested for disturbing the peace after she protested against the American War Mothers who were selling carnations. You just can’t please some folks, I reckon.
Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah paid a visit to the SOS Children’s Village Amman, where she celebrated mother’s day with children and their caregivers in the village.
Other countries have adopted the holiday, making it pretty much a global phenomenon. Here in Jordan, Mother’s Day is celebrated on the vernal equinox.
Well, I reckon that’s about enough dry history. I’m coughing dust here. Be sure to pop in on Sunday to read what Mother and I came up with to recognize the day. You’ll enjoy it and I know she’ll enjoy knowing that folks from all round the world enjoyed her story! I hope to see you on Sunday!
While you’re out and about, you might want to visit these good blogging friends. Follow them. Tell your friends about them!
The Curtain Raiser
Honoré Dupuis
Jan Urban
Subhan Zein
Seumas Gallacher
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About Ol' Big Jim
Jim L. Wright is a storyteller with a lifetime of experiences as colorful as the characters he creates. Born and raised in Piedmont, Alabama, Jim’s connection to the land, history, and people of the region runs deep. His debut novel New Yesterdays is set in his hometown, where he grew up listening to stories of the past—stories that sparked his imagination and curiosity for history.
Today, Jim lives in Leeds, Alabama, with his husband Zeek, a tour operator who shares his passion for adventure and discovery. Known affectionately as “Ol’ Big Jim,” he has had a diverse career that includes time as a storekeeper, an embalmer, a hospital orderly, and a medical coder. There are even whispers—unconfirmed, of course—that he once played piano in a house of ill repute.
No matter the job, one thing has remained constant: Jim is a teller of tales. His stories—sometimes humorous, sometimes thought-provoking—are often inspired by his unique life experiences. Many of these tales can be found on his popular blog, Ol’ Big Jim, where he continues to share his musings with a loyal readership.
Jim’s adventures have taken him far beyond Alabama. For seven years, he lived in Amman, Jordan, the world’s oldest continuously inhabited city. His time there, spent in smoky coffee shops, enjoying a hookah and a cup of tea while scribbling in his ever-present notebook, deeply influenced his worldview and his writing.
When Jim isn’t writing, he’s thinking about writing. His stories, whether tall tales from his past or imaginative reimagining is of historical events should read from his past or imaginative reimaginings of historical events, reflect a life lived fully and authentically. With New Yesterdays, Jim brings readers a rich tapestry of history, fantasy, and human connection.
Visit his blog at www.olbigjim.com to read more of his stories, or follow him on social media to keep up with his latest musings and projects, one of which is a series that follows Bonita McCauley, an amateur detective who gets into some very sticky situations.
His book, New Yesterdays, can be found at Amazon US, Amazon UK, Smashwords, and Barnes and Noble.
olbigjim 
I REMEMBER SOMETHING ELSE I MAY HAVE NEVER TOLD YOU. WHEN YOU, AND TONY WERE LITTLE (MICHAEL WAS A BABY). WE WERE AT MY MOTHER’S HOUSE AND GRANDMA RHINEHART WAS THERE FOR A A COUPLE OF WEEKS AND HAD OF COURSE WATCHED ME ALL THIS TIME AS I TOOK CARE OF ALL OF YOU. YOU 2 HAD BEEN PLAYING IN THE YARD AND CAME IN KINDA DIRTY I THOUGHT. I PUT YOU UP IN KITCHEN CHAIRS AT THE SINK AND PROCEEDED TO WASH YOU UP. (YOU ALWAYS HATED YOUR HANDS TO BE DIRTY) MY FAULT I GUESS. ANYWAY GRANDMA CAME IN THERE AND SAID. “NORMA YOU ARE GOING TO WASH THEM BABIES AWAY. IT WON’T HURT THEM TO GET DIRTY, IT’S CLEAN DIRT.” TO ME THAT WAS FUNNY. I THINK I TOLD HER I DID NOT WANT YOU TO BE DIRTY AND SHE LET ME KNOW A LITTLE DIRT NEVER HURT NO KID. I’VE NEVER FORGOT THAT CONVERSATION. YOU MIGHT SAY IT WAS WORDS OF WISDOM BECAUSE OF COURSE YOU CAN’T KEEP LITTLE ONE’S OR KIDS FROM GETTING DIRTY, THEY NOT ALWAYS GOING TO BE CLEAN. I CAN SAY NO ONE OUTSIDE THE FAMILY EVER SAW ONE OF MY LITTLE DIRTY. I EVER TOOK A WET WASH CLOTH WITH ME WHEN WE WERE SOMEWHERE. ANOTHER ONE I REMEMBER WAS WHEN BONITA WAS A BABY. THEY WERE HAVING SOMETHING AT THE CHURCH WHERE UNCLE HAVIS & AUNT PEARL WENT AND WE WENT OF COURSE YOU WERE ALL DRESSED THE VERY BEST I COULD. WELL UNCLE HAVIS GOT UP TO SING AND GOT TO TALKING ABOUT PEOPLE USING EXCUSES NOT TO GO TO CHURCH, THEN POINTED US OUT AND SAID SOMETHING LIKE ” I AM SO PROUD OF MY NIECE SITTING ON THE FRONT ROW. (THE CHURCH WAS FULL AND HE PUT US UP THERE) SHE’S HERE WITH ALL 5 OF HER CHILDREN. I DON’T KNOW HOW SHE DOES IT BUT SHE GET THEM ALL CLEAN, DRESSED AND READY TO GO AND HERSELF. IT’S ALL I CAN COULD TO GET JUDY AND MYSELF READY TO GO. (AUNT PEARL WORKED 2ND SHIFT AT THE MILL) HE WENT ON & ON ABOUT HOW PROUD HE WAS AND HOW GOOD YOU ALL WERE IN CHURCH. WELL THAT’S ENOUGH FOR THIS EARLY MORNING. I’LL WRITE AGAIN SOON I LOVE YOU DEARLY AND MISS YOU MOTHER
Norma Wright wnannie65@aol.com
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I remember the story about Grandma, but hadn’t thought of it in years. Thanks for remembering and sharing it! I love you!
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A great post. Mother’s Day in UK is March. Would be good if we all celebrated on the same day ☺
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