Mother's Day 2014

Mother's Day 2014 is fast approaching. It will be on May 11th this year. When I was growing up, I remember my paternal grandmother had two rose bushes in her yard. One was red and one was white. We would go out to the farm on Saturday before Mother's Day to get our  roses that we would wear to church.

I did a little search on the web to see if I could find a meaning for what was  remembered of those two colors  we wore on Mother's Day. There were many charts. All had their own variation as to meaning. Then, it hit me. Those old meaning were a cultural thing for  specific regions. There were traditions for weddings and  funerals, but  Easter, Mother's Day and  Father's Day held their own special meanings.

On Mother's Day, the kids my age would all look to see who wore a white rose or a red rose. It was like a game, but one of respectfulness at the same time. It was a learning experience for a 7 or 8 year old. Our parents were passing down a tradition: If your mother was living, you wore red. If your mother was deceased, you wore white. We don't do things like that today on the whole as a society. We have lost those wonderful meanings of the past.  I'm all for bringing them back.

We wore red if our mother was living.

We wore white if our mother was deceased.

 My mom entered the church triumphant ten years ago this year. White roses are worn now on Mother's Day. The only reference that came up for white roses worn on mother's day was the word, "heavenly".  There  must be an old illustrator somewhere that looked for a red rose or a white rose when he was 7 or 8 on Mother's Day and who had parents based in that tradition like my parents.