Red Rose on Mother's Day

Mother's Day is coming up on Sunday. A special time we remember our Mothers who are still with us and those who have passed.  I shared this before and thought I’d put it out there again for you all to read. 

As a kid growing up there was one special HONOR that I remember and not sure many churches still do this or not.....but it was the one time of the year my Mother would get a small old Valentine box down from her closet and she had small red silk roses that she pinned on me and my brother. I was always in awe of the one WHITE rose that was in with all the red roses. My Mother would always pin that one on herself. I was a little envious at first, until she explained to me what it meant. You wore red in HONOR of your Mother if she was still alive.....and white in REMEMBRANCE if she had passed on. Well....believe me.....I was glad I was wearing the red rose instead of the white one.....because I wanted my Mom to still be alive. I was proud to sit in church and be a part of the many red roses in the congregation those many Sundays when Mother's Day rolled around. Each year I would look around and spot more white roses....a constant reminder that someone had lost their own Mother and was now forced to never more wear the red rose on Mother's Day.

Many don’t know when this old tradition was started.  Some say it was when Anna Jarvis got Mother's Day started....she wore a white carnation in honor of her mother.....but not sure who actually started the whole red/white flower tradition. And lots more say it came from the south....Appalachian tradition.....but I just remember churches, or at least our church did this every year....up until the late 70’s.

By the time my own Mother passed away in 1990, no one was wearing the small flowers anymore and not sure if very many churches still do this timely old honor? But I do know that if I had to pin on the white rose this time, I could understand so much better now why my Mom would tear up as she put on her flower. Bless our Mothers with us still and those who have passed on.