Senior Center celebrates mothers

Laura Young and Christian Peterson
ECB Publishing, Inc.

Every year, on the second Sunday in May, people across the U.S. take the day to remember and honor women who have the hardest job on the planet – being a mom. In Jefferson County, families, churches, organizations and individuals joined in the Mother's Day celebrations. At the Jefferson Senior Citizens Center (JSCC) on Thursday, May 5, the celebration took the form of a special luncheon donated by retired educator Nancy Benjamin. Benjamin said she enjoyed honoring mothers in this way. This is the first dinner she's sponsored since the pandemic ensued two years ago.
Clients, board members and staff filled the JSCC dining hall to enjoy a delicious menu featuring chicken.
Frances Miller Walker, a regular JSCC client, commented, “We would like to thank Ms. Benjamin for the wonderful blessing that she blessed us with today.”
Senior Companion Earnestine Keaton added, “We appreciate the Mother's Day banquet.”
Benjamin not only provided the meal but took time to visit with folks at their tables during the festivities.
Everleana White and Martha Lamar chimed in together to say, “Everything was enjoyable and tasteful and very considerate of them.”
It was a consensus! Dorothy Mae Jones added, “The food was wonderful – delicious! Most of all we thank those who cooked a wonderful Mother's Day dinner, and I thank God I was able to have another Mother's Day.”
Miner Brookins, a past JSCC board president, said, “We are excited to have the luncheon donated. Praise God for all the living mothers as well as the mothers we remember.”
Board Member George Pittman echoed, “We thank God of all the mothers throughout the world. We thank God for all the sponsors and all the participants for making this meal on behalf of all mothers. God bless all mothers.”
The first Mother's Day was celebrated in 1907 by Anna Jarvis and the congregation of Andrews Methodist Episcopal Church in West Virginia. By 1911, all U.S. states observed Mother's Day, even though it was not officially designated a national holiday until President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed it the second Sunday in May in 1914.
Special days to honor mothers happen in more than sixty countries around the world, but not necessarily on the same day as in the U.S. Of course, we don't have to wait until Mother's Day to show moms appreciation for their love and dedication. Ways we honor motherhood in May – sending flowers, writing cards, sharing a special meal, going shopping together and just taking time to talk – can happen any month, any Sunday, any day.