Mothers’ Day and don’t forget flowers

Mothers’ Day is celebrated on May 12th.

The first traces of Mother’s Day can be found in Greek mythology when goddess Rhea, the mother of Zeus, was honored in spring. In the Middle East, most countries celebrate the holiday on March 21 – which is the spring equinox.

The tradition of a “Mothering Sunday” can be traced to an early Christian festival of the same name, initially intended as a date to encourage people to return to their local or “mother” church for a special annual service. Over the centuries, the meaning evolved to incorporate the celebration of family, specifically mothers, and although the religious aspect was largely lost, it has become customary to give mothers gifts on this day. It has become a tradition for children to personally visit with their mother, send them a card, talk to them on the phone or send flowers. One quarter of all flowers purchased throughout the year are for this holiday. Flowers have long been a personalized way of letting moms and pseudo-moms (aunts, grandmothers, foster moms, step-moms, friends, and other women who have played an important part in the sender’s life,) know how important a role they played in the sender’s life and communicate how they might feel towards them.

Substantial research demonstrates that giving a bouquet of flowers holds many positive health and psychological benefits and touch the hearts of both the giver and the receiver. Research from the University of North Florida shows that people who have flowers in their homes, even for just a few days, report a significant decrease in their levels of stress and improvements in their moods. The findings are important from a public health perspective because adding flowers to reduce stress does not require tremendous effort to generate a meaningful effect. When life seems to be in a constant state of frenzy, flowers can provide a much-needed moment of calm. Another study finds that the presence of flowers triggers happy emotions, heightens feelings of life satisfaction and affects social behavior in a positive manner far beyond what is normally believed. Flowers can have long-term positive effects on moods, as study participants reported feeling less depressed, anxious and agitated after receiving flowers, and demonstrated a higher sense of enjoyment and life satisfaction.

Flowers may have something to do with my eternal good mood. Hubby regularly comes home from grocery shopping with a bouquet of flowers purchased from Aldi’s, which he replaces weekly. It is a joy to come into the living room to see the colorful blossoms blooming. I cannot help but smile when I see them, wiping out any previous stressful thoughts. They have an immediate impact on MY happiness with positivity oozing from every petal. Studies have shown that flowers make us happier and have strong positive effects on our emotional well being, and a long-term positive effect. Study participants reported feeling less depressed, anxious and agitated after receiving flowers, and demonstrated a higher sense of enjoyment and life satisfaction.

A six-month behavioral study by Rutgers on the health effects of flowers on senior citizens, demonstrates that flowers ease depression, inspire social networking and refresh memory as we age. The study demonstrates that flowers decrease depression, as participants showed a significant increase in happiness and positive moods when flowers were present. Surprisingly, flowers refreshed recent memory.  Seniors performed higher on everyday memory tasks and experienced enriched personal memories in the presence of flowers. They also encourage companionship. Seniors who received flowers re-engaged with members of their communities and enlarged their social contacts to include more neighbors and religious support.  While instinct tells me that flowers lift our spirits, the latter two improvements were profound. Specifically, 81 percent of seniors who participated in the study reported a reduction in depression following the receipt of flowers and it is well known that happier people live longer. Forty percent of seniors reported broadening their social contacts beyond their normal social circle of family and close friends. And, 72 percent of the seniors who received flowers scored very high on memory tests in comparison with 22 percent of seniors who did not receive flowers.

A successful gift giver is not necessarily someone with a lot of money and material goods, but rather someone who is in tune with people and knows how to touch their hearts. I can think of no other item besides flowers that evokes such positive feelings and perceptions for both the giver and the recipient. Just a bunch of daisies is enough to turn my heart to jelly, especially if they are from a grandchild who hand picked them. Extra credit is given for a handmade bow.

Next to getting flowers on Mother’s Day, a personal phone call from my adult children, including their offspring, delights me.  Even when my grandchildren were infants and toddlers, they would tolerate my singing nursery rhymes for them, something I did with all of my children when they were younger. As they age, I am sure that they roll their eyes at my warbling, but they are kind hearted and do not mention that it annoys them. According to Peter Rogers, senior vice president of VIP Communications, Mothers’ Day is the most popular day to place phone calls, registering more calling traffic than any other holiday, including New Year’s and Valentine’s Day.

Of course, taking mom out to eat is also a treat.  Hubby’s mom prefers Top of The Bay for her luncheon, and we were thrilled when the restaurant reopened so we could continue this tradition. With this activity, I am doubly blessed to celebrate being both a gifter and giftee.

Most of all, it is important to do SOMETHING for Mothers’ Day to acknowledge the importance of someone who has had a major effect on our lives. Life is short, and for my own mom I am relegated to bringing flowers to her gravesite at the Veterans’ Cemetery. She was not a person who would “waste money” on flowers, but I am hoping that she enjoys them posthumously.