Mother's Day is set apart every year in honor of motherhood. On the second Sunday in May, many families and churches make a special point of honoring mothers. Many people follow the custom of wearing a carnation on Mother's Day A colored carnation means that a person's mother is living. A white carnation indicates that a person's mother is dead.

A day for honoring mothers was observed many years ago in England. It was called Mothering Sunday, and came in mid-Lent. Yugoslavs and people in other nations have observed similar days.

Julia Ward Howe made the first known suggestion for a Mother's Day in the United States in 1872. She suggested that people observe a Mother's Day on June 2 as a day dedicated to peace. For several years, she held an annual Mother's Day meeting in Boston. Mary Towles Sasseen, a Kentucky schoolteacher, started conducting Mother's Day celebrations in 1887. Frank E. Hering of South Bend, Ind., launched a campaign for the observance of Mother's Day in 1904.

Three years later, Anna Jarvis of Grafton, W. Va., and Philadelphia, began a campaign for a nationwide observance of Mother's Day. She chose the second Sunday in May, and began the custom of wearing a calnation. On May 10, 1908, churches in Grafton and Philadelphia held Mother's Day celebrations. The service at Andrews Methodist Episcopal Church in Grafton honored the memory of Anna Jarvis' own mother, Mrs. Anna Reeves Jarvis.

At the General Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church in Minneapolis, Minn., in 1912, a delegate from Andrews Church introduced a resolution recognizing Anna Jarvis as the founder of Mother's Day. It suggested that the second Sunday in May be observed as Mother's Day.

Mother's Day received national recognition on May 9, 1914. On that day, President Woodrow Wilson signed a joint resolution of Congress recommending that Congress and the executive depaltments of the federal government observe lviother's Day. The next year, President Wilson was authorized to proclaim Mother's Dayan annual national observance.

We are to praise our mothers because of the wonderful things they have done to bless us. While many women do many wonderful things, a mother, our mother, surpasses all others because she has done them for us. Think of all she has done to give us life: offered her body, her time, her own physical nourishment, her attention, her affection, her concern, her laughter, her tears, her guidance, her correction, her pain, her praise, her care, her sleep, and her love. In fact, the list could continue for more than a page.

Most mothers have made incredible sacrifices for their children. Some of those are tangible. Others are places in her heart. So we praise our mothers because they are worthy of praise. "Give honor to whom honor is due." Can you think of anyone more deserving of honor? Mothers come to glory the old fashioned way: "They earn it!"

Take a moment and reminisce. Think of all the times your mother cared for you in special ways — birthday parties, shopping for you, praying for you, doing without so you could have…

Write her a personal note thanking her for some of those. Remember them to her in as much detail as you can. But make sure she gets the drift of the message: "There are a lot of good women out there in the world, but Mom, you're the greatest!"

The real superstar women in our world are not the shooting stars who twinkle for a while in People Magazine® or a Barbara Walters Special. No, the true superstar women, are known by their service to those they love. Now it's just up to us to make sure these stars know just how super we think they are!