Few holidays have the emotional element associated with them like Mother's Day. There's something about honoring our mothers that brings a tear to our eyes and a warmth in our hearts. So it is with great fervor that we show our love and gratitude to moms, whether near or far, on the second Sunday of May.  Here is how the holiday began.

Inspired by her mother's (Julia Ward Howe) tireless work on behalf of American women, Anna Jarvis advocated and promoted the honoring of mothers and motherhood across the nation and was successful in it's first celebration in the United States in 1908 in West Virginia and Pennsylvania churches. President Woodrow Wilson signed Mother's Day into national observance in 1914. As a tribute to her mother and her work on behalf of mothers, Howe made the white carnation--her mothers' favorite flower-- the symbol of Mother's Day. Mother's Day facts such as these set the tone for what this holiday would become and how we celebrate it today.

Today, we honor deceased moms by wearing white carnations and we honor living moms by wearing pink or red carnations. While other flowers are commonly used--roses, lilies and orchids--carnations are the traditional Mother's Day flower. At one point, wearing a carnation corsage to church was the rule of the day. Now, bouquets of flowers--including carnations--are sent across the country and the world  from those who can't be with their moms. No matter what flowers you choose, flowers are an integral part of this most special of holidays, as moms are thanked and honored everywhere.