Mothers inspire gratitude, appreciation in children of all ages
By: Ken Weingartner
ALLENTOWN Debbie Personette will be very busy this weekend. It will be because of mothers. And it will be made possible by her own mother.
Ms. Personette owns Bloomers & Things, a floral shop on South Main Street. Mother’s Day, which will be celebrated Sunday, is second to Valentine’s Day in terms of business, she said.
"Last year, I ran out of flowers," Ms. Personette said. "The line was out the door Sunday. We do 300 to 400 arrangements for the holiday. A lot of places stop taking orders on Friday. If you don’t have it in by then, you won’t get anything. You don’t want that to happen to mom."
Ms. Personette bought Bloomers & Things nearly two years ago. She said it would be impossible for her to put in the necessary hours at the shop if it wasn’t for her own mother, Eleanor, taking care of her 5-year-old daughter.
"If it wasn’t for her, I couldn’t do this," she said. "I’m putting in 16- to 17-hour days. Mother’s Day doesn’t exist for me. It’s a rough week."
Personality-wise, Ms. Personette said she differs from her mother.
"My mother is very safe, she doesn’t like taking chances," Ms. Personette said. "She likes to have all her cards in a row. I take chances. I’m very unlike my mother in that way.
"But she’s 100 percent for me," she added. "She’s a great woman."
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"My mother was the most beautiful woman I ever saw. All I am I owe to my mother. I attribute all my success in life to the moral, intellectual and physical education I received from her." George Washington
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Mother’s Day first was celebrated in 1907, but its roots date back to the mid-1800s.
In 1858, Anna Jarvis, a young Appalachian homemaker, organized "Mother’s Work Days" to improve sanitation in her community. She believed that mothers made the best community activists and should be honored for their contributions.
Following the death of her mother in 1905, the younger Anna Jarvis embarked on a remarkable campaign to fulfill her mother’s dream of establishing a national memorial day for mothers.
To achieve her goal, she poured out a constant stream of letters to men of prominence President William Taft and former President Theodore Roosevelt among them.
Finally, on the second Sunday of May in 1907, a Mother’s Day service was held at the Methodist Church in Grafton, W. Va., and in Wannamaker Auditorium in Philadelphia.
The day soon spread to churches in 45 states and in Puerto Rico, Hawaii, Mexico, and Canada. The governor of West Virginia proclaimed a Mother’s Day in 1912; Pennsylvania’s governor did the same in 1913. And the following year, President Woodrow Wilson signed a congressional resolution making Mother’s Day official.
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"I remember my mother’s prayers and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life." Abraham Lincoln
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Nancy Stein, the head librarian at the Allentown Public Library, said she always was close to her mother, Kathryn, who lives in Keyport. The bond was strengthened by the fact Ms. Stein’s mother never learned to drive, so the two frequently did things together.
"She’s a wonderful mother and a wonderful grandmother," Ms. Stein said. "She’s a very strong influence in my life. She was always positive. Even now if I have a problem, she always knows how to lend me the support I need. She always knows what to say."
Ms. Stein said her mother provided her with a strong foundation, built largely upon faith.
"My mother’s deeply religious," Ms. Stein said. "She instilled in me a deep faith in God. As long as I’m centered in that respect, I think that’s the best advice she gave to me. You never do anything alone, you always have a friend. I think that makes her strong, too."
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"God could not be everywhere and therefore he made mothers." Jewish proverb
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A mother’s advice is offered frequently, but not always heeded. Maggie Cereste said her mother, Emily of Athens, Pa., usually provided solid bits of wisdom.
"She told me not to let people walk all over me," said Ms. Cereste, a librarian at the Allentown Public Library. "But I didn’t really listen, even to this day. But I think it was good advice. I should’ve listened a little harder."
Ms. Cereste said her mother rarely gloated when the advice turned out to be correct.
"She usually doesn’t say ‘I told you so.’ She waits for me to admit it," Ms. Cereste said. "She was right quite a few times. She always listens to me and listens to my problems. She’s been doing it for years and years and years."
Ms. Cereste said she learned a lot from her mother, particularly about raising a family.
"Sometimes, I went in the opposite direction of what she did, but I earned her respect because she thought I was a good mother," said Ms. Cereste, who calls her mother at least every Sunday.
Ms. Cereste described her mother as "kind of quiet, kind of serious." But just when you think you know someone, they can surprise you a little. On a recent visit, Ms. Cereste showed her mother the video "Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me."
"She got a real kick out of it," Ms. Cereste said. "It kind of surprised me."
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"Youth fades; love droops, the leaves of friendship fall; A mother’s secret hope outlives them all." Oliver Wendell Holmes
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Pamela Sabato, who works with her husband, Al, at Main Street Dental in Allentown learned a great deal from her mother, Terry, particularly when it comes to being businesslike.
"She taught me organizational skills and that cleanliness is next to Godliness," Ms. Sabato said. "She always wanted us to be ladies and respectful. She always wanted us to be an educated, successful, self-made person. She served as an excellent role model.
"And she’s a very good cook. I simulate some of my cooking patterns after her."
Ms. Sabato’s mother, who lives in Florence, worked as a supervisor for Educational Testing Service.
"She’s a really hard worker and what makes her really special is how much she loves her family," she said. "She would do anything for her family."