The Crocus flower is a symbol of cheerfulness and youthful gladness. (Provided photo — Diane Chase)

The United States’ Mother’s Day is right around the corner, while a different Mother’s Day has recently passed. You can take that precisely like you are reading it. International Bereaved Mother’s Day is celebrated on the first Sunday in May, while we celebrate American Mother’s Day on the second Sunday in May. The first event honors individuals who have lost children and recognizes people unable to have children–the second event is what we have traditionally celebrated.

International Bereaved Mother’s Day was started in 2010 by Australian mother Carly Marie Dudly when she couldn’t find an avenue to honor her stillborn child’s life and her pathway of being seen as a childless mother. The day continues to help destigmatize the grief, isolation and pain associated with losing a child while promoting healing while honoring these losses.

The traditional Mother’s Day celebration began in 1907 when Anna Jarvis, a Philadelphia schoolteacher, petitioned influential business people and legislators to establish a day to honor all mothers. It took Jarvis seven years, but finally, in 1914, President Woodrow Wilson dedicated the second Sunday in May, the anniversary of her mother’s death, “as a public expression of love and reverence for the mothers of our country.”

Jarvis lobbied businesses to donate a percentage of the Mother’s Day profits back to women and children in need due to the holiday’s commercialization. She was unsuccessful. She even petitioned the courts to have Mother’s Day disbanded.

Thirty-five years earlier, Julia Ward Howe (author of “The Battle Hymn of the Republic”) organized a Mother’s Day of Peace. In her Mother’s Day Proclamation, she encouraged a holiday where mothers rally for peace. Originally held on June 2, Howe wished for mothers to bond together, promote peace and have a day of activism.

I feel that anyone can use every day to honor a woman’s decision to be a mother or not be a mother, grieve the lost mother figures or lost mothering opportunities. We can look for a place to forgive neglectful people. I prefer a Mother’s Day of Peace. Peace to forgive. Peace to embrace. Peace for those lost. Peace for those broken and put back together. Not everyone shares the same journey, so listening is always best. I wish you all peace.