Presented By Claudia Loucks
Geneseo Current
On Sunday, May 12, we will celebrate “Mother’s Day,” an opportunity for “children” of all ages to express love, respect and gratitude to mothers for all the things they do and have done for us.
For those whose mothers are no longer alive, it is a time to think back and remember that special person and friend.
In the United States, Anna M. Jarvis is credited with bringing in the celebration of Mother’s Day. Anna Jarvis intended to start a Mother’s Day as an honoring of mothers. The idea itself was so great that it did not take long to be spread all over. Leaving aside the first observance, the official recognition that followed for the observance came in galore. The governor of West Virginia issued the first Mothers’ Day proclamation in 1910.
Oklahoma celebrated it in that same year. It started the same way as far west as the state of Washington. By 1911, there was not a state in the Union that did not have its own observance for Mothers’ Day. Soon it crossed the national boundary, as people in Mexico, Canada, South America, China, Japan and Africa all joined the spree to celebrate a day for mother love.
Senior students in a class of Ali Litton and some additional senior students wrote tributes to their mothers.
ELLA PETTIT – “Dear Mom, You shine so brightly through your hard work, generosity, and positivity. Your tireless dedication to your work and our family is truly inspiring. Everyone always asks me how I manage my busy schedule, and it’s all because I have you to encourage me and remind me of everything I need to do. Your positive outlook on life uplifts everyone in your presence and I couldn’t be more proud to have you as my Mom. - Ella”
KELSEY DILLIE – “Dear Mom, Happy Mother’s Day, I love you so much! You are such an amazing woman I can look up to in this life. Your kindness towards everyone you encounter, and light you shine everywhere you go does not go unnoticed by anyone. You are such a role model to me, and I just want to radiate light and love in the ways you do. I always say to you ‘no matter how old you get, sometimes you just need your mom’, and that could not be more true. You always make me feel like everything will be okay. I am so lucky to have you as my Mom, you deserve it all! I love you! I am blessed by the life you have given me. Love, Kelsey Dillie.”
ADDIE (BUG) MILLS – “Dear Mom, Hey mom, it’s me Addie. I just wanted to take a second out of my day to say how much I appreciate all you do for me and the rest of the family. I probably don’t tell you this enough, but I love you so much, and going into college I am proud to say I have the best support system out there. You are the best Mom ever and Grandma too. You always know how to make me laugh, even if I am laughing at you. I love you so much! I love you, Addie Bug.”
KADEN SALISBURY – “Dear Mom, Happy Mother’s Day! Thank you for everything you have done for me in my life. You have played a very big role in my life and without I would not be the man I am today. We have had a lot of good memories and I can’t wait to make many more. Thank you for supporting me everyday and believing in me with everything I do! Your Favorite Son, Kaden Salisbury.”
AUTUMN STEPHENS - “To the woman who has sacrificed her whole life to give me all my hopes and wishes. Today, I get to show how grateful I am for you giving me this dream life full of love and kindness. You are my best friend in this life and the next. Thank you for loving me with all you have. Happy Mother’s Day. I love you always. Autumn Stephens.”
JOSHUA STEINES – “Happy Mother’s Day! Thank you for always being that rock in my life. Keep being that joyful person you are with me and others. Without you being there for me every step of the way, I truly don’t know where I would be. I appreciate everything you have done for me and continue to do for me. Even if I may not say it every day, I want you to know in the back of your mind that I am always thinking of you. I love you so much. Your Son, Joshua Steines.”
OLIVIA MARSHALL – “Dear Mom, You are truly the best Mom I could ask for! I appreciate all of the sacrifices you have made for me, and I am thankful that I have you in my life! You are my number one supporter and fan of everything that I do. No matter what I’m doing, you are front and center and cheering the loudest. Thank you for always being there for me no matter what! I love you so much and I am so lucky to call you my best friend! Love, Olivia.”
MADISON SIMMS – “Dear Mom, Thank you for everything that you have done for me, and the sacrifices that you have made for me. You’ve had an impeccable impact on the young woman I am today. You taught me how to be an independent woman, and stick up for myself, and my beliefs. I may not show how appreciative I am of you, but without you in my life, I wouldn’t be the young woman I am today. Your favorite child, Madison Simms.”
MALLORY DWYER – “Mom, You are the bravest, the smartest, the prettiest, and the strongest person I know. Life has made you unbelievably tough, and you have no idea how much I admire you for it. There is nothing that can tear you down. You made me the person I am today, a mini copy of you. I have always been so proud of you, and I will always look up to the best person in my life. I love you more than anything in the world. Love, Mallory Dwyer.”
RUSSELL BROWN – “Dear Mom, Happy Mother’s Day! Thanks for being a great Mom and always taking me to my events. You are the best mother a son could ever ask for even though sometimes you don’t pick up your phone. You have always supported me in whatever hair-brained things I do. Also, thanks for always pushing me to be the best person I can be. So in summary, thank you and you are the best! Your Son, Russell Brown.”
MACY LITHERLAND – “Dear Mom, Thank you for everything you have done for me and will do for me! I am forever grateful for all that you have sacrificed for me. Happy Mother’s Day! I hope your day is filled with a lot of love and happiness. I am so glad that you were chosen to be my Mommy. Thank you for the endless memories and vacations. I can’t wait to experience more life with you in my next chapter. I love you! Love, Macy Litherland.”
RANDY CHASEK – “Dear Mom, This Mother’s Day I want you to know how much I appreciate you for everything you do for me. You’re always there for me when I need you and you’ve always been someone I know I can count on for anything. You are the best Mother I could ever ask for and I just want you to know how much you mean to me. Just remember, I’m the only one of your kids that’s writing you a letter for Mother’s Day. Love, Randy Chasaek.”
BROOKE BOONE – “Dear Mom, Thank you for instilling the belief in me that I can do anything I put my mind to. I appreciate you for always supporting me in everything I do, and for going the extra mile to help me accomplish my dreams. I love you to the moon and back! Brooke Boone.”
JOSH HOCK – “Dear Mother, You have been the most supportive along the way, always there to help when needed even when I didn’t want help, you still were there in case I did. And you were always the loudest supporter at sports events. Happy Mother’s Day! Your son, Josh Hock.”
LEAH ROEMER – “Dear Mom, Happy Mother’s Day! I’m just writing this letter to thank you for everything you do for me and all of your crazy children (including Dad of course). I feel like I have gotten so much closer to you over the past few years, and I think we have a really good relationship. I am so grateful for that! I love all of our goofy memories and how we get each other laughing so hard that we snort. It’s going to be so hard for both of us when I leave for college, and I still think you should come with me. Anyway, I hope you have an amazing day and thank you again for everything! I love you! Love your silly daughter, Leah Roemer.”
ANNA CALABRIA – “Dear Mom, Thank you for everything you have done for me. You have taught me many valuable lessons in life. One of my favorite things about you is that I’m able to talk to you openly about anything and many kids don’t have that opportunity. I’m eternally grateful for everything you provide for me financially, and you always go out of your way to buy me nice items. You are always there for me when I need you. I love you! Your favorite child, Anna Grace Calabria.”
NOAH DISTERHOFT – “Dear Mom, From the temper tantrums in church, to the nervous first day of high school, and to the college selection process, I want to thank you for the many years you’ve managed to put up with me. I want to thank you for pushing me to become my best constantly, and, among others, I have you to thank for who I have grown to become and who I will go on to become. Thank you for the many opportunities you have met and provided support throughout. Thank you for the many drives to and from practices; thank you for attending so many of my concerts and games; and overall, thank you for preparing me so well for my future. My confidence in myself and my preparedness for what comes after high school stems from your parenting and love. I love you so much! From Your Son, Noah.”
JILLIAN BENEKE – “To Momma, Happy Mother’s Day! You are the most amazing mother I could ever ask for. I truly don’t know what I would do without you in my life. I love you so much and you are my biggest role model. I strive to be like you everyday. You are so beautiful and strong. No matter what you are going through, you always tend to my needs first. I appreciate that so much. Being a mother is the biggest sacrifice anyone can make, and I will forever be grateful to you for being my mother. I love you so much, From Jillybean.”
SKYLAR WAINSCOTT – “Happy Mother’s Day! I am so appreciative of everything you have sacrificed to give me the best life possible. Your selflessness and dedication inspire me every day. From the late-night cuddles to the wise advice you always seem to have, every moment with you is cherished. Your love knows no bounds, and I feel incredibly blessed to have you as my Mom. I love you! Skylar Wainscott.”
COLE YORK - “Dear Mom, I appreciate you very much for all the things you have done for me throughout my life. Although we had it very tough growing up, you persevered through all the hardships that we endured. You’ve always treated me with kindness and love, and even though sometimes I think you are over-protective I know you are just protecting me. I love you and I’m very glad that you are my Mom! Sincerely, Cole.”
JACKSOIN READE – “Dear Mom, Thank you for everything that you have done. From taking care of me when I was sick, driving me to school, packing my lunches, making me laugh, and going to and watching all of my sports events. You always were at my side, supporting me in whatever challenges I may face. You always gave me words of encouragement whenever I was sad or mad, and you always picked me up when I was knocked down. I couldn’t have asked for a better person to be my Mom. Love, Jackson.”
SIDNEY SPINDEL – “Dear Mom, It’s your favorite middle child ever here. I just wanted to say how much I appreciate you. I don’t tell you enough how much I love and appreciate everything you do for me. Without you, nothing in the house or in my life would run smoothly. You make my life so much brighter and are always there to talk whenever I need it. I know I might get annoyed by the things you say or do sometimes, but I know in a year, when I’ve moved out I’m going to miss everything you do. Being a senior has taught me how much I need you. I don’t understand how I will live on my own and stay positive next year. I’m so glad to have you as MY Mom, you make everything so much better. I love you! Love, Your favorite (Sidney Spindel).”
CONNOR MITCHELL – “Dear Ma, Little did we know but you have given us the greatest treasure that will never fade in our hearts and that’s your love. Growing up, I don’t think I realized how much you did to keep our day-to-day lives running so smoothly. Now that I’m grown up, I am in awe of everything you do for us, and I admire you all the more. Thank you for making my childhood such a special one! I love you so much! Sincerely, Best Kid Connor Mitchell.”
BRAYDEN COMBS – “Dear Momma, Happy Mother’s Day! This marks the 18th time I get to say this to you, and I pray to say it many more times. You and I have been through so much together from such a young age, and I couldn’t be more thankful for the mother you have been to me. We grew up together very young and always learned each and every day, and I’d say we’re doing a really good job 18 years down the road. You have been there to celebrate my highs and mourn the lows – all right by my side. You are an exact epitome of what a mother should be to her children. You are the hardest worker I know, you take pride in everything you do, and you make it your main priority everyday to assure that our family is safe and sound. I couldn’t imagine a life without you to guide me and open doors for me that I never knew imaginable. You have been my biggest supporter through academics, athletics, social experiences, and everything in-between. Thank you – a million times over – for being the mother that I needed. You have saved my life over and over again, and I can only hope that I have saved you in some way as well.
From your Day One – I love you more than you know, and I am forever thankful to you for sticking with me each and every day. Brayden Combs.”
KARSON BANISTER – “Dear Mom, You are my voice of reason, storyteller, advice giver, hand holder, shoulder, supporter, and teacher. Thank you for everything you’ve done for me over the last 18 years and thank you for loving me unconditionally. Your Son, Karson Banister.”
LYNN COTTY – “Happy Mother’s Day! You are such an amazing Mother, I don’t know what I’d do without you. Thank you for everything you do for me! I love you so much! Lynn Cotty.”
WILLIAM HAMERLINCK – “Dear Mom, I know that we don’t always see eye to eye, but I want to thank you for always supporting my endeavors. Now that I’m getting older, I can see that all the times you pushed me to become better when I wanted to stay stagnant have paid off tremendously. You taught me to continue on when the work grows difficult because whet gets dark, it doesn’t always mean you’ve been buried, sometimes you’ve been planted. Thank you for all the little things you do to keep the family healthy and sane. Don’t go anywhere too soon; otherwise, Dad will be making us tacos and cereal for dinner each night. I love you Mom. Love, William Hamerlinck.”
JACOB STOUT – “Hey Mom it’s me, your only son, Mother’s Day is coming up so I would like to say thank you for putting up with me for the last 18 years. I know you’ve probably wanted to kill me a number of times, but you know you love me too much to do that. Anyway I’m graduating soon, crazy thought, I’m gonna be moving a couple hours away. For the first time in my life I won’t be living with you, eating dinner together will become a special event. No more waking up when I come home late, there’s a lot of things that are going to change and I know it will be hard for you so I’ll remind you I love you Mom. Jacob Stout.”
DYLAN SHIPMAN – “Dear Mother, Hi, your favorite second child Dylan here. I just want to tell you that you are the best Mother ever. I hope your Mother’s Day is the best day ever for you and you feel appreciated by all of us who you cook for. I know I’m a pain but you are just like a wonder woman to me. You are always there for me and show me that I can do anything and you help me excel in life and give me ways to overcome difficulties. You are the best Mom I could ever ask for, and I hope you have a wonderful day! Love, Dylan Shipman.”
PHILLIP MERRILL – “Dear Mom, It’s me, your first child, you know the best one, Phillip. Happy Mother’s Day and thank you for being there in mine and Oliver’s life, and I know sometimes it’s been hard. With everything that’s been going on it’s good to know that when we have a hard day that you will always be there when we need someone to talk to. Also, even when you aren’t having a good day you try your best to make sure that we are doing fine. I really appreciate that you’re always trying your best to make our lives easier when things aren’t great in life. Phillip Merrill.”
“Dear Mom, on this special day, I want to thank you for your unconditional love, your endless patience, and your generosity. You are not just my Mother, bur also my mentor, my role model, and my best friend. I am blessed to have you in my life. Happy Mother’s Day! Luke.”