This Mother’s Day, the words of Julia Ward Howe, one of the women credited with its establishment in the United States, seem especially appropriate: “Why do not the mothers of mankind interfere with [war] to prevent the waste of that human life of which they alone bear and know the cost?” Ms. Howe envisioned Mother’s Day as an occasion to promote active peacemaking.

Anna Jarvis, who led the effort to make it a national holiday, spent the years following the Civil War working to heal the wounds between the North and South. Two remarkable women with visions of a future where mothers wouldn’t have to bury their too-young sons; how did their dreams get so cheapened?

This Mother’s Day, send chocolates if you must, then look for ways to make the world a more peaceful place. And thanks, Mom.

Andrew Donaldson

Blue Hill