By: Jaime Smith

Mother’s Day poems and Mother’s Day quotes are just what you need to take your holiday gift or card from special to spectacular. If you’re looking for something unique this year for Mom, then look no further than Mother’s Day poems or Mother’s Day quotes. The perfect addition to a card (whether written in it or inserted on separate stationery), or ideal as a framed stand-alone gift, Mother’s Day poems and quotes go a long way in recognizing Mom on her special day, thanking her for all she does for you, and telling her just what she means to you. Whether sassy, silly or sweet, a Mother’s Day poem is sure to bring a smile to her face on Mother’s Day.

Mother’s Day poems and Mother’s Day quotes are easy to find; the trick is to find the one that sums up most accurately how you feel about Mommy dearest, the one that best describes your dedication and loyalty to your Mother, the one that really reflects how you feel about her. Here are a few Mother’s Day poems and Mother’s Day quotes that are popularly used in cards and gifts.

Mother’s Day Poems

• “M” is for the million things she gave me,
  “O” means only that she’s growing old,
  “T” is for the tears she shed to save me,
  “H” is for her heart of purest gold;
  “E” is for her eyes, with love-light shining,
  “R” means right, and right she’ll always be,
  Put them all together, they spell
  “MOTHER,”
  A word that means the world to me.
  - Howard Johnson
• Only One Mother
  Hundreds of stars in the pretty sky,
  Hundreds of shells on the shore together,
  Hundreds of birds that go singing by,
  Hundreds of lambs in the sunny weather.
  Hundreds of dewdrops to greet the dawn,
  Hundreds of bees in the purple clover,
  Hundreds of butterflies on the lawn,
  But only one mother the world wide over.
  - Author Unknown
• Wonderful Mother
  God made a wonderful mother,
  A mother who never grows old;
  He made her smile of the sunshine,
  And He molded her heart of pure gold;
  In her eyes He placed bright shining stars,
  In her cheeks fair roses you see;
  God made a wonderful mother,
  And He gave that dear mother to me.
  - Pat O’Reilly
• To My Mother
  For all the times you gently picked me up,
  When I fell down,
  For all the times you tied my shoes
  And tucked me into bed,
  Or needed something
  But put me first instead.
  For everything we shared,
  The dreams, the laughter,
  And the tears,
  I love you with a “Special Love”
  That deepens every year.
  - Author Unknown

Mother’s Day Quotes

• “All women become like their mothers. That is their tragedy. No man does. That’s his.”
  ~ Oscar Wilde, The Importance of Being Earnest, 1895
• “When you are a mother, you are never really alone in your thoughts. A mother always has to think twice, once for herself and once for her child.”
  ~ Sophia Loren, Women and Beauty
• “Mother love is the fuel that enables a normal human being to do the impossible.”
  ~ Marion C. Garretty, quoted in A Little Spoonful of Chicken Soup for the Mother’s Soul
• “Mother – that was the bank where we deposited all our hurts and worries.”
  ~ T. DeWitt Talmage
• “A man’s work is from sun to sun, but a mother’s work is never done.”
  ~ Author Unknown
• “A man loves his sweetheart the most, his wife the best, but his mother the longest.”
  ~ Irish Proverb
• “God could not be everywhere and therefore he made mothers.”
  ~ Jewish Proverb
• “My mom is a never-ending song in my heart of comfort, happiness, and being. I may sometimes forget the words but I always remember the tune.”
  ~ Graycie Harmon
• “A mother understands what a child does not say.”
  ~ Author Unknown

About the Author

Jaime Smith is a writer for American Greetings Interactive brands. AGI brands include American Greetings (ecards,) PhotoWorks (photocards,) Webshots (photosharing,) Blue Mountain (greeting cards,) Egreetings (free ecards) and Kiwee (free html codes.) She writes on family, love, holidays, friendship and more. Her content can be found on brand websites, articles, blogs and press releases. Visit www.americangreetings.com for more of Jaime’s articles.

(ArticlesBase SC #888427)

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/ – Mother’s Day Poems and Quotes

By: Kwame Kuadey

There are a myriad of different gifts ideas for mothers on Mother’s Day. Jewelry always makes a great gift, but mothers have a tendency to keep their home and living environments clean for them and their family, so gift items for the home are always a popular Mother’s Day gift idea. Choosing a gift that is convenient around the home as well as a great gift is a good idea of what you should be looking for. Of course, your mother may be more fond of jewelry or some other item. Therefore, the best gift for your mother should be based on what interests your mother the most.

When you are out shopping for a Mother’s Day gift for your mother that will be for around her home, you may want to think smaller than furniture or some other large gift for the home. This is because furniture is a very large gift and unless you know exactly what you mother would like sitting in her living room, it is best to stick to smaller gifts. For example, if your mother has a decent collection of jewelry, a small jewelry box may be a fitting gift. Collectibles make great gifts if your mother is interested in things like that. Glassware, picture frames, lamps, kitchen items, bathroom items and many more are all great gift ideas for your mother on Mother’s Day. Decorative gifts are a fantastic gift idea for most any mother on Mother’s Day. Mother’s love to decorate and make their homes look the best that they can. Therefore, any sort of unique ceramic or glass pieces go great on mantles and in hutches.

Personalized, handmade gifts are a wonderful gift idea for Mother’s Day. Handmade items are excellent because these are gifts that you can make yourself. These gifts will hold a special sentimental value for your mother and she will be able to cherish an item such as this for the rest of her life. Mother’s can appreciate the time and effort that their children put into handmade gift items. If you are going to make your mother a handmade gift, decorations or outdoor ornaments like wind chimes are also a great idea. Handmade items that were crafted by others are a great idea, too. Handcrafted items from others are unique and your mother will enjoy a gift like this thoroughly.

Another wonderful mother’s day gift idea is a gift card to a local spa. Spa gift cards are great because they offer your mother a relaxing experience. It is also one of the activities that mothers would like to do but never get the time to schedule an appointment for a spa experience or set aside money for one. So, your spa gift card will be a welcome surprise. However, before you buy that spa gift card, you need to do some research. The last thing you want to do is send your mother to a spa with the worst reputation in town. A simple Google search on spa reviews in your local area should get you started. You can also ask friends to recommend a local spa that offers a great overall experience. If you are still unsure about which spa to pick, you can buy a SpaFinder gift card at a local grocery store or online. SpaFinder gift cards are accepted at over 4,000 locations nationwide. This allows your mother to choose which Spa to go to and when to go since the gift cards do not expire.

Do not forget to get your mother a Mother’s Day card to go along with her gift, as that will be an excellent way to top off her Mother’s Day experience.

About the Author

Kwame Kuadey is a gift card expert and runs a popular gift card blog. He has written many articles on topics like Gift Card Exchange and Bankruptcy and Gift Cards. Kwame is also editor of the Ghana Tribune, a source for Ghana News

(ArticlesBase SC #827834)

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/ – Gift Ideas for Mother’s Day

By: Rose Ariadne

Beltane is a yearly event that is celebrated by Wiccans to symbolize union and balance in the world. It is usually held in May and is a celebration of fertility and new life for the coming year. The word itself means “shining fire”. This is one of the festivals that are held during day time.

For thousands of years, people have celebrated this ritual all over northern Europe and probably in lands where pagans gathered. Spring flowers are collected, and people walk through the village streets decorating houses with flowers. Most of the people in the homes would leave food outside for the “trick or treat” version of Beltane.

This celebration is all about sowing seeds and creating new life.One of the most important traditions on this holiday is that of the Maypole. Young men would choose a fir tree and fashion a pole for this occasion. This pole would be placed in the center of the village and closely guarded until the day of the celebration.

1. Choose an area for the gathering and cleanse it with a besom
2. Cast the circle in order to create a “safe space” where unwanted, unwelcome spirits cannot enter.
3. Invoke the East, South, West and North with proper ritual chanting so that they help us with their powers and energies.
4. Invite the Goddess to join us, witness our ritual and bless us. The Goddess represents the feminine aspect of fertility, the vagina (Earth)
5. Invite the God (or Gods) to bless and consecrate the pole which is the male aspect of fertility, representing the phallus which produces the seed.
6. A hole is prepared and consecrate with some oil and wine. Chant: Earth Mother, may this offering prepare you to receive this symbol of your consort, our Lord”
7. The men walk, chanting, holding the Maypole, going two steps forward and one backward, making grunting noise. The ladies present come forward and rub oil on the pole while making a wish for themselves and their future. They may also tie ribbons on the pole. The color of the ribbons also may signify their dreams for the future.
8. With a lot of flourish, chanting and effort, the heavy pole is thrust into the earth to encourage new life and the blossoming of our dreams.
9. Now that the seed has been spilled, people start dancing and the Beltane fire is lit. People dance around the fire or jump over the fire to purify them.
10. After the ritual, the deities are thanked and dismissed. Now the guardians or watchtowers are thanked for their guidance and sent off to their realms.
11. The circle is opened and people return home dreaming of abundance and prosperity for the coming year.

One of the main activities of the festival is the lighting of the bonfire. Sometimes after the community Beltane bonfire is lit, individuals re-light their own home hearth fires from the Beltane Bonfire. These bonfires are used to purify the cattle by driving them through (or between two) bonfires. Juniper boughs are thrown into the bonfire to add to the smoke and purification of people and cattle.

About the Author

Rose Ariadne has been practicing ancient forms of Witchcraft for over 25 years. Get more info about Beltane Ritual here: http://www.askroseariadne.com/

(ArticlesBase SC #518076)

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/ – How To Do The Beltane Ritual

By: Kim Pearson

The first of May is Beltane or May Day, a time to celebrate the leaping fires of passion. It marks the height of spring and the flowering of all life. Beltane is a festival of sensuality, sexuality, flowers and delight. It is a traditional time to make love, preferably outdoors.

There are many lovely old customs associated with this time. Here are seven simple ideas for celebrating this wild red time of year:

1. Make a May basket. Fill it with flowers or other outdoor objects. Leave it on a doorstep of someone who cannot get outside, such as an invalid or elderly person.
2. Make a wreath of freshly picked flowers and wear it in your hair.
3. Perfume your house with delicate scent of woodruff, a tiny, star-like flower that blooms around this time in the Northern Hemisphere.
4. Dress in bright colors, especially hot pink or crimson, the traditional colors of Beltane.
5. Erect a Maypole in your yard. It doesn’t have to be tall. You can use a yardstick, broomstick, or even a twig. At the top of the pole affix different colored ribbons. Get a group of friends, and have each choose a ribbon and make a wish upon it. (For example, “I choose this red ribbon for more passion in my life.”) Dance around the Maypole entwining your ribbons together. Then take the entwined ribbons and make a hair wreath out of them. Take turns wearing it.
6. Embrace the ones you love. Hugs and kisses all around.
7. Write poetry about Beltane, and then recite your poems aloud, preferably outside. Try haiku, an ancient Japanese poetry-art form. Haiku consist of three unrhymed lines of five, seven and five syllables. Here are three haiku about May to give you the idea:
   

   Happy women weave
   colored ribbons round their hearts
   dreams become prayers

   flap your black swan wings
   hoot like a young chimpanzee
   dance a lively dance

   petals will open
   roses show their hot male hearts
   make love to yourself

Holidays are days made holy by the attention we pay them. Simple practices such as the ones listed above remind us that we too dance to the natural rhythms of the earth.

About the Author

Kim Pearson is an author and ghostwriter who has ghostwritten or edited more than 30 non-fiction books and memoirs, plus authoring 7 books of fiction, poetry and non-fiction of her own. For more information click here.

(ArticlesBase SC #16680)

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/ – Seven Easy Ways to Celebrate Beltane

Mother’s Day is a day honoring mothers, celebrated on various days in many places around the world. Mothers often receive gifts on this day.

Different countries celebrate Mother’s Day on various days of the year because the day has a number of different origins.

One school of thought claims this day emerged from a custom of mother worship in ancient Greece, which kept a festival to Cybele, a great mother of Greek gods. This festival was held around the Vernal Equinox around Asia Minor and eventually in Rome itself from the Ides of March (15 March) to 18 March.

The ancient Romans also had another holiday, Matronalia, that was dedicated to Juno, though mothers were usually given gifts on this day.

In some countries the Mother’s Day began not as a celebration for individual mothers but rather for Christians.