Mothers' Day, May 8, 2005.  Here in Hawai'i and in places around the world such as Denmark, Finland, Turkey, Italy and Australia, we send heartful cards, bring lively flowers/sweet candies, hugs and special presents to express our deepest gratitudes and love for our mothers on "the second Sunday of May".

For vitually all of us (except, no offense, maybe some test-tube folks, cloned beings or certain tribes of extraterrestrial alien races ..we entered this physical realm of reality from the womb of our mother.  Regardless of religion, ethnicity, nationality, financial status or political persuasion...we are all here because our moms chose to birth us.

In l870 Boston, Julia Ward Howe made a Proclamation for the first Mother's Day For Peace, following the bloody US Civil War.  Howe, author of The Battle Hymn of the Republic, put forth this call to peace to mothers of all nations that eventually resulted in the US National Holiday we celebrate, that was proclaimed by W. Wilson in l9l4.

Howe's words, in part:

"We will not have great questions decided by irrelavant agencies.  Our husbands shall not come to us, reeking with carnage, for caresses and applause.  Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn all that we have been able to teach them of charity, mercy & patience."

"We women of one country will be too tender of those of another country to allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs.  From the bosom of the devastated earth a voice goes up with our own.  It says "Disarm!  Disarm! The sword of murder is not the balance of justice."  (www.peace.ca/mothersdayproclamation.htm) (www.womenhistory.about.com)

For mothers everywhere, may this Mothers' Day 2005 re-illuminate what is most fiercely loving, primally tender and unashamedly protective of our younger generations, of all nations...Let public resources now being given to destruction and death be returned to the noble causes of justice, fairness, education, caregiving, truth, love and peace.

Evermore, may we all choose to love-beyond-fear and soulfully stand in the light of love, with women world-over, for peace.

E Ho'omaluhia Me Ka Honua,   a.s.