Nearing the hundred year mark, Mother’s Day is a national holiday set aside for each family to honor its mother. The holiday was created by Anna Jarvis in 1914, who held a memorial to her mother two years after her death. She went on to campaign to make Mother’s Day a recognized holiday. The holiday is now celebrated on various days in many places around the world.

With the special day approaching, the Reporter asked community leaders in Bellevue: What makes your mom so special?

Darcy Brixey, Bellevue Regional Library: “Because of her training as a nurse, my mother taught us that unless blood was directly involved, it wasn’t a true emergency. The gift of her triage skills weeded out the childhood dramas allowing me a chance to direct my energies toward the positive things that helped me succeed in life.”

Michael Brandt, creator of Downtown Bellevue Network:

“My mother is a community leader of her own, as she has been teaching in the Bellevue School District for 20 years, and currently works at Medina Elementary School. My mom always taught me how to go after what I want, that anything is possible. She has been such a positive and encouraging influence in my life, I could ask for nothing else in a mother. Mom, thank you for your relentless love and support through the years!”

Leslie Lloyd, President of Bellevue Downtown Association:

“Here we are outside my childhood home in Sacramento, dressed up for Thanksgiving dinner. My mother was a big fan of marking special occasions, usually by getting us to dress up. These occasions taught me the value of making today’s moments tomorrow’s special memories.”