Thanks for sharing that with us TechnoHippie.  I hope your Mother's Day wish comes true and you get to see the safe return of your sons as soon as possilbe!

I apologize for giving the impression that Anna Jarvis was the only person responsible for Mother's Day.  Many articles I read during my research describe her as either the inventor or founder of Mother's Day. (e.g. BBC)

But perhaps the more precise description for Anna Jarvis is, as you pointed out, not necessarily the inventor, but rather someone who championed the cause and got it enough public attention in the end to get the holiday officially instituted.

There's a pretty cool connection between Anna and Howe, if this Wikipedia article is accurate:

Howe failed in her attempt to get formal recognition of a Mother's Day for Peace. Her idea was influenced by Anna Reeve Jarvis[citation needed], a young West Virginia homemaker who, starting in 1858, had attempted to improve sanitation through what she called Mothers' Work Days. She organized women throughout the Civil War to work for better sanitary conditions for both sides, and in 1868 she began work to reconcile Union and Confederate neighbors.

In parts of the United States it is customary to plant tomatoes outdoors after mother's day (and not before.)

When Jarvis died, her daughter, named Anna Jarvis, started the crusade to found a memorial day for women.