Proclamation 6797

By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation

Each year, Americans pause on the second Sunday of May to celebrate the gift of motherhood. Mother's Day reminds all of us to honor our mothers and to show them our love and appreciation-on this day and throughout the year. Whether we embrace our mothers in person or hold fast to a loving memory, the strength of their spirit and the blessing of their compassion stay with us for a lifetime.

Americans' vitality as a people flows from the health of our families. The heart and soul of our national life, mothers rise each day to take on myriad tasks, from driving a carpool to directing a city council. They are an anchor to generations past and a bridge to the world of the future. Meeting the challenge of motherhood is one of society's greatest responsibilities, and those who do this work every day do a service to all humanity.

Whether biological, foster, or adoptive, mothers have a unique ability to caution and care for their children and to instill in them the values of honesty, respect, and faith. As role models for their children, mothers show by example the infinite possibilities of life.

No matter our age, our mothers are ready to understand, to love, and to listen. We best observe this special day by living our lives to reflect the love they have given us and by teaching our children to hope for a brighter tomorrow.

To honor all mothers and their special place in our hearts, the Congress, by a joint resolution approved May 8, 1914 (38 Stat. 770), has designated the second Sunday in May each year as "Mother's Day" and requested the President to call for its appropriate observance.

Now, Therefore, I, William J. Clinton, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim Sunday, May 14, 1995, as "Mother's Day." I urge all Americans to consider how much mothers have contributed to the well-being of our Nation. I call upon our citizens to observe this day with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities.

In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this eleventh day of May, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-five, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and nineteenth.

William J. Clinton

[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 3:13 p.m., May 11, 1995]