There is nothing more precious than the bond
between a mother and her
child. With unconditional love and infinite patience, our mothers
nurture us throughout our lives, helping us to meet life's challenges and
achieve our dreams. Mothers -- whether biological or adoptive, foster or
stepmothers -- are the cornerstones of our families, and our families are
the foundation of our Nation. Mothers are the bridges that link
America's best promise to its brightest reality.
The role of women has changed dramatically in the last half-century,
bringing exciting new opportunities as well as fresh challenges. Today,
our mothers can be mayors and managers, heads of households and
homemakers -- yet they still make us the center of their lives and the
focus of their love. Regardless of whether they work inside or outside
the home, we still turn to our mothers when we need reassurance, advice,
or comfort. Devotion and love, loyalty and selflessness -- these are the
traits that define motherhood.
For 85 years, we have reserved the second
Sunday in May as a special
day to honor our mothers for their strength, nobility, and generosity.
In so many ways, we owe our successes -- and those of our Nation -- to
the loving influence of our mothers. Although we can never repay them
for their gift of life and love, we can honor them in person or cherish
their beloved memory. The Congress, by a joint resolution approved May
8, 1914 (38 Stat. 770), has designated the second Sunday in May of 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 May 9, 1999, as Mother's Day. I urge all
Americans to express their love and appreciation for their mothers on
this day and every day and to observe the day with appropriate ceremonies
and activities.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
fifth day of May, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and
ninety-nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America the
two hundred and twenty-third.