Kirby Pines Retirement Community | The Pinecone

Congratulations to our CHAMPION of the Month KEITH LANGSTON Dining Room Server Keith continuously displays a sincere understanding of his purpose at Kirby Pines and what it truly means to be a humble steward. His display of skills and empathy for our residents is outstanding. Keith is polite, courteous and takes on other tasks without being asked or instructed and takes great pride in his work. He always makes sure his station is clean, presentable and polished. We are proud to have Keith on our team. - Chris Griffin, Dining Room Manager Describe Your Family: Married with two girls. Describe yourself in five words: Family Man, hard worker, funny, sense of humor. What do you do for fun: Hang out with my family. Do you have any hobbies: Listening to music. What is your favorite thing about your job: Love to work with people. Your favorite song: All I Do Is For You by Kenny Latimore. What is something you are proud of: My two daughters. What would you like people to know about you: Love my job and working in food & beverage. • 8 • The Pinecone | May 2025 Being a mom is a tough job—the care and attention they give, the worrying that keeps them up at night, all of the little details they keep track of to make their family's lives run smoothly. And while we all try to give the moms in our lives their justly earned accolades, the truth is that all to often they don't get enough credit. That's part of what makes Mother's Day such a special event: a day to show those all-important ladies our appreciation. Here's some sweet trivia all about moms. Mother's Day isn't always on the same date each year. The holiday is celebrated every year on the second Sunday of the month of May. This year it will be on May 11th. More calls are made on Mother's Day than any other day of the year. Reportedly there are approximately 122 million calls are made on the second Sunday of May every year. One of the earliest Mother's Day celebrations was in Ancient Greece. The Greeks would have spring celebrations in honor of Rhea, the goddess of fertility, motherhood, and generation. The moniker 'Mom' comes from babies. The first thing most babies can vocalize is the 'ma' sound, which is why in almost every language the word for mother begins with the letter 'M' or is some iteration of the 'ma' sound. The history of American Mother's Day starts with peacemaker Ann Jarvis. During and following the Civil War, Ann Jarvis made a concerted effort to foster friendship and community between the mothers on both sides of the war. She started a committee in 1868 which established the first glimmer of today's holiday: "Mother's Friendship Day." Woodrow Wilson signed Mother's Day into law in 1914. After Anna Jarvis, Ann Jarvis' daughter, created the Mother's Day International Association in order to streamline the intimate day of observance to the second Sunday in May, Woodrow Wilson legitimized the celebration as a nationwide holiday. Carnations have a special meaning on Mother's Day. Anna Reeves Jarvis used the carnation on Mother's Day to symbolize whether your mother was living. A red carnation meant she was, and a white meant she had passed. Mother's Day is celebrated all over the world. While the celebrations may be held on different days internationally, Great Britain, Canada, Costa Rica, Samoa, Georgia,Australia, and Thailand all have designated celebrations to honor their country's mothers. Beauty salons and spas also get a Mother's Day boost. According to the National Retail Federation, on Mother's Day, people will spend $2 billion on personal services (like spa treatments) for their mothers. The most popular gift for Mother's Day is the greeting card. Every Mother's Day there are approximately 152 million Mother's Day cards sent. Moms aren't the only ones getting Mother's Day love. The average American buys 2.8 Mother’s Day cards, so most people are buying more than just one for their mom. Many people opt to buy Mother's Day cards for grandmothers, sisters, and their mother-in-law as well. More love for moms to go around! FUN FACTS