May Days

May!  How I love the month of May!  Even the name sounds as if we are given permission to enjoy!  When I was in school, the coming of May heralded freedom at month's end.  In our country school, we wound the Maypole on May 1st.  I'll never forget the long, crepe paper strips fastened to the top of the flagpole (it must not have been that high).  Our teacher coached us on weaving the turquoise lengths with white ones to become an interwoven design as we danced singing around the Maypole.

For one May program,  our mothers stitched crepe paper dresses for the 5th grade girls, made with tiers of gathered ruffles for the skirts (again, turquoise--they must have had a lot of that on hand!). We sang a song about blowing bubbles, wafting our wands like princesses to create iridescent spheres floating magically over the heads of our parents.

My husband says when he was a kid they made May baskets and hung them on neighbors' doors. He told me May Day was something his mother always looked forward to.  Even yesterday he said brightly, "This is May Day!"

On one long, sweltering May afternoon at our country school, the teacher noticed the sweaty boys languishing over their desks after playing ball during our noon recess. Their energy was miraculously restored when they heard her say, "Boys, you can leave early and go swimming at the creek."  Those were the days!

May seems synonymous for Mother's Day, as June is for Father's Day.  I miss buying Mother's Day cards, for our mothers have been gone several years now.  Of course, I do enjoy getting them from my kids, along with the phone calls, special meals and other tokens of love and appreciation they are so thoughtful in remembering.

On a stormy May Monday  in 1962, our second child and first daughter, Julie, was born. It was a couple of days before the Decoration Day holiday, observed then on May 30, now known as  Memorial Day, the last Monday in May.  Although it is a patriotic day to remember our veterans and fallen war heroes, many enjoy the day off for outdoor activities and early summer fun.  We do, too, but nothing compares to our joy and excitement of a new baby girl all those years ago.  When possible, we like to take a trip to Tennessee for her birthday.  Another reason to love May!