May Day -May Day

I’m not quite sure if we were ten or twelve, but as May Day approached my friend and I would go to the neighbor’s yard to pick a few grape hyacinth and lily of the valley, and basically whatever flowering thing we could find, and create an altar for Mary. We took the plastic Mary statuette from my mother’s kitchen window sill and carefully placed it on the altar. We dragged my little brother into the fray and created a little May Day procession, singing 'O Mary, we crown thee with blossoms today! Queen of the angels and Queen of the May'. We placed a golden ring, most likely from a gumball machine, on top of her head and then went about our day- filled perhaps with a reverence that tied us gently to something greater than ourselves. And every year, every May Day, I find myself remembering and singing and holding onto these obscure rites and traditions that built a foundation for childhood and faith.

It did usher in May which comes as a welcome friend. Life itself is in bloom. I had never been a fan of spring – it always seemed a bit of a disappointment. Winter is slow in loosening its grip. While hoping for warm sunny days, spring often delivers cold, rainy, muddy days. Yet, with a sense of hopefulness, I wash my down coat and gloves and hats and store them away, only to pull them back out a few days later when the cold blustery spring days revisit. Not until the end of April or early May does spring deliver its promise. I longed for the sounds of the peepers, and looked longingly for the snowdrops and the crocuses. But this year my heart feels full of spring- the fresh new spring green- the color on the color wheel that is exactly halfway between cyan and green. I wake to the sounds of turkeys stirring up the dirt under our birdfeeder, the hummingbirds who initially are scant but present. I’m enjoying immensely watching life return to my yard, my neighborhood and my heart.

"No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn" - Hal Borland

I went to the local nursery to buy some flowers for the yard. Without a lot of prior knowledge, I chose the ones that seemed to whisper ‘pick me’, and came home with trays of flowering plants to brighten my yard (and perhaps feed the deer.) It’s usually my husband’s job, but with him out of town for a few days I stepped in. I filled the wheelbarrow with some potting soil, grabbed a shovel and got to work. Unfortunately, I did not inherit my father’s green thumb but it felt good to have my hands in the dirt and my head in the sunshine. The yard was quiet, other than the singing of birds, and I think I could feel the earth spinning gently holding me in place. Amongst all of the world’s tumult I felt peace, a peace that the world offers when we slow down and observe the loveliness and the beauty around us.

I have a new respect for spring and will remember not to be impatient with nature. Spring knows deeply it’s timing. I will remember not to keep my eyes on the calendar but rather on the intelligence of its unfolding. I often consider the order in which I love the seasons-typically autumn, summer, winter, spring-but spring may be coming up in the ranks-just an inch or two before winter- but that may change at the first signs of a blizzard. Happy May everyone-may we all find joy in the immense beauty we live beside. ❤️