Magpie and Muttonfly

Well, it’s been a bit of a whirlwind since I last popped in; but there were celebrations to be had – so it wasn’t all bad …

May day.  I’m of the belief that one should never outgrow May day.  As a matter of fact, in a perfect world, I think our pots, planters, and gardens would be full of flowers from friends.  But, alas, this concept does not seem to be catching on.  All the same, I usually load up my car with annuals and  perennials – cut flowers for my grama and her friends – and hit the road.  Due to my writing project and impending company, I had to scale back this year.  And it went downhill from there.  Seriously.  I missed streets and had to turn around multiple times; notes were falling off the flowers; flowers were tipping, spilling potting soil all over my car.  I was grouchy.  On May day.  Suddenly, I began to question why it was I do what I do.  Who’s even going to miss it?  Just when I was about to call it a tradition, I received a call from one of my grama’s friends.  At ninety-one years of age, she had never received a May basket – the happiness echoed in her voice.  There it was; my reason… and the reason I will continue on next year… 

Birthdays.  My aunt was visiting this past weekend.  Her birthday was yesterday and we pretty much partied all weekend.  We went to a movie and ate out; we chatted and laughed until we cried.  We had a lot of fun.  Now I’ve known a lot of people who continually celebrate “21″ – people who view birthdays as “just another day.”  But last night, as we toasted another year, I was overcome with gratitude for a mum who made birthdays special.  Each and every one was special – special meals and desserts; candles, confetti, streamers; presents selected with care and wrapped in glittery paper.  But the greatest gift of all?  Happiness.  And what better way to begin a new year?