May Day...

I remember as a little girl tying ribbon to the tether ball pole and my friends and I dancing around it on May Day. The first of May started to really feel like spring, with the warmer weather and the end of the school year rapidly approaching. May Day was almost like the beginning of summer.

When we got home, we would gather dandelions and daisies together into small little bouquets, tie them with a small ribbon (or a piece of grass if that was all that was available), and leave them on neighborhood ladies porches. We would run up, knock quickly, then run away, still staying within ear shot so we could hear the ladies loudly say, "Flowers? For me...thank you!" I am sure that they begrudgingly answered their doors, but we got great joy from imparting our hand created beauty on them.

Only years later would I learn that May Day had a very different significance to adults...one of solidarity for immigrants and workers. Families desiring to have their voices heard regarding immigration and deportation and have working conditions that allowed them a living wage.
These are two very stark realities for a single day in May.

Maybe the takeaway for this significant day is unity...unity of workers, unity of families, unity of neighborhoods, unity of children. Unified, we can go far and accomplish great things.

"If you want to go quickly, go alone...if you want to go farther, go together." ~African Proverb