One of my earliest memories is of a May 1st in the 1960’s. We lived on a county road in Northern Indiana and my grandmother, my mother’s mother, lived on the next county road over. I must have been four years old or younger because my brother hadn’t been born yet.
My mom cut a bouquet of purple irises and daffodils and other flowers from our yard and wrapped them in a damp newspaper. (That would be difficult to do today since most people no longer have a newspaper subscription.) She told me it was a tradition to give flowers to people you love on May Day, and we were going to take the bouquet to Grandma and surprise her.
We drove to my grandmother’s farmhouse in Mom’s 1957 green Chevy and pulled off the driveway and into the carport on the right side of the house so Grandma wouldn’t see our car. We quietly snuck up to the front porch and laid the bouquet of fragrant flowers in front of the door. Then Mom knocked (because Grandma didn’t have a doorbell) and we quickly moved to the corner of the house to watch her find the flowers.
Grandma opened the door and then peeked out of the storm door at the bouquet on the porch. She stepped out and picked it up with a big smile on her face. She said, “I know you’re here somewhere.” At that point, we started giggling and we were discovered. I loved seeing the happiness on Grandma’s face when she saw the flowers and then saw the two of us. We exchanged hugs and then went inside for a visit while Grandma put her beautiful bouquet of flowers in a Mason Jar on the kitchen table.
Not so long ago when my own daughter, Anna, was in college, she did the same thing on May Day. She arrived at my door with a bouquet of flowers. After she surprised me, she came in and we had coffee and visited. She came over for no reason at all except to see me and to bring me flowers. Now THAT was a good day. Not only did her actions make me feel loved, but I was also delighted that she remembered a story I had told her when she was growing up.
Time with the people you love is not an infinite resource. Since my mom passed a year and a half ago, I have thought of at least a million conversations I’d like to have with her. I miss her and I miss my grandmother too. I wish I could send them both flowers in heaven.
Today, in honor of my mom, my grandmother and May Day, I planted some flowers in pots. They were both gardeners and could grow anything. Of course, I thought of them while I tended to the flowers. Happy May Day!
Such a good memory! Sweet of Anna for sure!