May. 1, 2006 - Happy May Day
As I looked at the calendar today I just got a bit nostalgic. I remember about 10 years ago that today used to be considered a 'holiday' at our house. See, when my oldest 2 were young (5 & 6) we looked for any day to be a holiday. I remember one year explaining the traditions of May Day -- the flowers, surprises and the maypole. They took that info and turned it into their own holiday, and for several years in a row they would secretly, with many giggles, hide in their room making little paper cones. Then they would sneak outside to gather the blossoms to fill them. I could count on the doorbell ringing, and of course no one would be there, but the flower-filled cone would be hanging on the knob. I would hear the giggles and out they'd pop yelling "Happy May Day!" They would also do the same for several of our neighbors, I remember one elderly couple we lived next to for a couple of years that really enjoyed it.
Now, we live in the mountains and don't even have any blooms yet on May 1 so the 'tradition' has disappeared. My younger 3 don't even remember a May Day holiday. That started to make me a little sad. Those early years were, for me, the really 'fun' years of homeschooling. Now that those 2 little girls are 15 & 16 we're into a completely different stage which takes a lot of time & work. Sometimes I feel like my younger 3 have missed out on some of those things, and I feel like I've missed out on sharing it with them, as often they just tag along with what the older ones are doing.
But I truly believe that God is sovereign over all things, and that life is in seasons. God placed each child in our family in the order He wanted them. He knew that the younger ones would have different experiences and memories than the older ones. I have to trust Him that it's because they will need different experiences and memories than the older ones did. And, they do have some fun memories and experiences, there's something to be said to being a younger 'sib' getting to tag along on your older sisters expeditions!
So, Happy May Day! Maybe I'll celebrate today in a different way - and we may have to make flowers since there aren't any to pick yet! But I will celebrate that it's another day from God that we have together to learn and grow as a family.
