I have the best childhood memories of making little cones of paper and filling them with flowers…well, OK, weeds, if you want to get technical. There were a few older ladies in the neighborhood that were always very kind to me. They listened to me ramble, let me be nosey and allowed me to help in their garden. I was always excited when May Day rolled around so I could secretly surprise them with flowers. I’d knock on their door then run and hide. I’d patiently wait until they answered the door to find no one there. Instead, they found a little gift, handmade especially for them. I loved to do this for my great grandmother, Grannan, too, but she always knew who it was because I’d always visit with her after I made my delivery! 😉
Fast forward many, many years later…for my grandmother’s birthday Drew would always send flowers to his Great Grandma. She always reveled in the fact that the card said Great Grandma when the flowers were delivered. It was the perfect play on words.
Grandma (Nita) had a twin sister, Neva. When Grandma passed away it was naturally very hard on Aunt Neva. In an attempt to brighten Neva’s day and lift her spirits we began to send the flowers we would normally send to Great Grandma to her.
Now that Neva and Nita have reunited, I was saddened that we couldn’t send either of them flowers this year. It was then that I thought, “Keep the flowers going. Why not brighten someone else’s day in their honor?” So that is exactly what we did.
During the 19th and 20th centuries, May (Basket) Day was celebrated across the country, where baskets were created with flowers, candies and other treats and hung on the doors of friends, neighbors and loved ones on May 1.
So, on May Day, in honor of Nita and Neva and all of the kind, older ladies from my childhood who gave me their time and attention and made me feel special, Come Together with Kindness delivered May Day baskets and flowers to some deserving ladies in our area and in Missouri! We had such a wonderful response that we decided to make May this brighten your Day Baskets an annual outreach!
If you would like to partner with us to do this outreach in your area next May, please let us know!
