But I do hold some memories very close to my heart. May Day baskets when we would visit in May, tea parties year round at our visits, painting flowers on wooden items, cross-stitching, and then seeing our cross-stitches framed and on her walls. Sugared tea, jello, cottage cheese pie, grandma’s casserole and her infamous ribs – the smell of which would notify my cousins that their uncle and his family were coming to visit.
And with the memories of my grandma come those of my grandpa – the blinking railroad light at the base of the stairs, the smell of tobacco, a comfy laugh, his foot pounding the floor three times to call us up for dinner or a scolding. How he could be all prickly on the outside and so soft and loving when receiving a hug. I remember seeing him and my grandma out on the swing together, and laughing when little grandma would scold the great bear of a man that grandpa was. They always called each other “mom” and “dad” too. How normal that sounded coming from them, even though if I were to hear my own parents addressing each other that way I think it’d be a little wierd. =)
Grandparents are precious things. May Day has always been, and will always be, my own little reminder to keep the memories fresh because they both live on in my heart and my thoughts.
So – in accordance with my May Day memories, I’d like to wish you all a Happy May Day!
