Happy May Day! A new month, reason to celebrate; we made it through April! I had an "
If You Give A Mouse A Cookie" moment this morning. When I spoke with my Dad on the phone today he told me that my grandparents' former home (I grew up living next door to my grandparents) is being remodeled and that a large addition is going on, as well as an in-ground swimming pool. He learned this from a friend of his who still lives in our old hometown. "
Interesting", I thought, I filed that away. A few minutes after we spoke I decided to look at this house via Google Earth to see if I could see any changes. No, none yet; the satellite image of my grandparents home isn't that up to date but, as happens, one thing led to another and I was looking up satellite pictures of other homes that we've lived in. From July of 1996 through June 1999 we lived in Geneva, Switzerland. We lived in a fortress of an old house there, on a hillside in a lovely neighborhood with a commanding view of the lake and the Jura Mountains behind. Imagine my shock and surprise when the satellite image for that address revealed a
vacant lot! I was dumb-founded. From there I had to do some sleuthing, not only was the home that we lived in gone but, also, the homes on either side. I was able to pull up the Swiss equivalent of a building permit online for that village and found that (using my very best translation skills from French to English) permission had been granted for the construction of four adjoining villas on those sites! Hmmmm. Sad. I have
so many wonderful memories of living in that house, of my sewing room in the basement (also with a lake view) and the great adventures we had coming and going. Of course, this revelation sent me scrambling for photographs of our time together there!
(One thing leads to another...) At that time our daughter was in college back in the U.S.; our son attended high school in Geneva, so, for the most part it was the three of us then. Sigh. Anyway-- May Day always reminds me of our time living there when bunches of Lilies of the Valley were sold on street corners: "Muguet Day", it's a lovely remembrance of a time long ago and far away.
And, right here, right now: this precious little basket that Lynnleigh brought us two years ago. 💗
Yes, today's May Day, I hope yours is a happy one.
Will you dance around the Maypole?
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.
The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 2 Corinthians 5:17
Life is Good!
Fast forward a few years from 1984, I remember another charming May Day tradition when we were living in Switzerland. We lived in the French-speaking Canton of Geneva where French customs and traditions were both observed and embraced. They have a most charming custom to usher in the month of May: the buying for oneself or friends a bouquet of lily of the valley (muguet de bois). Lily of the valley is referred to as a "porte-bonheur" something like what we would call a good-luck charm. On May Day vendors pop up on every corner selling little bunches of lily of the valley. Commuters are everywhere clutching their lily of the valley, the public transportation is perfumed on the first day of May. (I can still recall the sweet fragrance even now!) My mother and dad were visiting us from the States on May Day, 1997. My mother wanted me to have a bunch, from her, to commemorate the occasion. We hiked (and I do mean HIKED... it was a very steep hill!) to the top of our little village, where the shops were, so that she could buy me a small bouquet from a vendor set up in front of la Mairie. It was worth every strenuous step, they are among my favorite flowers to this day. Thanks, Mom!
Twenty three years ago a little red-headed boy rang the doorbell and hung a May Basket on the knob.
