Contributed by Deb

Happy Mother’s Day!

The tradition of celebrating May Day began with a Roman Festival that honored Flora, the Goddess of Flowers and Bride of the West Wind?  Other early cultures also celebrated the beginning of summer near this date ~ for instance the second half of the Celtic Calendar began on May 1^st, otherwise called Beltane, which they considered the first day of summer.  Celebrations would include wild dancing from sunrise all the way through the night with festivities that included spring tonics, flowers and feasting!  Left over food would be buried or left as an offering to the ‘fairy’.  This is the time to celebrate the Great Mother of all ~ Mother Earth.

Dancing in the open air without any worries is truly an entryway to the summer energy of bounty and bright cheer.  Plants are at their fullest expression of new life as they explode into the warm air, brighter days and soft rains.  Welcome to the blessings of summer, dear friends!  We hope you’ll take your children dancing on this special day!
Perhaps you’d like to dance around a maypole this year or do some research and resurrect spring traditions from your own heritage.

It is no surprise that the modern commercialized celebration of the Mother, in the form of Mother’s Day, comes at the beginning of this fertile time!  This year, Deb’s mother will be ninety years old, so indeed it is a special year for us.  Her mom is so healthy and vibrant that she still volunteers at the local hospital and takes care of the home she and deb’s Dad built in 1950.  She says the secret to her good health is a daily crossword puzzle as well as devotions, being outside ever day and using her exercise bike whenever she watches TV.  She still makes quilts – this year completing a special quilt for each of her 7 grandchildren.

Because this is our favorite season and in honor of this time of the Mother, we wanted to let you know about a few special things we are offering:

First let us remind you for the whole month of May, we will be sending packets of milkweed seeds with every order from our Grandparents of the Forest Apothecary Shop and we’ll include growing instructions, and information about milkweed and monarch butterflies.

As part of our Mothers Day celebration, nominate a special mother, your own or someone who has touched your life, by posting about her on our Facebook page, here.  Pausing to remember the life giving energy of motherhood connects us to both our children and to nature.

And just to let you know, we added a new and unique service.  Deb is making unique custom blends of flower essences as gifts for loved ones. You can read more about it here.

Enjoy this beautiful time of the year, dear friends.  Take your child into the gardens and forests and keep your eyes open for the budding of life and mystery.

Bounteous blessings to you and yours,
Your Grandparents of the Forest,
Deb and Harry