On Full Calendars and Flowers

I had the best of intentions on getting this out to you more than a week ago, but Maycember hit and alas…we are almost halfway through the month.

It’s the time of year when I am most prone to burnout. For some homeschoolers, the winter blues and February’s monotony bring this on but for others, the spring activities threaten to overwhelm us and take us under. Sure signs of burnout for me include floundering precariously toward the end of the school year, a lackluster approach to cooking and cleaning, apathy towards our commitments, and escapist fantasies about moving to Mackinac Island. When I catch on that I’m in the midst of major burnout, the best thing to do is completely step back for a day or two. I can’t help but think of that line in Billy Joel’s song, “Vienna”:

“Slow down, you crazy child
And take the phone off the hook and disappear for a while
It's alright, you can afford to lose a day or two, ooh
When will you realize Vienna waits for you?”

Yes, we have responsibilities, but it’s a good exercise in humility to remember God will still keep the universe running without our help. We can all afford to take a day or two. Even though we can’t literally take the phone off the hook anymore, we can leave it on the kitchen table and go for a long walk. We can take deep breaths, close our eyes, and pray. We can read for ten minutes (just six minutes will lower stress levels). We can turn the music up really loud and sing along. Disconnecting is often the best step towards being authentically connected; you can’t provide the best when you are at your worst.

The good news for my little newsletter is that the calendar does still say May and that gives us permission to enjoy all the May things, no matter the date. May is one of the loveliest months and like Longfellow reminds us, it won’t last forever, so it would be a shame not to pause and enjoy it.

“Maiden, that read’st this simple rhyme,

Enjoy thy youth, it will not stay;

Enjoy the fragrance of thy prime,

For oh, it is not always May!”

- from “It Is Not Always May”

by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

We are in the prime of the year: that fabulous time between spring and summer when the sun is shining, the weather warms up, flowers abound, and — in Alabama, at least — activities start coming to an end, promising a blessed relief from a busy schedule. It’s a great time of year to get out and work in the yard before it gets too hot and that’s exactly what we’ve been doing.

Our attentions shift to outdoor projects and to help us along, I like to play fun music. Motown is always a favorite choice for us this time of year as it reminds me of my parents who shared May birthdays when my dad was still alive. I was fortunate to grow up in a music-loving home and oldies were often the soundtrack of my childhood. It’s something that I’ve carried into my own home, albeit with a more varied soundtrack and it brought a smile to my face the other day when my daughter’s friend remarked, “Ms. Cindy, you always have some kind of music playing.”

May smells of fresh-picked strawberries and sunshine. It’s an irresistible month to be outdoors enjoying field trips and experiences, nature hikes, and read alouds on a picnic blanket. Soak up the beautiful weather and remind yourself of these truths: learning happens everywhere and school days don’t last forever. Those of us with teens know this all too well. Like Longfellow said, it is not always May.

By May, flowers are in bloom, bees are buzzing, boats are filling the river, baby birds are being born, and summer is on the horizon. Our perennial robin graciously built her nest in the Holly tree this year instead of her usual place in my hanging baskets. As I type now I can hear her babies, newly hatched, chattering for their mother to feed them and it makes me ponder the work of a mother and how sacred it really is.

A few days ago, mothers all over America were celebrated by their families with a special holiday, but you can use this month to honor motherhood no matter where you live. Motherhood is hard. It’s so hard, in fact, that a lot of women are opting out. But motherhood is a calling, and a worthy one. It is both glorious and laborious. It will take all you have and give you more than you can imagine. If you’re reading this, you probably already know that. Take time this month for some of your favorite activities and consider what it means to be a “Proverbs 31 woman.”

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