Happiness
May 2021
The lily of the valley is the birth flower for those born in May. This small white and sometimes pink flower symbolizes sweetness, sincerity, discretion but most importantly indicates happiness. Its sincerity is represented by the way it blooms annually in mid-May and June regardless of the harshness of the winter weather. The timing of the blooms acknowledge that summer is around the corner and we get to enjoy these fragrant beauties for just a few weeks every year.
My mother started to build a set of sterling silver place settings for me when I was a child. Being a May baby, she selected a pattern that had a lily of the valley on the handle of each utensil Every year, as a birthday gift she would add to my set by purchasing forks, knives and spoons that had this delicate flower cast on it. This flower became my symbol for good luck.
I have found over time that when a lily of the valley appears before me it is a sign that things will be ok. Once while hospitalized many years ago and not knowing how my situation would turn out, a volunteer came to my room to have me select a new painting for the wall across from my bed. I was asleep and this thoughtful person left a note to say that she had selected a painting for me. It was a beautiful vase with a spring floral arrangement that included lilies of the valley. My interpretation of seeing these flowers helped symbolize that I was on the road to a full recovery.
Another time I was in a playoff of a golf tournament against two other ladies. I landed on the green in regulation and had a long putt for a birdie. By mistake, I gently tapped my first putt and left myself at an uncomfortable distance to make a par. While lining up to putt again, I looked to the side and saw that a woman in the gallery was carrying a floral purse; I spotted a lily of the valley in the fabric. Seeing that flower gave me confidence; the putt dropped in and I won the playoff.
During wedding plans, I had wanted to carry a small bouquet of lilies of the valley and the florist explained that they would have to be shipped from Holland. I was trying to keep things simple and requested instead that she put together a mix of white flowers using product from local growers. She created a beautiful bouquet and much to my surprise had some lilies of the valley neatly tucked into the arrangement. This kind gesture was very meaningful, and, in my heart, it symbolized the start of a new happy life.
Themes from chapters of Positive Living A Though Z that are addressed this month in Facebook posts include Chapters L: Letting Go, M: Music, and N: Nature. What better ways to bring pleasure into your life than spending time in nature, singing happy songs and letting go of negativity from the past. Just as the lily of the valley symbolizes happiness, we can enhance our lives through Positive Living.
Remember, Positive Living is not a one-time strategy or exercise to try occasionally. If you address the monthly themes and weekday posts that speak to you, through daily practice, they will become automatic and a part of your repertoire of positive behavioral choices. You’ll start to reprogram your thoughts and allow selfless actions to improve you as a person; thus, improving the world.
A custom from Europe is to give someone you love a bunch of lilies of the valley on the 1st of May to help bring joy into their lives.
Here is an arrangement for you, with love and virtual hugs.
Lora
