Did you know that May Day is Lei Day in Hawaii? As a child, I remember making leis the night before that would be taken to school, flown over to Oahu, and then placed on the graves of fallen soldiers at
Punchbowl (The National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific). There was always an unofficial competition between classmates to see who would make the most leis, but one was usually enough for me. I always used white plumerias, my favorite Hawaiian flower. Even as a kid, I understood the sacredness of giving and receiving of a lei, so as an adult I have made a few for very special occasions. When my mother placed the lei around my neck on my wedding day, I cried.
I honored this tradition by making a tiny (too tiny I would find) lei for my little girl. I used the plastic flowers that decorated a bouquet of washcloths given to us at the hospital by my Sister-in-Law Heidi to celebrate Kailea's birth. I was really tempted to go outside and pick some real ones, but didn't want to deal with the milk that gets all over your hands when you work with fresh flowers. Plus, I can keep this little lei as a souvenir of my girl's very first Lei Day.
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