This coming weekend is the best weekend of the year. May is arguably one of the best months of the entire year. The race we’ve been running all year is coming to a close as the school year winds down, and the biggest race of the year is upon us with the Indianapolis 500.
May is the time of year that our flowers are in full bloom. Everything is alive and vibrant. The kids are excited for summer break. Memorial Day weekend in Indianapolis and its surrounding areas is something people wait for all year. There is palpable energy this time of year. This is the time of year that bedtimes loosen, and the days are longer.
Our shoes are replaced with bare feet, our manicures are replaced with dirt under our nails, the brown and lifeless gardens return with color and vibrancy we’ve missed since we tucked them into their slumber last fall.
The weekend kicks off on Friday, the last day of school. The teachers all have a party and celebrate (to put it mildly) the arrival of another well-earned summer. The next day, our kids love going to the 500 Festival Parade. They love seeing the race cars, drivers, military members, and floats. I love how patriotic this weekend is and the emphasis placed on our fallen members of the military. I love seeing my little boy know that you stand up and remove your hat when you’re praying or the National Anthem is playing. You learn patriotism and respect from your parents and adults in your life.
Besides me, the other great love in my husband’s life is the race itself; he lives all year for it. I love watching him make his lists and plan for the perfect race day. I enjoy it when he returns home sunburnt and tired to hear about his adventures that day. I love spending time at home that day listening to the race and messing around in my yard while I know my husband is having the time of his life. With each major lead change in the race or crash, I know that he will come home later with the excitement of a little boy telling me about it.
The beginning of summer is a time to not only be home and rest, but to spend time in my garden. I love to relax and rest on my porch while looking at my garden. You cannot manufacture the kind of energy that May brings. You can only just enjoy it; soak up every minute of it. Some of the best memories made all year happen this weekend and the coming months.
Memorial Day is the kickoff to all of it. While this might be the best weekend of the year, don’t forget who made it possible for us to celebrate. God bless all our fallen members of the military and their families. Thank you for allowing my family to enjoy freedom. Without your service, the Indianapolis 500, flowers, and cookouts are meaningless.
Megan Rathz is a wife, mother, and teacher. She says everything she has ever learned in life came from her Master Gardener mother.
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