The basket that adorns this page is a tribute to the old custom of placing a small basket of blooms at friends' and neighbors' doorways on the first of May. Many years ago, when I was a child, we used to make paper baskets, fill them with spring wildflowers and hang them on our neighbors' front door knobs, ring the bell and run as fast as we could. The idea was to give a surprise gift without revealing the giver. If you have fond memories of special May activities, drop us a line. We're always happy to hear from our readers.

One May celebration that has been adopted nearly worldwide is Mother's Day. Perhaps it was the nature of this month, with its gentle days and encouraging warmth echoing a mother's ways, that led to its being chosen. Or, as cynics put it, there was no other major May holiday for greeting card companies and florists to capitalize on.

In small towns across the nation, Memorial Day, at the end of the month, used to have special significance and customs: marching parades, elaborate floats, visits to cemeteries to place flowers on lost loved ones graves, and stirring speeches on heroism and patriotism. Unfortunately, this special day seems to have diminished in meaning to become a commercially-exploited long weekend.

On a darker note, the conflict and "ethnic cleansing" in Kosovo may well give rise to future Days of Remembrance clouded with the deep pain and heartache our present commemorative dates were heir to. Chilling thoughts in the midst of May warmth, but ones entwined with our heritage and shaping our future.