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I forgot to post this excerpt from my 1937 Compton’s Pictured Encyclopedia on May 1. According to them, May Day, as it’s traditionally called, has always been a gala day. May Day and the Maypole dances that go along with it have come and gone out of style throughout the years. It began back in Roman times as a festival for Flora, the goddess of flowers, but may have come from India even before then.

Chaucer and Shakespeare have a lot to say about England’s court going “a-maying” and every village square had its own Maypole which was hung with flower wreaths and then danced around. That is until the Puritans put a stop to it. Hmm, funny, then, that one of the pilgrim ships was named the Mayflower.

I’m sure you have heard me mention Homeless in Seattle, a Facebook page that posts the photos and life stories of homeless men, women and families to ignite an awareness of the reality of living on the streets. The page has supporters across the country and beyond and is making a difference in people’s lives.

Well Rex Holbein has now widened the lens by establishing Facing Homelessness. Their Mission Statement is: “Our mission is to remove the negative stereotype attributed to those living without shelter. By focusing on the beauty of each person through imagery, storytelling and community building we aim to humanize the issue of homelessness as a means to ending it.”

Today, May 6 between midnight and midnight PST, if you visit the Seattle Foundation website and donate, they will match up to $5,000 per donor of a prorated portion of The Seattle Foundation’s matching funds, or “stretch pool.” The amount of the “stretch” depends on how much is raised in total donations on Give BIG day. So today your gift can potentially help twice as many of these deserving, worthy people.