May Day is Lei Day in Hawaii
Garlands of flowers everywhere
All of the colors in the rainbow
Maidens with blossoms in their hair
Flowers that mean we should be happy
Throwing aside a load of care
Oh, May Day is Lei Day in Hawaii
May Day is happy days out there
(by Leonard Hawk)
In 1949, when I was in the second grade the entire school rehearsed for weeks for the May Day program. That year's extravaganza was "May Day in Hawaii." We learned the song: May Day is Lei Day in Hawaii, and we made beautiful tissue paper leis -- not just a tissue flower here and then 4 inches further on, another; but full thick ruffly leis -- to my 7-year-old heart and eyes, they were beautiful. On the night of the performance (which was in the church nearby because our school did not have a rec hall) the stage was decorated exquisitely to resemble a tropical island. When I came on stage, wearing my beautiful lei, with the full cast (all the students in the school) to sing the song, I was in awe of the beauty of the night, and I knew there was no place on earth I would rather see than beautiful Hawaii.
Over the years I jokingly told people, when I die, don't look around the room, hoping to see my spirit lingering over my casket -- I'll be in Hawaii! There was no way I would ever be able to go to Hawaii.
But In 1986, my husband surprised me with a trip to Hawaii! I couldn't believe I was finally going to my dream island -- and I wasn't even dead!
When we got off the plane, we were presented with beautiful leis of perfumed flowers. We snorkeled in crystal blue water, we floated lazily in the black nightime waters of the Pacific Ocean, we visited vast pineapple fields, the LDS temple grounds, the Polynesian Cultural Center, the Pearl Harbor memorial, and even the Boy Scout Office. We saw tropical gardens and tropical birds. But do you know, nothing was as beautiful as the tropical paradise that had ingrained itself into my heart and mind on that night when I was seven years old on the stage of the Edgemont Church house in Provo, Utah.
Well, that's the way of it, isn't it. The dream beats reality all to heck. Kind of like Paris. The name speaks magic. The city is dirty and crowded. Yes, it has its beauty, and I have seen that. But, you know what I'm talking about.
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