“…….with blossoms today. Queen of the Angels, Queen of the May”.

In the third grade, yes third grade, I wanted to crown Mary with the wreath of flowers.   It was  a BIG THING.  The statue of Mary hung at the end of the second floor hallway at St. John the Evangelist School and the 3rd grade was the class that lead the procession to crown Her.  I wanted that gig…..but NOOOOO.

My best friend Shelly got that gig…my big moment…my brush with grade school fame.  Tonight when I got home from a day in my White Plains office, I called Shelly at home and sang that song to her as I have done for the past few decades, reminding her of the crushing blow she and Mrs. Karl had dealt me. 

One time, I pulled up behind her on Balltown Road, jumped out of the car and sang it to her in the middle of street.  She is a great friend, my best friend.  We have been friends since we were 7 years old. She bragged about turning 16 first and getting her permit first, then driving, then voting, then drinking first. But A-HA, she will soon be turning 50 first too! (Love you Shell!)

The moral of the story is——hmmmm.  It is just a story that I wanted to share with you all. I laughed to myself all the way up the NYS Thruway thinking about singing to her.  I hope I have another few decades left in me to sing.  Maybe I should pray to Mary?