Did you know that May is a month of a myriad of national observances?

                 If you feel strongly about a good cause and can get the United States Congress to see its importance, you might hear words like proclamation, reaffirmation or resolution coming out of Washington, D.C.
                 The month of May has had two important holidays each year.  Everyone knows the meaning of Memorial Day and Armed Forces Day.  It may come as a surprise that there are other holiday observances in the fifth month of the year.
                 Two important holidays occur on May 1.  Every year, on May 1, Law Day is observed.  Lawyers and law students make up the nearly 400,000 members of the American Bar Association, which was founded in 1878.  This is a holiday observing the legal business of our country.
                 Also, on May 1, Loyalty Day is observed.  It is a day to reaffirm loyalty to the United States.  Since 1958, each year the president of the United States requires all U.S. government buildings to display the American flag on May 1.  The purpose of all this is to ask Americans to show their loyalty to the United States.
                 May 2 is a National Day of Prayer observed on the first Thursday in May.   The National Day of Prayer was first recognized by the Continental Congress in 1775 and again in 1952.  This is a day when prayer becomes a major factor for religious people of all faiths.
                 May 5 is Cinco De Mayo, a day of Mexican victory in 1862 giving the country independence from France in the battle of Puebla.
                 May 6 is National Nurses Day.  The United States Congress approved this and the bill was signed by President Reagan in 1982.  A week of observances ends on the birth date of Florence Nightingale, May 12.
                 May 7 is National Teacher Day, pushed byEleanor Roosevelt in 1953 and the 81st Congress.
                 May 12, the second Sunday in May, is known as Mother's Day.  Mothers received their homor thanks to the action of Anna Jarvis in 1912.
                 May 15 is Peace Officers Memorial Day remembering those who lost their lives.  This became a reality in 1962 as a day of observance designated by President John F. Kennedy.
                 May 18 is Armed Forces Day an observance on the third Saturday in May since 1950.
                Memorial Day is observed on the last Monday of May.  Originally known as Decoration Day, after World War II the name was changed to Memorial Day.
                Everyone should remember May 31 in honor of the World Health Organization that passed a resolution calling for the last day of May to be known as World No Tobacco Day, a United Nations observance.
                Hopefully, May will keep you busy with observances.  Note that nearly every one of the days in May sends a message that makes America a better place to live, work, attend school or just enjoy retirement.