’Tis the season of graduations. Tearful students share goodbyes sprinkled with the dew of new beginnings. Mortarboards and Mylar balloons sail at crowded commencements.

 Darien residents won’t need to hear bugler Ashley Porter playing taps at the Peace Monument to know it’s Memorial Day. That’s because every day is Memorial Day in Darien.

My favorite flowers are roses. Dresses delight me. But before any presents are unwrapped, I’ve already received the best Mother’s Day gift in the healing of my daughter Heather. Sharing my joy is Connie Mally, who celebrates her daughter Teresa’s recovery this Mother’s Day.

Last Saturday, we embarked on a road trip to Morris. Our destination was R-Place, a restaurant featuring bountiful burgers and dancing marionettes, located at the junction of I-55 and I-80.

Like any good mother, Sharon Coleman knows that a scrumptious cake paves the expressway to a child’s heart.

“In the past two weeks, I have been listening to several women who are out of work tell me they can’t find employment, or it is very difficult,” Joanne Cotten said. “These women are equipped with wonderful resumes. However, they’re the 50-year-old gang. What are 50-year-old women supposed to do?”

Before Bangalore, she was a blonde from Darien, who dined on chicken and loved to dance. After Bangalore, Kristen Chmielewski returned to Darien as a brunette vegetarian longing to dance.

I love my uncle. That’s why my stomach turned a cartwheel when he pulled into our driveway for Easter dinner.

The ground hog is history. Spring has sprung. ‘Tis the season for crocuses and cleaning.

Clearly, it’s time to fling open our closet doors and purge hangers of passé fashions from summers past. If April showers bring May flowers, then closet cleaning hails the fashion forecast for spring.

Too bad there isn’t a Web page for personal ads from nonprofits seeking volunteers: “Friendly organization seeks fun, enthusiastic volunteers who like children and the outdoors” or “Architectural treasure seeks friendly volunteers who like children, crafts and history.”

St. Isaac Jogues’ seventh-grade Girl Scout Troop 1440 has poured months of meetings, creativity and planning into an event scheduled for only two hours. Yet, every girl in the troop will tell you it was more than worth it.

Spelling Bees get all the attention lately. Every school wants one. However, it is not the only bee game in town.

After only two years of performing, 11-year-old Laura Nelson has an impressive resume of singing, acting and dancing. Asked about her favorite, she is quick to reply, “singing, acting, then dancing.”

What would entice a bunch of middle school students to spend six Friday nights with a bunch of police officers? The Hinsdale Police Department knows: ride-alongs, crime scenes, fingerprinting, SWAT equipment and a drug-sniffing, suspect-tracking K-9 dog.

Tom Day has a song in his heart. The melody consists of 24 notes. With bugle in hand, Day makes a lasting impression by sharing his music.