Secondly, I hope I've represented our community well. I feel so lucky to be a part of a group of folks that engage with a welcoming spirit of community and helpfulness and a general "glad to see you" attitude. I hope that I've helped to spread that in my daily interactions, because that was definitely a goal of mine!

Thirdly, I looked at being May Queen as an opportunity to stretch myself and try to achieve some of my personal goals. I've often been delighted by the wonderful lyric-writing of other hobbits but I rarely take the time to follow that inspiration and write my own lyrics down. I decided to challenge myself - and the community - by declaring a year of music and poetry. Personally, I struggle with perfectionism. I stall out, hoping for the perfect words. But with regular meetups, I knew it would push me to get something wrtten and shared, so thank you all for indulging me and joining me on this endeavour.

Lastly, (and perhaps most importantly), I want to say to you all (and especially future May Queens and Kings), please don't try to compare yourselves to past royals or others in the community. Listen to your own heart. Pursue the interests that make you happy, or give you a chance to stretch your abilities, or that make you feel the most safe and comforted. If you're a royal, make your reign something that speaks to your heart. 

I listened to mine and I had a great time! And what could be a better gift than spending time with such a wonderful group of folks. Thank you again for joining me in celebrating our community. 

And now that most of the festivities are over, I think I will curl up on the couch with the sleeping cats in the sun and work on my pile of knit and crochet projects. 

With musical love,

~Rosenbleume