Today is May 1. We’ve officially completed one-third of 2015.

It’s May Day. Look around and enjoy some flowers. You might be able to find some blooming now that the snow has melted — finally! — and temperatures are beginning to climb.

But if you cannot find any, cheer up anyway. There’s plenty more to celebrate.

May 1 is, after all, Mother Goose Day. So read some silly nursery rhymes to your children, or find a tuffet to sit on and enjoy a bowl of curds and whey while you watch a cat play the fiddle and some cow jump over the moon.

Today is also School Principals’ Day, as well as No Pants Day. I recommend that everybody choose one OR the other to celebrate. Never mix the two.

If music is more your thing, it’s International Tuba Day. So, here’s a shoutout to my former boss, Robert Long, the best tuba player I’ve ever met. (Yeah, it’s a short list, but I hear he’s still pretty good.)

The Dark Knight also gets a shout out today, on Batman Day. It’s the day we celebrate fictional crime fighters. It’s not Gotham, but Baltimore police might have wished for Batman’s help earlier in the week during the rioting.

This month is filled with lots of reasons to celebrate and days to observe.

Baby Day is May 2. The Force will be with you on Star Wars Day, which is May 4. Make sure to tell your teachers that May 6 is No Homework Day. The Chicken Dance enjoys its special day on the 14th, and celebrating will continue the next day as people Bike to Work. Whether you’re close or distant, reach out on Brothers Day to tell him you love him. That’ll be May 24.

There are dozens more designations this month, and every month, according to www.DaysOfTheYear.com. Some are serious, many are whacky.

I didn’t forget that there are some more traditional holidays this month, too. We honor mothers on May 10 and remember all who have died in military service to this country on May 25.

But as I look around today, and reflect back on what has been happening in our nation the past few months — and especially the unrest over the past week in Baltimore and other cities — I would encourage you to get out your calendars and circle Thursday, May 7.

If you’re a historian, you might be thinking that May 7, 2015, marks the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe. You’re right, it does.

Music fans might know Glen Miller recorded “Chattanooga Choo Choo” 74 years ago and the Beatles released their last album, “Long and Winding Road,” 45 years ago on May 7, 1970. All true. But not where I’m going with this.

No, I have something much more important in mind. Given the events of the first few months of this year, I can think of no more important day than the National Day of Prayer.

The first Thursday in May is designated by law — not just a website or social media campaign — as a day for the nation to gather and pray, for the nation.

I’m not the only one who thinks America needs prayer. A tweet from the national Day of Prayer Task Force (@NationalPrayer) notes that “Australia has called for 7 days of prayer for the United States as we prepare to observe the 64th annual National Day of Prayer.”

According to evangelist Franklin Graham, America is in trouble.

“We are contending with issues that are causing the very foundation of our country to crumble,” he said. “Our moral and spiritual roots are eroding, the economy is misleading, family life is disintegrating, and political forces are at unprecedented odds. There seem to be very few leaders who will take a stand for God and for his word.”

He’s right. Just look around. Despite our president’s claims to the contrary, this nation does have Judeo- Christian roots. There IS right and wrong. That doesn’t mean that there is no place for non-Christian values, but it does mean that we should not abandon the values that have served us for so long just because somebody might get offended.

There was rioting earlier this week in Baltimore. A black man, Freddie Gray, died of injuries following his arrest. All the details of what happened are not yet known, but people in the city are upset. Many took to the street to protest. Others took to the street with the purpose of destroying things and looting.

One mother, Toya Graham, saw her son on a news report at the riots. She went and found her masked son, pulled him away from the protest crowd and smacked him in the head. The single mom of six told CBS News she doesn’t play when it comes to her children. And, she said, she didn’t want her son to be another Freddie Gray.

The images from Baltimore are fresh in our minds. But it wasn’t so long ago that Ferguson, Missouri, was burning following the death of another black man. Deaths of others followed in other cities.

Yes, it’s tragic that a life was lost, regardless of whether one thinks the victim was innocent or a thug. But in what world does it make sense to “protest” the death by destroying businesses and housing projects, and then slicing the hoses of fire crews trying to put out the flames? It’s taking one tragedy and deliberately compounding it to hurt more people.

Destroying a business, for example, might hurt the owner, but it definitely hurts the workers who are now jobless. And for those living paycheck-to-paycheck, it could mean that they are also homeless. And what about those low-income people who now have no nearby stores to purchase food and medicine?

Maybe these were not intended consequences, but people will suffer nevertheless.

Life is precious. All life. Skin tone doesn’t matter. Gender or sexual orientation doesn’t matter. Age doesn’t matter. Occupation — or joblessness — doesn’t matter, nor does where somebody lives.

In America today, people are angry. Whether it’s the economy, hot-button social issues, or perceived injustice in any form, it seems that there are any number of people just looking for a reason to lash out.

“It can be tempting to believe that America has reached a point of no return. While these factors cause despair, we are reminded in Scripture that with God, nothing is impossible. No problem is too great for him,” Graham continued. “Seasons of distress and uncertainty and hardship call for faithful, fervent prayer by God’s people and remind us of our responsibility to humble ourselves before almighty God. We cannot expect healing to come to our nation apart from obedience to God through his holy word.”

Not everybody believes in God. I get that. I understand. But there are millions who do, and I’d encourage each one to attend a local National Day of Prayer gathering next Thursday. In Brunswick, the event kicks off at noon at the gazebo on the mall.

In addition to praying for peace in our land, it’s a time to remember those in leadership positions, from the president and Congress down to our state Legislature and governor, town councils and school boards, and the staff in our schools.

There’ll be prayers for the military, for the family, for the media and more. It’s a time to come together as a nation and lift each other up.

There are so many “special” days to celebrate this month, but I would encourage each to take time out to really petition God to grant wisdom to us all, and to heal the divisions in this nation.

“The Bible commands that we repent of our sins and turn to almighty God,” said Graham. “And because we are confident that we serve a God of mercy and compassion, we know that he stands ready to respond to our cries out of the abundance of his divine wisdom.”

It’s sad to see what is happening with the unrest in our nation, but we don’t have to be resigned to the fact that it is out of our control. There is something we all can do, and Thursday will be a test of how many truly believe that.

Certainly one can pray every day, and shouldn’t wait for one special day a year, but there is an awesome feeling to gather with other like-minded men and women to stand for a cause. It’s what happened in Baltimore and Ferguson. People standing for their cause. It’s powerful.

Let’s ensure that we stand together and that it’s positive message, and much good can come from it. At least that’s the way I see it.

Daryl Madore is Worship page editor at The Times Record and can be reached at dmadore@timesrecord.com.