Under the green shade of the cottonwood tree, the ground covered with clover white flowers waiting for bees, I sat down my chair. Kiran came by to get out of the sun, stretching out briefly in the shade before running off to play again.
In the end there were 7 of us sitting in the grass singing and/or  beating out the rhythms on our legs, waulking songs and puirt a beul. 
One of the people there asked me "So what did Gaelic turn into?". I explained that Gaelic is still a living language and is spoken in Scotland and in Nova Scotia. That question is a big part of why I want to do this project.  

'S e a chiad latha den Mìos na Gàidhlig a th'ann an-diugh agus tha mise air gealtainn gum bi mise a' sgrìobhadh brath-bloga a h-uile latha den mìos seo.  Thoisich mi rud beag tràth co-dhiubh ach 's e a-nis an t-àm airson fìor thoiseachadh a dhèanamh.
Failte oirbh gu Mìos na Gàidhlig ma tha! Tha mi an dòchas gu bidh sibh a' gabhail pàirt anns na tachairtean agus gum bidh sibh a' bruidhinn ri duine mu dhèidhinn Gàidhlig.
 'S e deagh cothromh a th' ann am Mìos na Gàidhlig an coimhearsnachd farsaing Gàidhlige a tighinn còmhla anns an t-saoghal fìor agus air an eadar-lìon. Tha mi an dòchas gum bidh mi gur faicinn an àiteigin am mìos seo.

It is the first day of Mìos na Gàidhlig today and I have promised that I will write a blog-post every day this month. I started a little early anyhow but now is the time to make a real beginning.
Welcome to Mìos na Gàidhlig then! I hope you all will take part in the events and that you will be talking to people about Gaelic.
Mìos na Gàidhlig is a good opportunity for the wide Gaelic community to come together in the real world and on the internet. I hope to see you someplace this month. :)

I interact with Gaelic in some way every day. Either I am teaching Gaelic or making learning materials for my students, reading, listening to or speaking Gaelic.  So for me, every day and therefore every month is Gaelic Month. So Why should I do anything special for Mìos na Gàidhlig?
The motivation for me comes each time I am talking to someone about Gaelic and they say " What is Gaelic?" or "Do they still speak that? I thought it was a dead language". I talk to people a lot about Gaelic, but I like to make a special effort during Mìos na Gàidhlig to get the word out about Gaelic, not only its place in history but its place in the modern world. 
Historically Gaelic has been important not just in Scotland but throughout the world wherever Gaelic speakers have settled. It can be seen in place names, cultures and in the cadence of their descendants speech.  There are probably millions of people all over the world that have an ancestral connection to Gaelic. 
Which brings us nicely to the place of Gaelic in today's world. 
One of the great things that Gaelic does is to connect people with their heritage but it is not just tie to a distant past, it is also an connection to a living culture. Speaking Gaelic adds richness to the enjoyment of traditional music and poetry and these days you can do anything from watching cartoons to getting a PHD in the language. 
That said Gaelic is still in a precarious place. It is still only around 1% of the population of Scotland that speaks it. So each person that finds out about the language or learns to speak it is really making a difference to the overall picture. And that is what Mìos na Gàidhlig is all about to me, making that difference. So whether you are just learning your first word of Gaelic or you've been learning for years take advantage of all the great events being put on for Mìos na Gàidhlig and all the great resources that are now available on the web and have a great Mìos na Gàidhlig.

Ged nach e Mios na Gàidhlig a th' ann fhathast tha mi a' deasachadh air a shon. Am bliadhna tha mi a' dol a sgrìobhadh brath-bloga a h-uile latha fad an Cèitean (Mios na Gàidhlig). Bidh cuid den brathan anns a' Ghàidhlig agus an cuid eile anns a' Bhuerla ach air cuispeearean Gàidhlig. Tha mi an dochas gu bi sibh gan leughadh agus gum bi iad a' còrdadh ruibh agus gum bi iad gur brosnachadh ri odhrip a dhèanamh airson Mios na Gàidhlig.

Although Mios na Gàidhlig is not yet here I am preparing for it. This year I plan to write a blog post every day in May (Mios na Gàidhlig). Some of the post will be in Gaelic and some will be in English on Gaelic subjects. I hope that you all will read them, that you will enjoy them and that they will inspire you to do something for Mios na Gàidhlig