lilac

my grandma had a lilac bush in her yard when i was growing up. well, the lilac bush was older than me, and probably older than my dad. i believe the lilac bush began life being owned by my great grandma. it moved i suppose when they did, out to the farm, just near the well, close to the house.

after we bought our house, justin and i would go on walks or go running. down the street from us, someone has a lilac bush. walking by, the smell of it sent me right back to playing at my grandparents' house as i grew up - sitting in the living room talking, eating powdered donuts and drinking capri suns, stomping around in boots during the flood when the carp swam in the front yard, exploring the white shed looking at all of the "stuff" (including the grill that is currently on our patio and is older than i am), walking through the dirt-floored red barn with tools and that old green car, just wandering around aimlessly.

i didn't realize it until then, but the smell of the lilac bush had a strong tie to my childhood in the country. justin said, "oh, that smells good." smiling, i said, "it's lilac. it smells like my grandparents' house."

the lilac bush died last october during the fire - it was too close to the house to survive.

this year i had no idea what to get for mom for mothers' day. i thought of several things that i decided against for one reason or another. finally and typically, we were browsing through rows and rows of plants - roses, rhododendrons, hibiscus, petunias. no, no, no, no.

then i saw the small section of plants, pinkish and purplish flowers in bunches, and the familiar smell - lilac.

we smelled that smell the whole way home from the store, and today i gave mom her lilac bush. i told her i remembered the smell from my grandma's house, and now sam would be able to do the same.