It’s not. Lilacs represent a million things to me. Of course they are beautiful and have a wonderful scent. And sure, it means winter is finally gone and spring has arrived. But they represent more than that. I’ll tell you my story and maybe you have one, too.
I grew up in Wisconsin and Canada, and lilacs were a welcome sign every spring. My mother would arrange a bouquet of lavender lilacs for as long as they bloomed. We moved around quite a bit and Mom always made sure we had a lilac bush wherever we lived. (And Dad always planted peonies under our windows!) Anyway, as those of you who know me or have read anything I write, you know that I’ve lived in Florida for over 47 years (don’t ask why–I’m still working on figuring it out) and in my writing I always talk about lilacs.
Lilacs don’t grow in Florida–unfortunately. I remember ordering a small bush when we moved and of course it didn’t grow. So today when I walked into my favorite store and saw lilacs from Wisconsin, I couldn’t have been happier. That’s the truth! And here is a picture of them in a vase that belonged to my mother.
If this tropical storm that we are getting rain from passes by tomorrow, I’ll go back and buy a bunch to take to my parents at the cemetery. And I know that they will be as pleased with them as I am.
Now do you know why they aren’t just lilacs?
mirikalblog.com 