lilacs

There was a basket with tea and fresh lilacs waiting for me when I arrived.

My mom died Friday, June 3, and when I arrived at her apartment, there by the door were lilacs left by a lifelong friend. Just last Friday morning -- only hours before my mom's death -- I'd noticed that the lilacs in my area had "gone by" and the thought crossed my mind that we have to let those springtime flowers go in order to enjoy daylilies and other summer blooms. It's especially hard because the lilacs are my favorite, but they all are only temporary and all too fleeting.

But when I arrived in my hometown the lilac bushes here were still in full flower. What a gift. Then P's lovely remembrance. Earl Grollman says, "Every touch of sorrow makes the whole world kin." My friends truly are kin...and never more than now.

And the lilacs. Once a fragrant reminder of childhood and my grandparents' place, now they'll forever be a lovely, bittersweet reminder of my mother.

In loving memory of Dot.