I am writing on a cold and damp Monday morning . The heat is on and the ground is lapping up the much needed moisture. A week of fear, uncertainty in our province and neighboring provinces have reminded us of nature’s power and our powerlessness over it. It also reminds us to take nothing for granted. The ferocious power of fire , flood and storm can quickly change the comfort and security we enjoy. This thought seems fitting with the thread of reflection which prompted this entry. I will begin with lilacs. June brings this favorite purple or white bouquet every year. For some reason lilacs remind me of a Gorham’s Bluff June wedding many years ago . Lilacs and Apple blossoms were to be the backdrop for an outdoor wedding as I recall but the weather took the wedding into the ‘ballroom ‘ inside the lovely farmhouse of the bride’s childhood. I see lilacs and think Beth and John. Funny how the mind and memory work. I have no lilacs now and many of the lilac bushes we cultivated and cared for on the farm are gone mostly because the herd of cows laid claim to the place they grew. But yesterday my husband made sure I had lilacs. They will soon be gone so while they are here I must fully enjoy their beauty. Oh how true this is of pretty much everything we value in this life. We know the season of lilacs but the season of so much else is uncertain and fragile. I embrace our new home and am so thankful for where we find ourselves. But there is a longing for what was and what we left behind. I can get stuck in that lamenting and mourning for what has been but instead I will attempt to redirect my thoughts to the contentment of exactly what is. My rational brain knows lilacs rust and the blossoms fall from the branches, just as life brings changes. But losses, disappointment and heartbreak are a part of the beauty. The gift is today; this day which is wrapped up with gratitude for what was and hope for what will be.
Lilacs and Contentment
