Read by Matilda Longbottom

AAh, the magic of a May morning! The sun is shining, the air is warm, and my garden is bursting with the delightful fragrance of lilacs. This mid-May has graced us with an early bloom, thanks to the generous rains of April. My small lilac bush is a vision, covered in clusters of blossoms, and the scent wafts joyfully throughout the yard.

Mother’s Day is just around the corner, and I’ll be away, but my lilacs decided to surprise me with an early show. As a child, I fondly recall the anticipation of waiting for our backyard lilac bush to bloom just in time for Mother’s Day. Some years, the cool weather delayed the blossoms, but when they bloomed, I’d rise early to gather a fragrant bouquet for my mother. Looking back, it might seem a tad silly, but to my young heart, those lilacs were the loveliest gift imaginable.

The lilac bush in my current yard, a gift from a dear friend, hasn’t always lived up to my expectations. The shade in my yard usually hampers its blossoms, and with no kids of my own to gift me lilacs, I’ve missed that familiar joy. However, this year brings an unexpected delight—a profusion of lilac bouquets just in time for Mother’s Day. Mother Nature herself seems to have conspired to gift me the very blooms that I hold dear.

My lilac surprise is a reminder that life has its own way of delivering unexpected joys. The Creator of the universe, in the guise of Mother Nature, has smiled upon me, echoing the lessons my mother taught me about love and appreciation for these delicate blossoms. As it turns out, my lilacs weren’t just a gift from a friend; they were a thoughtful present from another mother, reminding me that nature has its way of giving us unexpected tokens of joy. ❖

About the Author: Lark Rowe moved from Hawaii to Michigan and took years to learn how to grow plants that would thrive.