love, lilacs and time

It has been a cool spring here in Wisconsin, and a rain shower or two would be welcome. The below average temps are fine with me. I hate hot weather. The cool temps have kept the spring flowers blooming longer than normal...the tulips are still looking good. And the lilacs are so fragrant.

It's funny, how my sense of smell triggers memories......

Somewhere around 1977, maybe 78...I was riding on the back of a motorcycle, with my first husband driving. It was a dark, moonless night. I don't remember what our destination was. What stays in my memory is riding through the countryside in the dark, fresh air. Feeling free...

My husband stopped for an intersection of two roads....and the smell of lilacs flooded over me... I couldn't see them, but the fragrance was overwhelming. The surprise of it intensified the experience. What I couldn't see about 50 yards off the road was a huge group of lilac bushes, that I had never noticed before.

Now, when I smell lilacs , I remember that night. Nothing really significant happened....just the feeling of being young, in love, and gift from Mother Nature. Sounds kinda hokey, I guess.. but it is one of the nicest memories I have of my first marriage.

Now, at that intersection, there are homes and other buildings, those lilac bushes are long gone, as is my youth. Passing years change everything, but lots of things get better with time, like the smell of lilacs and lasting love.