Every spring I almost swoon over the wonderful aroma of the lilacs. We don’t have lilacs at our house. Years ago I transplanted a lilac twig in hopes of growing my own big ol’ lilac bush. But after several years of staring down at the twig and it’s leaf, it finally fell over and that was the end of it. So, no lilacs here. But all over town they wave their purple or pink or white blossoms and I roll down the car windows to get a whiff of their perfume.

Last night someone gave me a handful of cut lilacs for my very own. The smell was almost intoxicating! How is it possible to enjoy a fragrance so much???

Today my daughter brought me a few lilac stems from across the street where her uncle lives. I’m guessing he hasn’t even noticed his lilacs yet, but I sure have! So now I have some beautiful lavender and white flowers in a vase so I can lean over for a sniff any time I please.
As I was holding the lilacs and enjoying them, I again wondered what lies ahead for our family. We really want to move to the country, but so far God hasn’t granted us our wish. Do you think that maybe, someday, we might get to move to a country home that has lilac bushes? God has proven that He does care about details, so maybe somewhere He is preparing our country home and saving those lilac bushes for us.

While He’s at it, perhaps He could arrange for a magnolia tree too. Just down our street is a huge stately magnolia tree with large low branches just perfect for climbing. After years of admiring this tree from the sidewalk, the children were given permission to climb the tree whenever they wish. What a wonderful year it has been this past year as the children run to “Miss Pam’s Tree” to play, imagine, invent, or maybe even just hide for a bit. As I have driven around town this spring, I’ve noticed lots of magnolia trees, but NONE are as big and beautiful as the one on our street. They must take a long time to grow so big.

I got to wondering if someday I might be able to plant a magnolia tree out at our country home. But even if I did, I probably wouldn’t live long enough to see it grow big enough to climb. So then a strange thought occurred to me. How about if I plant the tree for my grandchildren and great grandchildren? I could even write a letter to them and explain that this tree was planted fifty years before, just so that someday they could climb on it and enjoy it. What a strange feeling I have as I think about my own mortality and my great grandchildren! I can’t even look into the future long enough to imagine life without a diaper bag! But trees big enough for climbing and for tree houses and for hammocks don’t grow overnight. They take generations.

Maybe I’ll plant those trees for my grandkids, and maybe I won’t. But one thing I hope and pray is that my Heavenly Father, Who has known my heart since before time began, would maybe someday give me my heart’s wish and allow me to live in a house surrounded by lilacs and magnolia trees… big ones!