Rob's lilacs

Rob planted a lilac bush in our backyard the year we moved in. It has grown to be enormous. I never cut the suckers that emerged at the roots each year and now it is pointless to try: it is messy and unkempt. Rob loved that bush. I love lilacs, too, but he was the one to insist that we must have a bush, and when they bloomed in early May each year, he always made sure to cut some and bring them inside to sit on the counter in a vase.

Last year, the sight and scent of lilacs was agonizing. Now it's bittersweet. And the bush that produces flowers for me each year feels like a gift from Rob that will bring me flowers for years in the future. Which seems appropriate: Rob loved to bring me flowers.

We sprinkled some of his ashes around the bush.