The Sweetest Smell

I have loved lilacs for as long as I can remember. I love the range of colors from white to deep purple and every shade in between. And of course the wonderful smell, that I have often considered to be my favorite smell. When I was a little girl, my Mom and I would go for walks after dinner and we would stop to smell the lilacs that bloomed next to the street in the neighbor's yards each spring. Sometimes, we would even take along a pair of scissors and sneak a few small clumps of the sweet blooms to take home with us. Yes, we were the Late Night Lilac Thieves. Even though the lilacs wilted quickly in a vase of water, it was worth it to bring them inside for just a day to smell the wonderful fragrance that could only be experienced for a few short weeks of the year.

A few years ago, when Curtis and I bought our house and began to landscape, I knew that I wanted a lilac bush of my own. We chose a variety called Sensation that has pretty white and purple bi-colored petals. Unfortunately, it did not bloom last year because I had gotten a little prune-happy the previous fall. Over the last few weeks, I have been watching and waiting anxiously as the little purple buds grew. A few days ago, they were finally open; a beautiful sight. That evening, I walked over and plunged my face into the bush, inhaling deeply. Something was different though. They smelled good, as far as flowers go. But not as great as I remembered, and definately not good enough to be called my favorite smell in the world.

I then realized what was different. The most fragrant smelling lilac could never compare to the smell of my sweet baby's head. It is such an indescribably sweet smell that I spend hours every day with my nose pressed to the top of his head, breathing in his scent, and trying to decribe to myself just what it is that he smells like. But an answer never comes to me, so I just sit there and breathe it in. I never get tired of that sweet smell and even avoid washing his hair with soap because I don't like how I have to wait a few hours for the scent of the the soap to disappear and his own natural baby smell to come through once more.

So, I am sorry Beautiful Lilac Bush, I have found a new favorite smell. Happily, it lasts longer than a few weeks. And I can breathe it in all day long and never get tired of it.

~Jen