A carpet of crab apple petals, the gentle calls of mourning doves, the smell of lilac bushes drifting in through the window…these are some of my springtime memory triggers.
It seems to happen overnight – I’ll be driving down the road and suddenly realize that EVERYTHING is green! I find great contentment in the color of springtime leaves and grass. It’s a newborn green – fresh and clean from spring showers. Summer green is deep and “baked”, but springtime green makes me feel refreshed and nostalgic. Spring holds a lot of memories for me and the sights, sounds and aromas instantly take my mind to other times and places.
The crab apple trees usually drop their petals in beautiful carpets on the yards, sidewalks and driveways. We were greeted with this beautiful rose-colored carpet on the day we brought our newborn daughter home from the hospital 14 years ago.
As the weather warms, house windows are opened and the aroma of lilac bushes instantly takes me back to the days when my oldest son was learning how to climb the stairs in our very first house. Days were quieter then with only one child. The scents from the garden and the caress of the breeze through the window were easier to notice and appreciate. I would sit on the stairs behind my son, ready to catch him as his learned the balance needed to climb higher each day.
Several years ago, my mother and I discovered that we both shared thoughts of one another whenever we would hear the call of a mourning dove in the early morning hours. We agreed that we would send up quick prayers for one another whenever we hear the gentle calls. I find it interesting that the Indiana birds call slowly and soothingly, while the doves in Florida, where my mother spends the winter, are much faster and a bit frenzied. Maybe the Indiana doves are reminding me to slow down and relish the memories that I’m making today.
Springtime – wonderful weather and wonderful memories!
