The Lilac

There are many surprising moments in life, and I had one this spring. M-in-L, Papa and I spend a day or so visiting cemeteries on Memorial Day weekend each year. Last year, Papa and I went back to Maple Hill Cemetery to water our flowers.

Since it was just the two of us, and we had a few minutes, I wanted to look at some family lots I hadn’t see in several years. One of those is block B lot 60, where my great-grandparents are buried.

I was amazed to find this.

That knurly old lilac has been on the lot as long as I can remember, I have no idea who trimmed it the way is is. Most lilacs in the area are clumped bushes, not single larger trunks. I had never seen this one blooming before in the entire 35 or so years I have visited this cemetery. It is planted next to the marker for William, Jennie and Cecelia Kaiser, which you can just see in the foreground.