lilacs

This year our lilacs bloomed a few weeks later than last year. The 2011 bunch reached their full glory right around May 13th. Last year I witnessed a group of migrating red admiral butterflies make a pit stop at our bush on May 1st, when the flowers were already starting to turn brown. It seemed like a really special moment to look up and see all those butterflies. I had been sitting out in the yard next to the tree we had planted for our friend John. We were about to head over to John's mom's house to spread his ashes. The timing of those butterflies seemed perfect, like some sort of sign that there was still so much life to embrace.