Stopping to Smell the Lilacs....

I have fond memories of lazy spring Saturdays at 3422 Brentwood Drive. One of which is sitting on the back of my garage in my "secret place." I would go there to hide during hide and seek, write messages with chalk for other kids to find, or just to rest and take a break. The best part about it? Our garage basically ran into four huge lilac bushes. If I sat there, I could actually stick my face in them and smell the beautiful scent.

Now, as I walk Lucy to school, I stop and smell the lilac bushes we run into, and it takes me right back. I make the kids all stop and smell, as well.
"Stop and smell the flowers, chickadees!"

In that moment, I get that feeling inside you get when you have so many memories about something that you almost get choked up for remembering it all right then and you can't believe you are doing it with YOUR actual kids. And no one will ever really know how that smell takes you back to the perfect place that you were so lucky to have, and you are so grateful that you are having that perfect time again.

Walking kids to school brings these memories up in me, for some reason. To me, there is something "old fashioned" about walking a kid to school. I never experienced this growing up, as I was driven to St. Pius Elementary for all my years there. So to walk this little kid to Kindergarten, and see all the neighborhood kids walking, scooting and bike riding with their backpacks on, parents with coffee in hand, strollers being pushed....it's just something to see. It's been almost a year that I've been a part of this public school system but it STILL is hard for me to get used to. I have an almost six year old...an almost first grader...who's asking for ears pierced and "how old do I have to be to walk by myself?"

Surreal, I say.
In the meantime, I'm stopping to smell the lilacs.