In the very beginning, there were lilacs

You might be wondering why I chose to name my blog after lilacs when my blog has nothing to do with nature. I would be wondering the same thing. But, no pun intended, the reason actually has some pretty deep roots in motherhood.

Soon after my husband and I got married, we decided we wanted to start having kids. We were 21 and 22 at the time and were living in a one bedroom, 400 sq ft college apartment. We knew that the walls of our apartment were paper thin. While we could make it work for a crying baby, we preferred to have a bit more space to call our own. But the rent in our area was so high, and I had visions of a home of our own. Thus started the search for our first house. 

We did what any logical college couple would do and….bought a chain smoker’s fixer upper townhouse during the end of the semester super close to finals. Let’s just say, it was a stressful season filled with lots of renovation, paint, help from friends, and hard work. 

We brought our first baby home to that house. The one that my husband had put his blood, sweat, and tears into to make it a safe and comfortable place for our family. He was going to school full time, working 40+ hours a week, and working tirelessly to transform our townhouse into a beautiful space (what a man!).

So, how do these lilacs apply to the blog? 

One of the most notable things, for me, about the townhouse was the lilac bush. The lilac bush was rooted right outside our living room window. Let me tell you, it needed a good pruning but bloomed like the world depended on it. Blossoms after blossoms after blossoms. We purchased the townhouse in the heart of spring so those lilacs bloomed throughout almost my entire pregnancy with our first child. I adored them because they smelled like the epitome of spring and graced our yard with a bright purple hue. 

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They were the backdrop to some of our biggest milestones. They bloomed when we moved into our first home. Then again as our daughter grew inside of me. And yet again, they bloomed when my husband graduated from college.

At the heart of it, they represent the time of my life when I became a mom. Their transformation from dried limbs, to budding leaves, to blossoming stems reminds me of the growing aches and pains of my own transformation. Now, to me, lilacs represent motherhood and home. I want to raise our family and our daughters to bloom and flourish like those bright purple buds, and I never want to forget the home where it all started.