This past April while visiting my parents on the farm I‘d grown up on, I wandered outside to drink in the feel of “home”, a comfort I really needed right then. I was used to sunny Southern Californian morning and the brisk early-morning Iowan air nipped at my nose, ears and bare hands.With my father‘s fleece-lined jacket wrapped around me, and my hands snuggled deep in its well-worn pocket I meandered around the spacious homestead when the unexpected sweet scent of lilacs suddenly called to me. Turning toward the bountiful hedge of lilacs in the distance, I spotted what looked like blooms. I hurried over.The lavender lilacs were indeed in glorious bloom! I pulled a plentiful clump to my face and inhaled the intoxicating scent, as I had done every springtime throughout my childhood. A warm delight seeped through my chilled bone and I smiled at the thought that spring had arrived!Strolling back to the house, the promise of springtime—warmth, renewal and beauty—journeyed right along with me.My father sat at the kitchen table, poring over the morning market reports.”It‘s spring! The lilacs are in bloom!” I joyously announced.”Lilacs in bloom or not, it isn‘t spring until winter is gone,” he contradicted. “We‘ll get a bit of cold weather yet.
But my heart refused to let the optimism that the lilacs had brought to me fade. Immediately, I recalled the card my mother had sent me just that past week—one that had subconsciously inspired this trip home. My mother knew that I was feeling down. On the cover of the card she sent me was a photo of a single flower emerging from a desolate barren slope of rock. The exquisite flower willed itself to have life, in spite of the conditions around it. Inside were the words “In the midst of winter, I found within me an eternal spring,” followed by my mother‘s words:”Spring has always been your favorite time of year. As alway it‘s within.”These are words that my mother, ever the optimist, lives by. Even in the midst of winter, she finds spring.”It‘s pouring rain!” Dad once said.”Everything smells so fresh after a rain!” Mom responded.”But I‘d wanted to get the yards mowed today,” he replied, obviously disappointed.”We need the rain,” she countered. “Now everything will be greener.””But the forecast is rain for the entire day,” Dad moaned.”Then we should go to the movies this afternoon,” Mom smiled.”It‘s so expensive,” he retorted.”That‘s precisely why we should go to the matinee,” she countered. “Three of the kids can get in free, and it‘s only half-price for the rest of us.”
Recalling this Rockwell scene of a Sunday afternoon when I was twelve, I‘m reminded that for my mother torrential rains produced a rainbow, and there was always a pot of gold at the end of it. I love her sense of joy and optimism. And her ever-ready willingness to share it.Throughout my childhood and over the course of my adult year when I met with succes my mother presented me with a bouquet of lilacs. And on the days when the lemons were so bitter they simply couldn‘t be made into lemonade, no matter how much sugar was added, like the day a good friend passed away; like the day when a long-standing love relationship ended… lilacs arrived from my mother with a note of understanding to match their beauty and sweet fragrance.”Spring has always been your favorite time of year,” she always reminded. “As alway it‘s within.”Even so, it was the lilacs made her words ring true. With the sight and fragrance of that April morning‘s came the realization of why a trip home was necessary. I needed to assuage my sadnes my feelings of loneliness and melancholy. I was pining. My dear daughter, now an adult, had moved into a place of her own. She now lives many states and many miles away. While happy for her, I mourn the loss of her nearness…That morning, the sight of the lilacs brought my mother‘s words back to life. They reminded me that in the midst of an internal winter, a winter that is within, I must recall the beauty of springtime and the scent of the lilacs. So I will not see her as having gone away, but rather as taking part in new and wondrous experiences in a world that has as many springtimes as winters.”Dad, the lilacs are in bloom. It‘s spring!” I assured my father that day.”Hmm,” he said, glancing at me, his expression skeptical. Noting my frown, his features softened. “Of course it‘s possible that spring has arrived,” he placated, smiling. “After all, like you said, the lilacs are in bloom.”Oh, for the ever-renewing beauty of springtime! And the sweet and irrepressible scent of the lilacs to remind us that spring is found within.
刚刚过去的那个四月，我回到我在那长大的农场探望我的父母。我在屋外漫步，沉浸在“家”的舒适感觉中——当时我真的很需要家的慰藉。我习惯了加利福尼亚州南部那阳光明媚的早晨，艾奥瓦州清晨凛冽的空气使我的鼻子、耳朵和没戴手套的双手感到一阵阵冰冷的刺痛。我穿着父亲的一件羊毛衬里的夹克，把它裹得紧紧的，然后把手深深插进它那残破的口袋里，漫步在广袤的农场上。这时，一阵紫丁花香意外地扑鼻而来。我转过头去，看到远处围栏边一丛丛茂密的紫丁香似乎在怒放。我赶紧跑了过去。淡紫色的丁香花的确在灿烂地怒放着！我拉过一大束，凑到面前，尽情地闻着那令人陶醉的花香——童年的时候，每年春天，我都会这样闻闻紫丁香。一股温暖的喜悦沁润了我冰冷的身骨。想到春天已经来了，我不禁微笑起来。我漫步回家，一路上，春天的征兆——温暖、万物复苏和美丽一直萦绕在我心头。父亲正坐在厨房的餐桌前，出神地看着早晨股市播报。“春天来了！紫丁香花盛开了！”我欢欣雀跃地宣布。“不管紫丁香开不开花，只有冬天过去了，才是春天，”父亲反驳说，“寒冷的天气还要持续一段时间呢。”
但我内心深处不愿意让紫丁香刚刚带给我的期待消失。我随即想起上一个星期母亲送给我的一张卡片——正是那张卡片促使我潜意识地作了回家的决定。母亲知道我那时心情不好。她送给我的那张卡片的正面是一张照片，照片上是一朵花，它从一块岩石的荒芜贫瘠的斜面上生长出来。尽管周围的环境十分恶劣，这朵娇嫩的小花却顽强地绽放着生命。卡片里面有一些文字：“在隆冬里，我在内心找到了永恒的春天。”紧接着还有一句母亲写给我的话：“一直以来，春天都是你最喜爱的季节。春天一直都在你心里。”这就是我那永远乐观的母亲的人生信念。即使是在隆冬，她也能找到春天。“下大雨了！”有一次父亲说。“雨后的一切闻起来是那么的清新！”母亲回答说。“可我本来想今天割院子里的草的，”父亲带着很失望的语气说。“我们需要这场雨，”母亲反驳说，“大雨过后一切会变得更青翠。”“但天气预报说，这场雨会下一整天，”父亲抱怨道。“那我们今天下午应该去看电影，”母亲笑着说。“票价太贵了，”父亲反驳道。“那恰恰是我们应该去看下午场的原因，”她回答说，“三个孩子可以免票进场，我们其他人只要半票。”
回忆着我12岁那年这个带有洛克威尔画风的周日下午的场景，我想到，对母亲而言，倾盆大雨过后会出现一道彩虹；无论发生什么事，最后都会收获良多。我爱她那积极乐观的心态，爱她总是乐意与他人分享这种乐观心态的品质。在我的童年时期以及我长大以后的日子里，每当我取得成功时，母亲都会给我送上一束紫丁香。而有的时候，比如好友去世，又如长久的爱情告终时，生命会像苦涩的柠檬，无论加多少糖，也调制不成一杯可口的柠檬水……这时，母亲同样会给我送来紫丁香，同时还附上一张与紫丁香的美丽和芬芳相匹配的纸条，上面写满了对我的理解。“春天一直是你最喜爱的季节，”她总是提醒我，“春天一直在你心里。”尽管如此，还是紫丁香让我感到母亲的话是真的。那个四月的早晨盛开的紫丁香和它那扑鼻的芬芳让我意识到，这次回家是必要的。我需要缓解悲伤、缓解我的孤独和忧郁。我在苦苦思念——我亲爱的女儿已经长大成人，搬出去自己住了。她现在住的地方与我相隔千里。我为她感到高兴的同时，也因为她不再在我身边而伤感。那天早晨，看到灿烂盛开着的紫丁香让我又想起了母亲的话。它们提醒我，即便内心处于漫漫寒冬，我也要记起春天的美丽和紫丁香的芬芳。所以，我不再觉得女儿是离我远去——她是步入了一个全新的、即将迎来更多精彩的世界。在那个世界，春天和寒冬一样多。“爸爸，紫丁香开了！春天来了！”那天我很肯定地对父亲说。“嗯，”他应答着，瞥了我一眼，一副怀疑的表情。看到我皱眉，他的表情柔和起来。“当然，有可能春天已经来了，”他微笑着安慰我说，“毕竟，就像你所说的，紫丁香已经盛开了。”啊，让我们为春天那年年回归的美丽欢呼吧！紫丁香那沁人心脾的芳香告诉我们，春天就在我们心里。
