Happy Birthday, Mom!
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Happy Birthday, Lorraine Strohbehn!
Springtime in the country as I was growing up was such a refreshing time. Mother had perused the seed catalogue that came during the winter and had already placed her seed order for a generous garden beyond the kitchen door. In the spring, we enjoyed the first rhubarb pie or sauce, and we brought in dandelion greens for some yummy salad with bacon drippings and some vinegar and sugar dressing.
Most of all, I recall the sweet-smelling lilacs that loaded the round tree that stood about four times as high as I was. It was just outside the kitchen door between the house and the garden. In the early evening, the fragrance was so pleasant that I spent my time playing with our dog, Nellie, as close to the lilac tree as possible.
Each blossom of the lilac is made up of four petals. Clusters of the blossoms form along a straight stem, and often there are several stems together to make up what can seem like a bouquet. Because of this, they are ideal for fresh-cut bouquets. We had a pretty blue vase that we filled with fresh lilacs—did you know that the lilac is the first flower to have a color named after it?—and displayed that on the kitchen table from the beginning to the end of the season. We exchanged them for new lilacs about every other day, so even inside the house, we enjoyed the sweet-smelling fragrance of the beautiful lilacs.
Often, as I see that blue vase (now in my china hutch), I can almost smell the lilacs—as I am reminded of being near enough to enjoy the fragrance—and I ask the Lord to make my life a sweet-smelling fragrance for His glory. Ephesians 5:2 says: “And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savor [NIV: a fragrant offering].”
May our lives be a “sweet-smelling savor” to our Lord and to those with whom we live, work, and play. The lilacs will soon be in bloom, and they will once again serve as a beautiful reminder from our Lord!
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Thank you for reading “Springtime Outside Our Kitchen Door.” It would be extra-special to my mom today if you have a quick moment to leave a birthday greeting in the comment section below! ____________________ If you’d like to read, The Death of a Dream, also by Lorraine Strohbehn, you can now purchase a downloadable PDF e-book copy for 99¢ from PetalsfromtheBasket.com. Click here for more information.
Happy Birthday sweet lady! I love lilacs also.
Happy birthday, Mrs. Strohbehn. I hope it will be a very special day! : )
Happy Birthday Mrs. Strohbehn! Your faithfulness and sweet ministry has been a great blessing to me. Darcy Fish