I Wish You Could Smell Them!

The lilacs are in bloom, along with my crabapple and bridal wreath spirea, and their blossoms are absolutely transforming my days right now. Every chance I get, I stop to breathe in the bouquets I’ve brought into the house or wander outside just to enjoy their fragrance. Why? Because they don’t last long. I only get to enjoy this once a year, and their bloom time is so short, just a week or two at most. Lilacs are my very favorite fragrant flowers, so I’m happily indulging my senses and sniffing away, lol!

I took some pictures this evening in the soft evening light and simply had to share them with you. I hope they make you smile. :)

This Prairifire crabapple has truly come into its own this year. I’ve shared photos of its blooms before, but this spring it has made such a stunning statement. 

The leaves are so delicate, and when they first appear, they carry the sweetest, light fragrance.

Just outside my garden, this tree fills both the yard and our home with such spectacular beauty.

A snapshot of me tonight, sitting beneath the crabapple tree, soaking in its beauty and fragrance. I’ve learned these blossoms never last long enough, and sometimes you simply have to stop what you’re doing and enjoy the moment. 

And guess who decided to join me? Bandit thought I needed a little extra love. If you notice in the background, there’s a covered plant. We’re under a frost warning tonight, and my peonies are just about to bloom, so I tucked them in with sheets and cardboard and am hoping they wait on blooming for a few more days until warmer weather returns. 

Bandit, meanwhile, continues to fully enjoy the comforts of life.
Here he is catching some zzz’s on our bed. 

It has been chilly here the last few days, and as I mentioned, we’re under a frost warning this weekend. We built a fire this morning, and it was so cozy to enjoy. We’ve also had some much-needed rain, which has been wonderful. The cold, frosty weather? Not quite as welcome, though certainly not unusual for this time of year. 

I’ve picked many jars of lilacs to bring indoors. I truly can’t get enough of them! 

One last picture... I hope your heart is as full of their beauty as mine is! 

Soon it will be peony season, if the frost doesn’t get them first. I’m hoping that covering them keeps them protected from the cold weather we're getting. 

IF I COULD HEAR MOTHER PRAY AGAIN

Mother’s Day has been on my mind all week, and I found time to create a short video featuring a song about praying mothers. I am so thankful that I can still hear my mother pray. When she visits, we hear her praying at night before bed, faithfully lifting up the needs of her family before the Lord.

I truly cannot imagine where I would be without the prayers that have been prayed over me by my mother, my mother-in-love, my grandmothers, my aunts, and the precious sisters in the Lord who have prayed for me through the years. I am blessed beyond measure.

Did you know that Scripture describes our prayers as incense before the Lord? That thought has encouraged me deeply this week. I love knowing that the prayers of those who have gone on before us still rise before Him as a sweet fragrance.

Unlike the beautiful aroma of my lilacs, which lasts only a short time each spring, the fragrance of our prayers lives on eternally in the presence of the Lord.

Psalm 141:2 

Let my prayer be counted as incense before you,  

and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice!

Revelation 5:8 

And when he had taken the scroll, 

the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, 

each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, 

which are the prayers of the saints.

Revelation 8:3-4

And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer, 

And he was given much incense to offer 

with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne, 

and the smoke of the incense, 

with the prayers of the saints, 

rose before God from the hand of the angel.

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I hope you enjoy the video. And if your mother is still alive and praying for you, what a precious gift that is. If your mother, grandmother, or another dear saint has already gone home to be with the Lord, may it encourage your heart to remember that their prayers still remain before Him as incense.

Now that thought makes me smile. :) 

And while I’m enjoying the beautiful fragrance of my lilacs this week, I’ll also be thinking about the fragrance of our prayers. :)

Blessings to all of you this week!