(no subject)
I love the scent of stargazer lilies.
My roommate came home today holding a vase of blushing stargazers and offered them to me in blunt annoyance. After placing them on our dining table for about fifteen minutes, she decided she couldn't stand the smell, and offered me to take them before she chucked them down the garbage shoot. Secretly, they're my favorite flowers (if I were to pick a favorite flower). Now, the previously spurned vase is happily sitting on my desk, tinging the air with a sweet and delicate smell.
It's overwhelming and comforting at the same time-if there was ever such a paradox. When my brother passed away, my family received an abundance of warmth and tokens of condolence. It was like the whole world suddenly bonded together to shoulder a broken family. One of the many surprises we received was a lavish bouquet of stargazer lilies, similar to the vase sitting on my desk, given to me by my high school yearbook adviser on behalf of our journalism staff. That vase sat in my room for weeks. I remember looking at the radiant bursts of pink and fuchsia underneath the afternoon sun warming the soft petals. I still have a picture of that moment. (Literally. I took a snapshot of it with my digital camera!)
Presently, as the flowers perfume the air, I feel as if I've been transported back eight years. The scent hits a deep note in my memory. I smell home. I see my room and the unusual stillness that I would eventually come to accept; and I recognize a special scent that's sweet and tickles my nostrils.
I don't know what it is exactly that I associate with the scent of stargazer lilies; but I remember taking a deep whiff all those years ago and thinking 'my brother is still here with me, right now, in this room.' He is the love accompanied by the actions of our family, friends, neighbors, acquaintances, and even strangers...People whom I never knew my brother's life had earnestly touched. He is every part of what makes this world potentially beautiful despite whatever hardship and immorality we're subject to. I guess-in the closest words I can put-I smelled hope and comfort.
Thank you, Teri! Also thanks to the many friends, family members, and individuals who reached out and lent strength in a time that was critically needed. It still warms my heart just by remembering. =)
My roommate came home today holding a vase of blushing stargazers and offered them to me in blunt annoyance. After placing them on our dining table for about fifteen minutes, she decided she couldn't stand the smell, and offered me to take them before she chucked them down the garbage shoot. Secretly, they're my favorite flowers (if I were to pick a favorite flower). Now, the previously spurned vase is happily sitting on my desk, tinging the air with a sweet and delicate smell.
It's overwhelming and comforting at the same time-if there was ever such a paradox. When my brother passed away, my family received an abundance of warmth and tokens of condolence. It was like the whole world suddenly bonded together to shoulder a broken family. One of the many surprises we received was a lavish bouquet of stargazer lilies, similar to the vase sitting on my desk, given to me by my high school yearbook adviser on behalf of our journalism staff. That vase sat in my room for weeks. I remember looking at the radiant bursts of pink and fuchsia underneath the afternoon sun warming the soft petals. I still have a picture of that moment. (Literally. I took a snapshot of it with my digital camera!)
Presently, as the flowers perfume the air, I feel as if I've been transported back eight years. The scent hits a deep note in my memory. I smell home. I see my room and the unusual stillness that I would eventually come to accept; and I recognize a special scent that's sweet and tickles my nostrils.
I don't know what it is exactly that I associate with the scent of stargazer lilies; but I remember taking a deep whiff all those years ago and thinking 'my brother is still here with me, right now, in this room.' He is the love accompanied by the actions of our family, friends, neighbors, acquaintances, and even strangers...People whom I never knew my brother's life had earnestly touched. He is every part of what makes this world potentially beautiful despite whatever hardship and immorality we're subject to. I guess-in the closest words I can put-I smelled hope and comfort.
Thank you, Teri! Also thanks to the many friends, family members, and individuals who reached out and lent strength in a time that was critically needed. It still warms my heart just by remembering. =)