Today is the day that we put lilacs on the graves in our cemetery. This is a tradition in our family for well over 100 years. The lilac became New Hampshire’s state flower in 1919 but the original is thought to have come to Gov. Benning Wentworth ‘s house in Portsmouth, NH around 1750 (NH Lilac Commission). The lilac is a symbol of love in other parts of the world and when it flowers here around our house in North Hampton, NH, it smells like home!
As we remember our ancestors, let us also remember that we have built our homes, and supported our ideas on the shoulders of those who have come before. Their thinking leads to our understanding, their foresight influences our hindsight, and we are the grateful beneficiaries of their wisdom.
My family fought hard to protect their land and bring up their children in a better world than they experienced, and it is up to us to benefit from their hard work and improve on it for the good of our children. If this sounds like a sermon, I guess it is, but it really is my way of saying thank you to all who have gone before us. I hope we will do as good a job at passing this all along.
