(Excerpt from our book, Tales from Heritage Farm, available in our store)

A hush fell over her spirit as the voice of her long time friend assured her that their Creator was in control.

“Lilac, I know what you’re thinking,” Woody’s tone split into her consciousness. “Remember our Creator made us both. He had us planted here. And He has a purpose for your children just as He had for us. Have your forgotten that?”

“No, but it seems like it has been forever since we were young. I can’t imagine what it will take for our Creator to work out a desirable future for my sweet little ones,” she fretted.

“Now, now, be patient, dear Lilac. I am sure that the Creator has a plan.” assured Woody.

Many days went on. One chilly, April afternoon, a violent windstorm shook the old farm. Limbs were lost. Farmer’s windmill was damaged. Several large trees succumbed in the wake of the powerful winds.

One of Woody’s cousins could no longer stand against the unrelenting wind. With a thundering crash, he toppled to the ground. Fortunately, the tree fell on empty sod.  With his great height, the downed tree took up a large space in Farmer’s yard. It had to be removed and made into useful firewood.

The whole grove was upset by its loss of friend and cousin. But they all knew that their Creator was working out His faithful design. The trees and bushes at the fence line were at a loss, however, for what good might possibly come from this event which weakened the much needed windbreak.

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(Excerpt from our book, Tales from Heritage Farm, available in our store)

“In the old days,” she told her offspring, “I put forth the most heavenly, sweet scent. Bees bumbled over to visit me. They hummed happy songs on their visits to my beautiful flowers. I know they loved me and I felt appreciated,” she related as her whispery voice carried over the airwaves. She continued to reminisce, “Farmer’s Mom and Grandmom used to drink deeply of my perfume and pick armful of my blooms.  While the hard work of spring chores was underway, my lavender bouquets refreshed the spirits of their hard working families at break time and meal time. Those days were so rewarding and satisfying,” she said with a sigh. Then in a moment of silence, she reflected on the days gone by.

“Don’t stop there, Mama,” urged her little children’s voices over the soft breeze.  “Tell us about when we were little.”

“Oh, well, all right.  My many flowers faded after a time. It made me sad at first.  But all the while something even greater was in the works.  The purple flowers dried and fell away, leaving the little seeds that my Creator had placed in my care.  They began to gradually grow to maturity.  Day after day they swelled until they burst forth from their shelters on my twigs. Some of the seeds blew away. Other seeds that fell down began to take root and grow on the rich earth. With the abundance of rain and the partial sunshine of the grove, you began to thrive.” Lilac beamed as she continued, “I have been so pleased to have you grow up here with me. Your being here has been my greatest joy.”

Her voice trailed off as a poignant pain seized her lilac heart.  In their shady world, she could only expect that her children would probably never experience that same joy of blooming and making seeds to pass on their heritage of beauty to Farmer’s world.

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(Excerpt from our book, Tales from Heritage Farm,  available in our store)

The Lilac plants shot up quickly.  They endured the winds and weather on their own.  They grew, bloomed, and looked beautiful.  They became confident that the “little woody folk” would never pass them up in height or in strength.  Not many folks noticed Woody and his kind for several years.

The Lilac family had been highly esteemed in those early years for their beauty and service.  Friends and neighbors in their buggies and heavy laden wagons clip-clopped past the fragrant grove each spring enjoying its perfume on the their various trips to town and to the school house next door.  Sleighs piled high with supplies and the township’s children were blessed by the breaking of the wind on snowy winter days.

But now it was Lilac’s turn to go unnoticed.  Long ago, the buggy and sleigh traffic became outdated by the automobile.  Speed was a new development in the countryside.  Cars required wider curves to negotiate the turns at high speeds.  Soon the old country road was rerouted into a neighboring cornfield.

The Lilac’s purpose in helping break the wind for the farm was still in tact, but fewer eyes noticed the flowers’ beauty. The blossoms had decreased in number each year.  More recently, the verdant bushes were only to function as wind and snow breaks.  Their branches had been overtaken gradually by Woody and his flat-needled kin.

The Cedars grew to be at least three times the height of the Lilacs.  Their branches spread a constant canopy of shade over them.  The lack of direct sunlight caused the Lilac folk to cease blooming altogether.  Their pleasant fragrance to Farmer and his family was no longer shed.  Lilac fretted about the fact that each spring in mid- to late- May, she knew she should be sprouting forth blossoms.  She was haunted by the question, “How could her children ever reach their potential and carry out the mission for which they had been created?”

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