I don’t recall where the lavender
bush was when I was growing up, but I always associate the smell of lavender
with my Granny, Jean van Blerk O’Flynn
Madden. I think she must have used
Yardley’s lavender soap because when I smell that, I think of Granny.
For the past couple of years I
have been harvesting from the largest bush of lavender that grows in my front
garden. I’ve planted a couple of other
bushes and this year, for the first time, I may be able to harvest one of the newer
bushes. I’ve made sachets in the shape
of hearts and strawberries. I have yet
to decide what shape and fabric to use this year, if I make them at all.
I discovered a jar of lavender in
Target’s spices section the other day and bought it, just in case between my
own lavender buds and a jar of Good Earth Lavender, I can make a ‘batch’ of
sachets. I just love, love, love me some
lavender to inhale deeply, but you won’t ever catch me eating or drinking it in
anything. I know that probably is a bit
narrow minded for foodies, but I seriously think I would feel like I was eating
soap if I were to consume it in a lemonade or shortbread.
Lavender came up in a
conversation with my mom last week. I
had taken Mom and Dad out to the Christmas Tree Store so Mom could pick up a
couple of rugs she had seen in their weekly ad.
The trip for the rugs successfully completed, icy drinks from Taco Bell
purchased, Dad was chomping at the bit to get his new library books and head on
home.
The Library on our Main Street in
town sits right next door to the First Presbyterian Church of Succasunna. It’s a lovely setting for a graveyard with
blooming trees, plenty of green grass and, of course, the lovely old church,
established in 1763. Quaint, old,
peaceful.
Mom and I got to talking as we
waited in the car for Dad, a soft breeze blowing through the windows of the
car. I should probably get my name of
their checking account. Yes, good idea,
I keep meaning to do that. What about
the money for their funerals? Where did
they keep the paperwork and would it be easy for me to identify when the time
came? Mom and I just voiced our thoughts
back and forth. My sweet sister-in-law’s
father passed away recently and that’s close to home. Health issues with my parents have made my
hyper-sensitive to the subject, hence the conversation Mom and I were
having.
Funerals aren’t inexpensive which
lead to Mom and I discussing what we would want when the time came. I hadn’t really thought about it too much for
myself but then and there, I kind of made up my mind. We both decided the cheapest box available
was just great. We didn’t need anything
fancy, it was going to just rot after all.
I have been a blood donor since I was eighteen and put myself on the
registry for bone marrow as well. My
driver’s license shows me as an organ donor, so I’m pretty much spoken for on
several levels. I thought just kind of
fluttered through my head and out my mouth,
“I
think I should just have my body harvested for whatever is needed, then they
can cremate what’s left and the kids can sprinkle me over the lavender in the
front garden.”
Mom thought about that for a
moment then said that she didn’t think that sounded bad at all. We had, over the years, joked about the fact
that if we ever got really unable to function properly etcetera, that we should
be taken to the vet and put down, then be buried in the back yard. That joke became even more doable since
moving to New Jersey because of the wet land behind the house. We laughed about the backyard burial, but
then chatted pretty seriously about being ‘sprinkled’ over the lavender.
If the earth is going to be
cleansed by fire, it seems like we’d be saving not just money but a little bit
of time by going the cremation route.
And I do love me some lavender …
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