The Great Lilac Caper of 1988

Once upon a time there was a woman who fell in love with a wonderful, sweet, fun, talented man. They seemed so in sync with each other that they were more than lovers, they were best friends. He was the funniest man she ever met and he always made her laugh. She felt so lucky to have found him.

He asked her to marry him on their second date which scared her a little and she said…we’ll see…

He asked her to marry him several times, and always she would say…we’ll see…

Finally he asked her to marry him on Christmas Eve; he gave her a ring as a surprise.

This time she said…YES!!!

She was sure.

The plans were made: a simple ceremony in a small town church in the month of May. It was also graduation day at school. What a better day when all the beloved friends were still in town?

Without a lot of money for flowers it seemed a splendid idea to take advantage of the season and fill the church with the sweet smell of lilacs that would be in abundance at the beginning of May.

Throughout the town they searched for the beautiful blooming bushes and two days before the wedding in the dark of night, the giddy couple and their silly friends, roomed the town robbing as many lilac bushes as they could find. White to pink to purple…

The motto of the caper: “Sticks and leaves! Sticks and leaves!”

That’s how all the bushes were left by the time the merry band had their way with the blossoms.

Two cars were filled with the flowers.

Then they ran into a little trouble.

At the couple’s rented house…two last lilac bushes awaited.

But when they approached the back yard the couple and friends were stopped by police officers asking official questions.

What are you doing? Whose home is this? Do you have identification? Where did you get these flowers?

Much ado about nothing…

The woman produced her identification with assurances to the authorities that all was above board …fingers crossed, knowing the evidence of the town’s lilac blunder was hidden in the car.

Ironically, during this entire investigation a loud party raged down the block. The cops didn’t even glance its way even though we heard glass breaking and someone screaming.

Flowers were more important this night…

The officers, apparently satisfied, finally left the scene leaving them to pick the last bushes in the back.

They laughed and laughed, telling the story over and over again!

At the wedding…lilacs everywhere, their beauty created the backdrop and their scent added to the magic of that special day when two people, professed their love in front of their families, friends, and partners in crime.

The Great Lilac Caper of 1988.

I’m so happy that this remains such a good memory for a handful of people. For me it is more bittersweet. Time, trials, and tribulations took their toll on the happy couple…

The couple that was Joel and I…

I know that if the ME of then would have been told what was going to happen to us…she wouldn’t have believed it.

It still seems so surreal…

But I can’t help but remember...

Every time the lilacs bloom.