With a burst of color, the peonies have come into bloom.  Their fragrance is brought to full fruition by the breeze that blows through the bushes, carrying the scent across the yard.  And when I’ve brought the bouquets into the house, I can catch the fragrance as I walk from room to room.  Perhaps it’s because they are short-lived that I look forward to their bloom each year.  Or perhaps it’s because they remind me of my childhood – my parents’ love of peonies and the tradition of taking them to my relatives’ grave sites on Memorial Day.  I’m especially thankful that these pink peonies are from the plants that were my parents’.