Smells

I know...funny title...but really, there are a few things that really have an impact on us whether we choose them or not.

Like Music, and smells. For some reason those two things can flash me back to a time and place in a second.

This week I had another one of those moments. Since we moved things are being discovered that may have been hidden for a while. For example, my favorite body spray is "love spell" and I wear it all the time. To me it reminds me of grape fruit, fresh, bold and happy.

As I was fumbling around under the bathroom sink looking for something, I found the bottle of body spray I took with me to Ghana. It is called "Amber passion" (okay silly name..but so is love spell) I thought to myself, "this spray is a little bit spicy and warm smelling, maybe a good one to wear in the winter time." So I popped it up on the counter for later.

Later when I decided to take off the sweat pants I had been wearing for two days (being cozy in our SNOWY Wa weather) and pop into the shower....I opened the Amber body spray and started to spray....

I picked this spray for Ghana because of a very meaningful time I had with the Lord prior to travel when He spoke to my heart and told me to name Victoria...Victoria Amber Blaske. I am kinda "visual" when it comes to things the Lord wants me to know and remember....seems to help keep my heart focused on what He wants :O)

So, I "spray" the mist. and I am INSTANTLY taken back to a FLOOD of memories:

*Taking a bucket shower in the BH guest quarters
*smell of things burning in the early hours of the a.m.
*sounds of the goats and chickens coming into my window at all hours of the night and day.
*Sitting in the breezy upstairs patio eating with Romana
*riding in the taxi...WISHING I could smell the "amber" spray.
*wearing a pony tail every day
*wearing a skirt every day

on and on it went....How could "amber" body spray flood all this back to mind.
It was the one constant thing for 7 weeks that I used everyday.

the interesting thing was that the heat and humidity seems to make it smell less than our dry air here....but It still, obviously impacted me.

Later that night Victoria and I were in the kitchen getting some things ready to bake.

I pulled out our bucket of whole wheat flour and popped off the lid.
She was right next to me.
With out hesitating she put her whole hand into the big bucket and said
"Ohhh Mom, That SMELLS so good!

Where did you get "Tombrown" Ohhhh mom....this is sooooo good. Our family got Tombrown when my Aunt had her last baby. The whole village got to enjoy that day!"

It hit me....."Thanks Lord for the "smell" reminder earlier in the day".......How many daily things (sights/sounds/smells) trigger things in my kids hearts and minds that take them back to things they remember.....good bad or otherwise?

God is soooooo detailed in how he loves us and lets us connect to our kids and others.

Victoria and I spent the next bit of time playing in the flour, (tombrown) with our hands, EATING it PLAIN....(yes that was what she loved and how remembers eating it...it was like watching her eat a "lick-a-maid") We put a bit of water in it because she said that is how they would fix it for visitors, neighbors.

I am thankful this Christmas for so many things....but this week it is for SMELLS and how God is using them to open doors of connection to my heart of how He is SOVEREIGN , and the door of attachment with my amazing daughter!

Can not wait to see what the next "smell" brings....good, bad, hard or wonderful....we remember for reasons we may never fully understand.