Do You Smell That?

What is in a smell? Sometimes, nothing worth smelling. Sometimes, trivial things like supper cooking, freshly cut grass, lemons, household cleaners. We take smell for granted so much- at least I do.

Until those days when you catch a fresh whiff of something that you can’t quite put your finger on, but are transported back in time. All of a sudden there you are in that moment from so long ago, and the nostalgia nearly swallows you whole. This morning, I was stepping in the shower in my bathroom at home one minute and at my grandfather’s lake house almost instantly. All of those summers’ passed came rushing over me like a tidal wave of memories and emotion. I saw my brother and me running, feet clad in flip flops, down the long and twisting hill to the dock. The grass was so thin under our feet, but oh so green. Rocks and little pebbles lay all along the path, so we had to be careful not to trip. The dock was old wood- many years of wear and tear yet still sturdy. We would feed the fish in the morning with the bread my grandmother sent down with us. Pretty soon, there would be a school of fish all around us. We laughed and laughed and laughed in the early morning summer sun, ready for a full day of childhood fun. We splashed in the lake, played on the jet skis, skied and tubed until the sun just began to set. Then, we would all load up in the “big boat” as we called it then, and cap the day off with a little drive around the coves.

I am still smelling my sun tan lotion as I snap back into reality and realize, 10 + years have come and gone and the lake house was sold years ago.

Thank you Lord for those smells. You know the ones. The ones that take you back in time. The ones that make you remember, appreciate and be ever so thankful to God for all that He has blessed you with!

I wish I had pictures, but I don’t think we do. Fortunately, memories are with you a lifetime.