What’s That Smell?
The winner of Emily Freeman’s new book Grace for the Good Girl is: Michele Wilt. Please send your home address to [email protected] along with what it is you won. We’ll get your prize out to you right away.
Aroma:
noun
1. a distinctive usually pleasant smell, esp of spices, wines, and plants
2. a subtle pervasive quality or atmosphere
[via Latin from Greek: spice]
Of all our our senses, smell is the most connected to memory.
Even now, when I stand next to a woman in line at the grocery store wearing White Shoulders perfume, I miss my Aunt Patty.
When I smell leaves burning, I am transported back to high school and it is suddenly football season and my friends and I are walking to the game after having a burger at the A & W.
When I smell cinnamon, I think of canning applesauce with my friend Carmen the one fall we used to much of the spice and the entire house smelled of it.
And I will forever associate Lilly of the Valley with my mom. I can’t even remember why. I don’t know if her Avon perfume smelled like that or she grew them in her flower garden.
Smells have a strength that creates lasting memories.
In my Bible this morning, I came across this:
“But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere.” 2 Corinthians 2:14
Are we spreading His fragrance? Does the ‘smell’ we emit to others match His?
Unfortunately, many times I know my actions downright stink. And they don’t always reflect Christ. Oh yes, maybe I hold it together when the dry cleaners ruin my favorite sweater, but when one of my kids or the husband ticks me off?
Oh, buddy…..
If we are to spread the fragrance of knowledge of Him EVERYWHERE, that means even in our homes.
And our cubicles.
And at the intersection when someone cuts us off.
This week, let’s watch our aroma. Others are watching.
And even sniffing.
Does our aroma match His?
One of you who leaves a comment on this post will win the following aromatic giveaway:
~A Bath & Body Works green tea & white pear candle
~ Some simmering wax bars from At Home America in Fruit Smoothie scents
~ A copy of the New testament in the English Standard Version. Perfect to keep in your purse or car.
Just leave a comment telling us a scent that you associate with something or someone from your past.
Winner announced Tuesday.
Yep. I’m unplugging until then.
Happy Labor Day Weekend everyone!
LILACS!!!
My childhood home was adorned with Lilac bushes (but so big could pass as a tree!) and I always looked forward to their blooms. Perhaps it was the challange of climbing the huge hill in my backyard to cut them or that amazing smell they brought forth? Either way lilacs will forever remind me of my childhood.
Maybe that is why at my home I have started my own collection.
I even found a Lilac bush that blooms throughout the spring & summer :)
-Colleen G.
I love the smell of rain. It has always been a special smell for me because for a long time, I thought I was the only one who could smell it. As a young child, my mother thought I was making it up that rain had a smell, she told me that rain did not smell. Since my mother knew everything, I thought I had a smell that was just my own since I knew I could smell it. Fast forward a few years and I found out that there were other people who could smell rain and my mother is not able to smell it. A simple childhood memory that makes me smile.
When I Smell Holiday meals cooking I remember sleeping on a pallet in the kitchen because the house was so full of family the night before a holiday and smelling the turkey cooking all night.
The smell of Dove soap reminds my of my Grandmother who went home to be with Jesus in 2001. She was the sweetest, kindest, and best example of a woman after God’s own Heart! I can’t wait to see her again someday.
When it comes to remembering different fragrances from my past, my mother comes out on top. She loved flowers and planted them all along the sides of our home and out in front as well. Her all time favorite and mine too were her beautiful, white gardenias. Oh how they released a wonderful smell. Her second favorite were her roses. She had roses of multiple colors each embellished in their own special scent. Whereever I go and I see these two special flowers, they always take me back to my mom, who was and forever will be my best friend.
Oh my goodness, I just love this post! I have really been trying to hold my attitudes and actions captive and not allow myself to get ruffled. This is an excellent was for me to remember to keep myself in check! Thank you!
I was actually just thinking of being at my grandparents house as a child over the weekend. Their house always smelled like Pinesol and campbells vegetable soup! I still love them both to this day and am tearing up just thinking of them! I can not wait to be rejoined with my grandfather when Jesus returns, I miss him so much! <3
I love the smell of fall. There is just something in the air, that distinct scent that change is coming, summer is over and time to bring out your warm comfy sweaters and favorite crochet blankets to snuggle on the couch. Things will be baking in the oven, like turkeys, cookies, pies, (my Mom’s cooking), families gathering together to eat and tells their stories about the summer. Attending high school football games and watching the band perform, parades, kids bringing home school projects made with pride. I love fall.
I also enjoy the smell of Old Spice, soap on a rope, it reminds me of my Dad. I miss him, its been almost 4 years.
Thanks Karen for taking me down that sweet memory lane this morning.
My dad cherished his guitar, and when you opened the case it just had this smell that I can’t describe, but I love that smell.
Karen, what a great post. Certain smells just take me back in time and spark my memory. I like to do that for my kids now by baking. I hope when they smell cookies baking or cinnamon they think of home.
When I smell vanilla hand lotion, body spray, candles, I think of a time in life when all was so simple. I was a teen and the only thing I had to worry about was- when or how I was to get to the beach, did I have enough change to buy some wax for my surfboard, and what boy was going to give me a high five for the waves I caught. Life was so simple and I made it so difficult……..
One of the strongest ‘smell associations’ for me is quite strange: it is the smell of hot tarmac! I worked on a flower farm when I was 16 and there was a particular patch of tarmac which melted when it was hot. The smell takes me right back to that summer when I did a fair bit of growing up.
Otherwise, the smell of ‘pepparkakor’ – Swedish ginger cookies – is just CHRISTMAS!
Since we put up grapes every fall, one of my favorite smells is concord grapes. My husband’s, Kevin, vineyard (fifty vines) matured this year and we were assaulted with the smell of grapes as we walked between the rows. My mind goes back to when our son, Samuel, was 2 years old and we had just picked up our grapes from the farmers market and he was stuffing his mouth full one grape after another, his beautiful colorful striped shirt, the brilliance of the blue sky and the warm comfort of a September day. God is so good to give us such a mind to connect aromas with emotions. It is a reminder to set no vain thing before our eyes . . . nose
Is it me or do smells seem to affect women more than men? I’m constantly looking for candles and air fresheners for our home because the smells just make me feel good inside. Your blog post today definitely made me reflect about how I “smell” to others. I always want other people to feel good inside when they are around me. I want them to “smell” Christ!
One of my strongest scent connections is gingerbread and molasses. I have a Dutch background and my family is from Michigan. My grandma always had (and still has!) Dutch “windmill” cookies or gingerbread for all of her grandkids. When I smell that molasses and cinnamon smell, I think of sitting around my grandma’s kitchen table, yakking it up with all my aunts and just feeling so loved and connected. At the beginning of the Christmas season, I make a double batch of gingerbread dough with my daughter Annabelle, and we keep it in the freezer to make cookies often. Even though we leave far away in Nevada, the smell of gingerbread makes me feel close to my family and reminds me I’m building sweet memories into my daughter as well!
Watching my aromas this week…thank you for the reminder!
I always remember my sweet grandma when I bake our family’s favorite: apple crisp. It was a special recipe handed down from her and it makes me remember her with a sweet sadness.
Jergens lotion…original scent….reminds me of my Grandmother. We used to stay with her while our parents worked. around 2pm after lunch and all the chores of the day were done…she would set down to watch her stories…and out that Jergens would come…and we had to go somewhere, sit down and be quiet….lol
Have an Awesome Labor Day My Friend :)
The smell of Wrigley’s Doublemint gum will always remind me of my mom. She kept it in her purse and used to give each of us kids a half piece so it wouldn’t be gone quite so fast.
Cinnamon, my mom loves cinnamon so it reminds me of my youth. We both love to get cinnamon fragance items and bakery treats too.
I love when my husband wears Lagerfield…the smell takes me back to a time long ago when we first dated. Also, I walk a track around a park in our community. As I walking, others walk or jog past me & they each have a different smell/aroma. I often wonder, what is my aroma/smell that is left as I pass them. Even more so, what aroma is God receiving from me (Genesis 8:20-21).
Smells to me are very much like God, because you can’t ‘see’ either one, but you know they are there. My favorite smell is the combination of my grandpa’s cologne and my grandma’s face powder. You can’t create the scent any other way. It reminds me of getting to sit on my grandparents’ bed whie they were getting ready. Such a simple thing, but such a HUGE priviledge! My grandpa passed away last week, and we were all on the farm. Just being in that bedroom brought his presence to the place – what a great gift!
I loved your post this morning. I love aromas. One of my favorites is lavendar-vanilla, it reminds me of my Mom. We both got attached to it about the same time and since she is now gone, I really enjoy the reminder of her.
I also love that we can give the Aroma of Christ. May I always share His aroma. Thanks again and blessings to you today.
Great blog post! :) I have the sniffer of a bloodhound! Sometimes it’s more curse than blessing to have such overactive olfactory nerves…if my windows are open the acrid odor of exhaust fumes (especially diesel) blow in and send pain signals to my head! The diesel smells remind of me of my school days, riding the bus through the countryside for an hour each night! That smell was mingled with sweaty kids, corn chips and Doritos as we all snacked on our way home.
One of my favorite scents is in Autumn, when the morning dew covers the grass, fields and either lawns or crops have been recently cut. It brings me right back to the days of living on my parents farm…there was a sweetness that followed me down our half mile driveway where I waited for the bus.
I’m also addicted to all candles that smell like fall, apples, apple pie, cinnamon and apples…mmm!
When I catch a whiff of Aramis cologne I remember my Grandpa who lives in Texas, after one of his visits when I was 7 we all cried all the way home from dropping him off at the airport. When we got home and prepared ourselves for bed, we used the hand towel in the bathroom and it smelled like his cologne, we of course began to cry again…but our tears turned to laughter and then cycled through more tears and giggling because of our emotions. I’ve been tempted to purchase the cologne just to remember his visits!
I LOVE the smell of freshly laundered towels and clothes (No matter what detergent or fabric softener I use) But for some reason when I fold my husbands white t-shirts they smell different than the rest of the laundry, They retain his personal scent…mingled with his deodorant and the clean laundry smell! I usually sniff each one as I fold them and think of him lovingly while he’s away for the day.
God Bless!
Brandi
I love to smell sweet peas. My grandmother always had boquets of sweet peas on her table. They smell so wonderful. Sage always reminds me of her homemade stuffing and how yummy it was.
It is amazing how smell can transport us back in time and ease the cares of the day. Thank you for reminding me of this today. Hope you have a wonderful holiday.
The smell of fruit flavored candles always brings to mind one of my bestest friends ever – Shannon. She has been worshiping our Lord and decorating my future mansion in my forever home, Heaven, for some years now. I sure do miss her!
Thanks for the memories today!
The smell of Old Spice makes me think of my grandfather. My father smoked pipes and whenever I smell a pipe, I remember being a little girl and him smoking. Cranberry and apple smells remind me that Christmas is coming! And a little pumpkin spice goes a long way to help me remember fall back east. Living here in CA, we just don’t get the fall smell. Smells are one of the greatest gifts we have. They can evoke pleasant memories and not so pleasant memories. I am so thankful I still can smell!
My Grandmother’s house always seemed of coffee. Her house was my safe place as a child and even as an adult. When I stepped into her house and smelled that special aroma, I knew comfort, acceptance, love and a warm welcome were waiting for me in the form of my petite Grandmother. No matter how many times we moved around growing up and no matter how unstable my childhood years were, I knew my Grandmother loved me. She was consistent. She respresented love. She was my rock. The last time I stepped into her house was not long after she died. Even though I didn’t smell coffee, I knew the sweet aroma of her consistent love would linger in me all the days of my life. I love the smell of coffee and I loved my Grandmother : )
Patti Jackson