Childhood Scents

To begin with, I'm highly allergic to most fragrances so I usually can't smell anything but 2 distinct scents come to mind. They bring intense memories to this day. First, there was this strange hospital smell when my older sister died when I was in 9th grade. We were extremely close even though she was 12 years older than me. This may sound morbid, but I smelled it in our house, minutes before we got the call that she passed away. I have smelled that when I graduated high school, started college, graduated college, got married, walked at graduation for my Master's Degree, and whenever something important has happened in my life. It is comforting because I feel that my sister is with me and letting me know that she is proud of me.

The second smell is this distinct cigarette smell that enveloped my mother's body whenever I would hug or kiss her. She was a very heavy smoker all of her life so the smell oozed from her pores and was even in her clothes. When she passed away, I couldn't even give her clothes away because of the smell. Yet, I have always associated that smell as belonging to my mother. A few years ago, we were lost on some backroads and it was dark. We almost got into a bad wreck and it scared us! All of a sudden, the smell filled the car. In fact, even my hubby smelled it and recognized it. I could feel my mother's presence as if she was physically there and was afraid to look in the back seat. Yet, I was filled with sense of safety and protection. I felt that she was telling me that she would always be watching over me and taking care of me.

Maybe that is why I'm allergic to all other scents, so that I could recognize these scents and be glad!