One whiff of a certain scent can transport me across the ages. I had a fabric softener sheet once that smelled like my Mom on the few occasions she got to really dress up and go out for an evening. My hubby's pre-shave and after-shave are the same ones he's been using since I met him in 1964. When he kisses me before he goes to work I remember how much I loved that smell (and still do) when he gave me my first kiss. The scent of a burnt match reminds me of long ago 4th of Julys and the punk Dad lit so we could light our sparklers from it.

The petunias along the sidewalk outside of my church remind me of the childhood days when my friends and I would pull the flowers and suck at the sticky bottoms of the blooms for the sweetness. At this time of year our house was filled with all the many wonderful aromas of canning time - tomatoes, green beans, piccalilli, ketchup, chili sauce, sauerkraut, dill pickles, grape jelly, and peaches, all of which I could enjoy again through the whole winter to come.

Before long, autumn will be here, the leaves will be falling, and the scent of crushed, dried leaves will dredge up the remembrance of walking home through leaves up to my knees along Phoenix Avenue. An enormous belching steam engine often crossed my path, and I'd wait amid those fragrant leaves, absolutely luxuriating in the atmosphere. At this time we would walk the fields at Aunt Mary's farm and look for popcorn the picker missed. While my sister, brothers and I searched among the prickly dried corn plants and clouds of insects, Dad picked elderberries along the road to include in the wine he'd make from our garden grapes. The smell of that fermenting mixture comes back to me on every occasion I've had a whiff of a sweet red wine.

Of course, now that I have grandbabies, when I cuddle them I remember the powdery, milky smell of my own babies. And the list goes on and on. Each of you has your own special list of "remembrance fragrances". Isn't it amazing that just a hint is all that is needed to bring that former moment back into being?

Here's wishing you all a day full of pleasant whiffs, joyful moments and perfect peace.

Love and God bless,
Judy Kober Hirsch