Wednesday, June 22, 2011

A memory

My husband and I recently had a conversation about familiar smells, and today while I was napping he wrote this. I thought it was worth sharing and hope you enjoy this guest post from him.

There's something special about familiar smells. They can bring life to memories in ways that none of the other four senses can accomplish. A familiar smell can spark visions and feelings and brings back  moments in time long forgotten.

My mother gave me an afghan that came from my grandparents.  It had been stored in a vacuum sealed bag for years.  When she gave it to me,  I had a vague recollection of this handmade blanket.  But when I opened it and pulled it out of the bag, I was eleven years old and sleeping on the pull out sofa in my grandparents basement.  It was always so cool down there no matter the temperature outside.  A rush of feelings and images passed through my mind and body in a flash.

My wife and mother feel the blanket needs to be cleaned, to rid it of that smell, but I know better.  That is not just a musty old smell, it is a piece of my childhood, forever held within the fabric of that old comfy blanket.

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