Smell

It does bring memories like nothing else. We opted this year for a cedar tree - my own family's tradition. We ended up with a huge tree (for the size of our living room). As the sweet cedar smell fills the air, my mind is transported back to the many Christmases of youth. I remember going to Aunt Emma's to gather the holly and the running pine and cedar we'd use to decorate at home; and going with Daddy, tramping through the fields to find a cedar. He'd always chop it with an ax (not a saw). Then hauling it back and bringing it home to Maryland. Daddy was very particular about the icicles. They had to be placed on one at a time and every branch needed one. We might even do that for our tree this year. One of my favorite memories was, I think, Christmas of 1970. If I remembering correctly, that was a bad year. Pegbe had come down with a terrible virus; she was on a breathing machine for some time. We really thought we might lose her. But amid all that darkness, a light shone. That year I received a King James Bible for Christmas. I still keep it right next to my bed in the washstand. Not that I could read it very well; I'd not encountered that kind of language before and it was an uphill battle. But it had my name on the outside in gold letters and I was (and am) very proud of it. I wore it out some time ago and had to patch it together with tape (I used red electrical tape for some reason). What a comfort in those dark days the Scriptures were - even though they were so difficult to read and understand. There was something about them that I began to realize was a strong comfort. Anywho, the smell of the tree brought it all back like it was yesterday.