Counting my blessings: 12

The joyful memory from a child.

So many times I will have a fond memory and keep it to myself. I don't know why, but I just like to savor it. Or maybe I think that someone else won't share the same joy or that it will bring a hint of sadness. So I just keep it inside. You know, when a certain time of year comes along and a loved one who passed away comes to mind, or a specific place brings back a memory of being there together with someone. Sometimes I'll speak up and share that memory, but most of the time I just reminisce within my own mind.

But children. Oh, the honesty of a child. And they don't really think about what they are going to say before they say it - it just pops out of their mouths, doesn't it? My 7-year old often just says things without too much thought. If it pops into her head, it comes out her mouth.

And her sense of smell is so strong! Many scientists have tied the sense of smell to memory and Child B would add to their proof. Upon entering a store one day, she got a whiff of something. No one else was coming or going through the doors, no one to leave the hint of perfume behind. But it was the same kind of perfume my grandma used to wear. I noticed, but didn't say anything. It was B who spoke up with a deep inhale, "Mmmmmmm, Mom! That's the smell of Great-Grandma!" Then she went on to ask why there was the smell of Great-Grandma, to which I explained that sometimes God lets us smell her sometimes so we might think about her and remember her at times when we otherwise might not.

The smell of autumn also brings many memories of Great-Grandma. While we were walking through some trees that had been shedding leaves, B closed her eyes and said to me, "Mmmm. Mom, God is letting me smell the same smell of the last day we spent with Great-Grandma while she was still alive. I'm so glad God is giving me this smell today!" I am, too. And I'm glad she shares it with me and her sisters. Although I hadn't connected the smell of dried leaves, crushed and blowing in the wind, with my grandma, I do now. And today, while driving past the place where that memory solidified in my daughter's mind, I got that same smell. And I thought of my grandma. And I thought of that cold day that we spent together with her, my dad, my husband, and our three girls. What a great memory that is. If my daughter hadn't shared how that smell evokes her memory, I wouldn't associate dried leaves with my grandma and I would not have the appreciation of that memory. I am thankful for the joyful memory of a child!

Many others are counting their blessings, too. To read what others are thankful for today, hop on over to Branch of Wisdom.