Of Aromas, Perfumes and Smells…
We have traveled widely, mostly without incident but once, on a return trip from SA, a sniffer dog stopped at my luggage suggestively. Naturally, the handler was there immediately, sternly asking whether I had any prohibited substances in my bag! The dog was insistent, and my mind was racing. What on earth? Then I remembered. Biltong – South African jerky, only better 😊 – is a prohibited import. I told him I always have some of this treat in my handbag when I am home but now all that was left was the tantalizing smell. He grinned. “That will do it!”
During our courting days, Pete and I lived in two different countries, and about every six weeks he would fly to Johannesburg to see me. His frequent flying was noted and the next time, customs called him aside and asked him to open his suitcase. Unfortunately for the officer, all Pete was carrying was odiferous evidence that my tomcat had taken a fancy to his open suitcase! That surely was the fastest passenger processing any officer has ever done because some smells have staying power 😊.
My nose works well, so I enjoy cooking with a wide variety of aromatic spices, and much of my pleasure comes from the tasting and imagination it takes to develop layers of flavor. If the food smells good, it will taste good! Indian Curries are part of our South African food culture, but I was ignorant of its flavor mysteries until a skilled chef taught me that patience and knowledge of my ingredients were necessary to develop something delectable rather than just tossing some curry powder into the pot!
We spent several years in California with Reinhard Bonnke’s MINUS TO PLUS vision, and I was like a child in a candy shop. The artsy stores seemed never-ending, and I think I visited all of them from Sacramento to Lake Tahoe, but my overriding memory is not the art but the cloud of incense or potpourri that greeted me as I opened a door. Sometimes the smell was so heavy that it ‘haunted’ my nose for days afterward, so it appears you CAN have too much of a good thing!
As a child I was fascinated by my mother’s perfume but not allowed to use even a drop as it was deemed inappropriate for a child. Consequently, one of the first things I did when I earned my first salary was to buy my own. ‘je Reviens’ by Worth is now almost impossible to find but my husband still identifies it with our young love because his shirts carried my fragrance home with him.
It’s no wonder that the Word is so full of references to the sense of smell. It is powerful. It drives our memories when least expected, loving fragrance and gagging on stench. And since we were created in his own image, it follows that this sense is powerful in God too. Just think of it. We are told that our prayers, collected in golden bowls, rise as incense before him, and the Great King of Heaven breathes them in, well pleased with the offering.
I am in awe!
