It Makes Scents!

Do smells trigger memories for you?  They DEFINITELY do for me. 
Whenever I smell coconut, I think of being on a beach in Mexico with my Aunt Christie's family on our cruise.  Whenever I smell the Eau de Parfume "Exclamation" or "Sunflowers" I am whisked back to my teenage years and I remember going to the dances and flirting with boys.
Today I was surprised by the memories that came to me as I heated up my new Scentsy warmer.  The scented wax that I put in it is called "Thunderstorm" and I was amazed by where that smell took me.  I was sitting in my family room when all of a sudden I smelled flowers after a thunderstorm.  This scent is beautiful in and of itself, but for me, all of a sudden I could see my Great Grandmother whom I called Nana.
That scent whisked me away to my own little daydream where I was a child and I would have sleepovers with her.  I remembered visiting her and taking my numerous boyfriends to meet my Nana.  I remembered visiting her every week after my doctor's appointments when I was pregnant with Abby.  I remembered the look of concern on her face as I endured labour pains during one of our visits.  I remembered watching her with tears in my eyes as she held my firstborn in her arms and asking her who she thought Abby looked liked.  I remembered giggling when she replied that she looked like a baby and that I shouldn't expect her to look like anyone but herself.  I remembered looking out Nana's windows and seeing some sort of squirrel, bird or chipmunk that she had adopted (or that had adopted her) and watching her enjoy the various noises that they would make.
The reason I think that this scent reminds me so much of my Nana is because it really does smell like flowers after a thunderstorm.  The smell is so vibrantly rich and fragrant that it smells like the many flowers that my Nana always had around.  I can never remember a time when my Nana wasn't surrounded by plants and flowers.  I have always tried to grow flowers in my yard as a tribute to her, but somehow, having this scent in my house, I feel as though she is here.
And so I love it.  I am very glad that the girlies and I chose to have this scent around.  Hopefully as they get used to the smell it will give them many memories of their own, and I will secretly feel as though my Nana has a hand in their lives.
I am so glad that I bought so many packages of this scent!  It will be nice to feel as though my Nana is around again.

100 Years

100 years ago a woman who impacted my life greatly was born.  Her name was Nellie Blanche Dodson.  She was not born into luxury or wealth, but she became one of the most influential women in my life.  She was my Great-Grandmother and as the oldest Great-Grandchild, I got to know her really well.  She was a really private person, so she didn't really share many details about her life publicly with people.  She had 4 children, was a nurse and was a great example of strength to me.
To me she was Nana.
To me she was MY Nana.
To me she was the woman who was always telling me that I needed to pull my hair back and get it out of my face.  She was the woman who called me out on things when she thought I was being rotten to my parents.  She was the woman who had endured some tough trials, but didn't complain about them.  She was strong.  She made choices and stuck through the consequences.  She endured and she learned.
I remember her telling me that she loved my singing.  I remember her telling me that my parents worked me too hard.  I remember visiting her with my many boyfriends in high school and having her grill the heck out of them.  I remember that she did whatever it took for her to come and see me get married.  I remember our visits after my doctor's appointments.  I remember watching her grow older and feeling helpless watching her lose strength in her body.  I remember how straightforward she used to be no matter what the cost.  I remember her counting my contractions with me when I was in labour with Abby.  I remember her love of gardening, flowers, birds and squirrels.  I remember how she always seemed to have a bird that liked to live outside of her window.  I remember helping to take care of her when she got weak.  I remember staying in the hospice with her on the night of her grandson's funeral so that she would have someone by her side while everyone else went to his funeral.
That night, I remember talking to her because I was pregnant with Anne and no one wanted to tell her because they all knew that she would be mad.  Somehow the old girl found out and it wasn't long before she said to me, "I hear that you're pregnant again.  I can't say that I am happy about it."  (Abby was less than 4 months old) So I told her, "Yep, you're right, I am. . . . and I'm going to name her after you."  Well, that really set her off.  In her old Nana stern voice she replied, "What!?!?!?  Why would you curse your child with a horrible name like that?"  So I told her, "Well, because I wanted to name her after you because I love you."  She thought that wasn't good enough and kept on telling me so. . . . so I finally told her "Well, you will probably be dead by the time she is born, so there isn't really anything you can do about it."  And then I saw the glimmer in her eyes telling me that she loved that response.  So finally we agreed that I could use the name Nellie, but that I couldn't give her the middle name Blanche. . . . and I couldn't actually CALL her Nellie, I would have to call her by her middle name. . . . thus my daughter is named Nellie Anne Comin, but she goes by Anne.
After our conversation about Anne's name, my Nana softened and told me that she didn't mean to be so hard on me but that she was worried about me because she had 4 kids in 6 years and it was really hard for her.  I told her that I knew that and that I loved that she was so concerned for me and that I knew that she loved me and only wanted the best for me.  The rest of the evening was very nice and I am so grateful for that because it ended up being the last time that I would see her alive.
I loved my Nana.  I can't believe that she has been gone for almost 10 years!  I REALLY can't believe that 100 years ago she was born.
So, happy 100th birthday Nana.  I love you and miss you a TON!!!