Scent me some love...

I have recently taken up gardening much to my own amazement!!!  I enjoy it so much that I often completely lose track of time and before I know it the sun would be setting.  This weekend I planted some mint.  Getting back into the house a while later, I made my husband a cup of tea (mainly to appease him as I completely forgot to make lunch!) and when I handed him his cup he remarked that something smelled very nice.  It was the scent of mint coming from me.  I had washed my hands, but the scent was still clinging to my arms, my clothing and even my hair.  I was used to the smell so I did not notice it, but my husband immediately picked up on it.  

How wonderfully the Lord created everything.  We take things so for granted, yet we are surrounded by beauty.  The fragrance of flowers is but one of the wonders.  The romantic scent of roses, the lingering smell of lavender, the exotic fragrance of frangipani all conjure up images in our mind's eye and even stir up memories.  This made me wonder what aroma it is that I spread wherever I go? Do I impart a sweet, gentle fragrance?  Does the memory of my presence linger pleasantly with others when I depart from their company or do I leave a bad taste behind?  Even when I pass people on the street or passing through the check-out counter at my local supermarket I leave behind a scent.  Is my smile the warm, welcoming essence of vanilla or do I leave behind a frown and brusque words that leave a bitter aftertaste? When everybody around you is agitated and angry, do you pour oil on the fire or is your presence the cool, soothing smell of jasmine?  Are my words the calming balm of camphor and my welcome smile the hearty spice of cinnamon?

We are all flowers in God’s garden; we each have our own distinctive fragrance, let us spread it around, let it linger upon the night air long after we have left.  In the words of my sister: choose your words always as carefully as you would choose flowers for a friend, only the most fragrant ones….