A Sense of Memory

I have always had a keen sense of smell, and have always attached memory to smells, something that can be most useful in difficult situations. This ability draw upon different smells which therefore provoke memories brings at times great joy but also crippling sadness for what once was.

Being in America there are many new smells and many different memories all of which are combining to create a sense of identity and place, my identity and my place. But then every now and then I get a whiff of something with a historic, pre USA fragrance and this week has seen two such times.

I received in the post this week a gift from my Nana; it was a very lovely warm and soft scarf, along with a card. I received it on Tuesday evening when I had just got back from spending a great day with Tim and Kat in NYC, I was really upset as had just said goodbye to Tim and was not sure when I was going to see him again. It was perfect, as if my nana and God had decided today would be the day that I was going to feel a greater sense of love than I had for some time. I opened the package and the first thing that hit me was the smell, the smell of my nana, her house, of the last few years, of a sense of belonging and the knowledge that I am missed and loved. Thank you Nana!

The second time was the day after when Mike who is an older volunteer at the school and a great source of inspiration not least due to his personal commitment to social justice and life, gave us a baked ham. A baked ham, that evoked a sense of home once again and memories of people who have gone before me.

Thanks filled thanksgiving

Some ponderings upon thanksgiving and my experiences of it.

To start off with I didn't really fully understand thanksgiving, I understood the historic significance and the role that it plays within American society and culture. But then I celebrated thanksgiving and I mean celebrated, I relaised just how much I am to be thankful for, and for all the people who I am thankful to. It brought to mind some many different aspects of my volunteer life and my experiences of life these last few years, since starting at the Grange and then starting over here, my childhood and all the people who have had such strong influences in my life.

 

Spending time with my family for the first time in so many years in the way we did reinforced my desire to ensure the love that exists within my family stays strong and grows even stronger through simply often just being together, sharing the simplicities of life: food, warmth humour and love. It brought me back to the days of my childhood where I felt safe and uncomplicated.

 

So Thank you to all whom I must say thank you, for your love support friendship warmth and for simply being who you all are in my life and your own.

Much to be thankful for

I write this as I travel from a wet and cold Wickatunk via Newark airport courtesy of Diana to (I hope) a place of warmth hope and much love, yes I'm going to Baltimore. To Baltimore where I will be seeing Tim and Kat, Brendan Kate and Dom for my first thanksgiving and Tim's Birthday, all things I am grateful for.

As I am also for the opportunity to just go and see them for it is being with them that counts, the prospect of seeing them has given me so much hope and life these last few weeks, weeks that can only be described as tough times!

These last few weeks have seen the winter set in and the dark evenings take their toll on me and my fellow community members. It has seen us getting very excited about the coming weeks up to now and to Christmas, come together more as a unit and seen us grant to each other greater flexibility and deepen our appreciation of each other, all things to be thankful for.