What The Nose Knows

Have you ever had a moment, when you are focused and accomplishing one thing and then WHAM! something else stops you dead in your tracks?

A few weeks ago, our town suffered through a terrible storm which brought down tree limbs and uprooted whole trees. The day after the storm, I geared up and headed out for a power walk. About half way through my walk, I happened upon a sawed up tree trunk and the aroma of fresh cut bark stopped me cold!

You see, my maternal grandfather was a very unique man. On his farm, he ran a saw mill, apple cider press, he had a milk delivery route and was a school bus driver in his younger years. His saw mill was a dangerous and fascinating place. It was a huge 3 sided shed with large belts and saw blades just waiting to devour anything or anyone who would come close enough. This was a magical place and my grandfather was a man I loved to watch work. Although it was just a couple hundred yards from the house, it was nestled in the trees and felt like a different world. I had so many adventures climbing on the tree trunks while pretending I was helping with an important task.

Large trucks delivered tree trunks and grandfather would saw off the bark and slice up the tree into planks. My mind could never hold all the possibilities for those planks. Where were they going and what would they become? All I would know for sure is the aroma of sawdust that was left behind.

Forever in my heart, the smell of sawdust is the smell that brings me back to a pillar in my life. A man who drank instant coffee every morning, popped popcorn in the same pan for 40+ years, tolerated a 4 yr old little girl crowding his bed so she wouldn't be forgotten for the morning milk delivery route, ordered that little girl french fries and chocolate milk for lunch with a smile, was slow to speak but full of wisdom, pretended not to hear grandmother hollering his name from the kitchen with a smile on his face, faithful watcher of "The Lawrence Welk Show", loved the Lord, his wife and his family completely.