Memories

What do spearmint gum and Dove soap have in common? (The picture is a clue.)

A number of years ago, I started noticing that whenever I took a shower, I would think of my grandmother (we called her Mammaw). I couldn't figure out why. I wouldn't be thinking of her before my shower or even earlier in the day, but as soon as I'd step in the shower - poof - I'd think of her. Strange...until I made the connection that I was using Dove soap, and Mammaw's bathroom always smelled like Dove soap. Without realizing it, just smelling the soap conjured up my memories of this very talented woman (she taught me how to crochet, helped me with the first quilt I ever made and introduced me to embroidery - how I wished I'd learned all her cooking secrets too).

I had a similar experience just the other day. I opened a pack of spearmint gum and as I got a whiff of the smell, I thought of Mammaw. I'm pretty sure that's one of the flavors she kept in her kitchen cabinet (right near the jar of M&Ms we liked to dip into).

And for fun, I just had to chew some spearmint gum while writing this post.