Got a twilight call from my daughter as I navigated the homebound lanes of 65 North, returning from a week of refueling... retooling. Sunset to the left ...trees to the right...slow moving Holiday Rambler ahead. The phone was off as I was feeling comfortably numb and listening to the white noise of Goodyears on asphalt. But when I turned on the Samsung and checked voice mail, I heard the garbled message that indicated she was as excited about Daddy's return as I was. Couldn't get the whole idea being conveyed, but I did get what she was most excited about. "You're gonna love the way the house smells...I can't wait 'til you get home...well, bye"...sweetly odd. I called her back and told her I wasn't too far away and couldn't wait to smell the house...still sounds wierd. When I finally arrived, there was a wonderful reception party with all the trimmings...there were hugs and kisses...and the bold scent of Febreze everywhere ( I think someone got a little carried away with the whole "smell" thing). A mural was over the mantle that read "Welcome Home Daddy" which included a crayon rendering of me that highlighted my chin which for some reason delighted each child to point out. We laughed...and it was cool...very cool.
Though everyone has a bed, they rather enjoy sleeping in the living room on Friday nights, and since this was a primo special occasion, adults were invited to the slumber party. So Kathy and I slipped into the fun next to them. It lasted for a while, but soon each little head nodded off, and a more comfortable night's sleep awaited us upstairs, so we headed off to greener pastures. Just for a moment, I hovered above them there on my knees and said a prayer for each of them...and as I kissed them, I breathed in the fragrance of toothpaste breath and no-more-tears shampoo...and just then it hit me...there sprawled out all over the floor in peaceful slumber...was the smell of home...and she was right...I loved it. In my own prayers last night, I poured out my gratitude for the delightful fragrance of children and expressed my own heart's desire to be a sweet aroma to my God.
For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing,