– The Sweet Smell of Plumeria –

I remember it as if it happened yesterday. I was walking to class on a typical autumn West Texas day; the sun was shining, the breeze was crisp, and I was headed from one class to another. It felt like a normal school day until an aroma hit me like a ton of bricks and I froze. It was a smell I was very familiar with. Having vacationed in Hawaii the previous summer, I knew the scent was the sweet smell of plumeria. In West Texas. In the middle of October. And it was overwhelming. I stopped walking and looked around, certain I was standing in a bed of the most fragrant plumeria there ever was. But I was, in fact, still standing in the middle of the Texas Tech campus and there wasn’t a flower in sight. I took a deep breath in, let it out slowly, and smiled my entire walk to my next class.

Five years ago today, I lost my aunt. There just aren’t enough words in the English language, or rather, enough appropriate words, to describe my aunt. She was, quite possibly, the funniest person I’ve ever known.  She could sing any song ever written and would at any given moment no matter how inopportune. She had a strong love for animals, particularly her cats. She was warm, kind, spirited, and strong. And she was a fighter. 18 years ago, my aunt was diagnosed with breast cancer. She fought it, she won, and she went into remission. 12 years later, it came back and this time, it came with a vengeance. The cancer spread quickly to all different parts of her body and it was a battle she just couldn’t win.

My aunt’s passing was not easy for me. I was very close to her, and though I knew she didn’t have much longer and was ready to meet the good Lord, I wasn’t quite ready to let go. That is until I was walking to class that typical West Texas day 6 days after she passed away.  Having spent that vacation in Hawaii with my aunt and her family, I just knew.  With the absence of any kind of flower around me that day, I knew that sweet smell was her way of telling me she was ok, she was happy, and she wasn’t in pain any longer.

I miss my aunt terribly even now 5 years later. And just so you out there in internetland can get a taste of what my aunt was like, I leave you with this picture. But first, I must explain: just after I graduated high school, my family went to Pennsylvania to visit my aunt, her family, and my grandmother. Karen lived close to Hershey, PA so while we were there, we went to Hershey Park and to the Hershey Factory. Inside the Hershey Factory is the Chocolate World ride. You get in this car that is on a glorified moving conveyor and takes you through an exhibit that shows you how Hershey makes their chocolate. Having lived so close and been on the “ride” (and I use that term very loosely as all this car does is move forward at about .2 miles per hour and turn from side to side) before, Karen knew that at the end, each car got their picture taken. Rather than take the usual everyone smiles picture, Karen had a better idea. So, at the end of our tour, still going the whopping .2 mph we were, we decided this would be the best way to end our ride:

You will have to excuse the poor quality of the photo as it is scan of a picture that is 6 years old. From top left to bottom right we have my sister, Me, my mom, and Karen.

She was anything but typical and always good for a really great laugh and I will forever miss her dearly.