Everybody Smells
Maybe one day I’ll publish another children’s book. I have a stash of stories in folders and Everybody Smells is one of my favorites. It is dedicated to the Holy Spirit of God who produces fruit in us that smells good!
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”( Galatians 5:22-23, NASB)
Everybody smells.
You smell too, and so do I.
Some people smell good.
Some people smell…
Not so good.
There is another part of you that smells.
It’s your heart.
Your heart has your most important smell…. Not your clothes and not your skin.
Jenny smells like she needs a bath and a good hair washing. She sits in the desk next to mine at school. I asked Mama if I could bring Jenny some soap. Mama said that might hurt her feelings. I don’t want to hurt Jenny’s feelings. She’s my friend and we have fun. When she smiles at me, I don’t even notice how she smells. I would like to be more like Jenny. When our classmates tease her and laugh at her, she doesn’t even get mad. She just keeps smiling.
I think Jenny has a heart that smells like self-control.
My big sister Ruthie smells like baby lotion. She didn’t always smell that way but she does now. She just had Baby Margaret. My family told me that makes me an aunt. I hear Ruthie whispering to Margaret a lot. She whispers, “I love you. I love you. I love you.” Over and over and over. Ruthie sings to her and changes LOTS of her diapers. She even does that in the middle of the night. That does not sound like fun to me, but Ruthie doesn’t seem to mind at all. She’s just glad Baby Margaret is here.
I think Ruthie has a heart that smells like gentleness.
Mr. Jim smells like the nursing home. He goes there every single day to see his wife, Mrs. Annie. She lives there now. Lots of Mr. Jim’s friends take turns driving him to the nursing home to be with her. Sometimes I ride along when Mama or Daddy drives him. He always tells us Mrs. Annie is his “one and only.” He says he loves her “as the day is long.” I don’t know exactly what that means, but I can tell Mrs. Annie is the most important person in the world to Mr. Jim.
I think Mr. Jim has a heart that smells like faithfulness.
Uncle George smells like the smoke he puffs from his pipe. Some people like his smell. Aunt Bess likes it. She says, “I’ve been smellin’ that man of mine for goin’ on fifty years now. And the smell of that pipe is the last thing I smell before I fall asleep at night.” Some people don’t like Uncle George’s smell. His sister Aunt Maurine doesn’t like it. She wishes he wouldn’t smoke his pipe after Thanksgiving dinner. I like his pipe and his smell, but I don’t tell Aunt Maurine. Uncle George is always thinking about other people. He calls them, “the less fortunate.” He likes to help people. I think he shares lots of his money, but he tries to keep it a secret.
I think Uncle George has a heart that smells like goodness.
Miss Hazel smells like the hyacinth flowers that grow in her yard. Sometimes she invites me to come to her house and help in her garden. She loves her flowers, and she even talks to them. She says, “ You are beautiful, my sweet hyacinth. I’m so glad God made you.” Miss Hazel doesn’t have any children, just a sister that lives with her. She has lots of neighbors and friends, and she always shares her flowers with them.
I think Miss Hazel has a heart that smells like kindness.
Mr. Carpenter smells like aftershave lotion. My daddy says that’s the name for the stuff he puts on his face in the morning. He smells like he might have poured too much into his hand and decided to splash it on his face anyway. Mr. Carpenter is the principal at my school. If he happens to give you a hug at school, his smell will stick to you for the rest of the day. I don’t like his smell, but I do like Mr. Carpenter. He is very good at his job. When kids get in trouble at school and are sent to his office, he listens and listens and listens…. to each side of the story.
I think Mr. Carpenter has a heart that smells like patience.
John Lincoln (he has two names, not including his last name which is Perkins) smells like bacon and maple syrup. He sits next to me in Reading Circle. I think he must eat pancakes and bacon every morning for breakfast. His smell makes me hungry. John Lincoln is the best in our class at stopping fights on the playground at recess. He can even get kids to shake hands and give high fives. He is very young to be so good at that sort of thing.
I think John Lincoln has a heart that smells like peace
Mr. Randall smells like he forgot to brush his teeth. He is the music teacher at my school. He talks and sings all day, so his mouth gets dry and his lips get sticky. I like Mr. Randall. I just hope he doesn’t get real close to me during music class. I wouldn’t want to hurt his feelings if I made a yucky face. When Mr. Randall sings one of his favorite songs and our class sings strong and loud with him, he gets a big smile on his face. His eyes even sparkle.
I think Mr. Randall has a heart that smells like joy.
My Mama smells like a mixture of things….spaghetti and garlic bread at supper; the gardenias she brings from our yard and puts on the table; and our dog Louie, even when he needs a bath. Mama loves Louie and cuddles with him even when he’s kind of stinky. My favorite smell she has is the cream she puts on her face at night. I breathe it in deep when she tucks me in bed. Mama just smells like home. And I think that may be what God smells like.
I think Mama has a heart that smells like love.
There are all kinds of people in the world, and everybody smells.
You smell and I smell.
Our clothes and our skin may smell good…. or not so good.
Our hearts smell too.
And that is the most important smell we have.
I hope when God smells our hearts, He smells
Love, like Mama
Joy, like Mr. Randall
Peace, like John Lincoln
Patience, like Mr. Carpenter
Kindness, like Miss Hazel
Goodness, like Uncle George
Faithfulness, like Mr. Jim
Gentleness, like Ruthie and
Self-control, like Jenny.
I hope when God smells our hearts, we smell….
Like Him.
“For we are a fragrance of Christ to God…”( From 2nd Corinthians 2:15, NASB)
