My nephew took a nap on my bed today.
When I got home from work, I was still on a phone call, and half distracted, followed my children’s giggles to my bedroom. No sheets. No blankets. All was gone.
And a bottle of lotion that had been full only just this morning, was empty.
Indeed, the small princling had discovered Auntie Hallie’s lotion, and henceforth, had anointed all Auntie Hallie’s bedclothes with the lovely, creamy stuff.
It was pretty great.
His mama explained and showed me the sheets drying and headed off to her wild and crazy mom-of-a-toddler life.
I just now pulled them out of the dryer, and as I dragged the comforter cover off the line, it surrounded me, this particular scent.
See, it wasn’t just any old lotion the young gentleman had found, it was a special bottle of Nevea After Sun Lotion that you can only buy in some tropical locations.
When I was 21, wild, Holy, Passionate, Searching for a purpose in Brazil, I discovered this stuff on one of my random days off, on a visit to the beach with some friends.
This smell forever takes me to the time in my life when I learned:
That I could be happy
I was allowed to be happy
Jesus wasn’t mad when I was happy
Sweat made me happy
Sun made me happy.
I could wear a biking and God would still love me.
I could spend some money on something NOT essential and God would still smile on me.
Resting under a fan with this lotion rubbed all over my almost-burn was happy in the flesh.
I brought a bottle home to Oregon with me, and when it ran out, I didn’t find it anywhere again for 10 years. One day, on the island of Phuket, in Thailand, baby in arms, in a very different bikini body, I happened across a bottle in a shop.
(Don’t worry, mama to precious princling, I learned my lesson, and have a back up bottle stashed somewhere in my bedroom)
But tonight.
Tonight, in this heat wave, sweat, every curve damp, I stretch out on these sheets.
Its like a kiss from heaven, the smell that lingers on these clean sheets.
A kiss, and a reminder I didn’t know I needed so very badly tonight.
Beloved me
Precious Hallie
You WILL be happy again
You are allowed to be happy
I love your bikini body
The sun, and the sweat of your work make me happy
You’re still YOU
Here we are
You and me
Happy
Love this as always. ((Hugs))