Friday, December 7, 2007

The Family Gathering

Tonight we had a family gathering at our house. It was nice, and everyone who we hoped would arrive actually managed to do so, in spite of the rain. One son said upon entering: "Oh Mom! I see you made cornbread. Gee, its been a while since I had your cornbread…" He made my evening.
But the real point here is that home-cooked food (and the scents they produce) are a big portion of the things we remember from our childhood. I remember that once I happened to come across some "spick and span" floor cleaning powder. This was the same brand which my mother used when I was a child. As I poured it into a bucket of water, the pine smell which arose immediately triggered memories of "home" from thirty years before. That is the power of smell.
And when we consider food, it is obvious that the memories created are even stronger, due to the taste, and also because of the emotional bonds created though food. Thus it behooves us to take the time, at least occasionally, to made special holiday food with our children (when applicable), to help reinforce that sense of "home", and connection with family.

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