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Sarah, Highland, Michigan, February 1999
I was 10 years old when my grandfather passed away. He had been sick for a
long time, so I hadn't seen him for a while even before he died. From my
early experiences with him, I remember his distinctive smell. Every time
we'd go to visit, he would hug me, and I remember very clearly the combined
scent of Old Spice aftershave and beer. (He would often have a can of Miller
beer in his hand).
Of course, as a small child, I didn't attribute his scent to anything
particular like aftershave, I just knew that Papa smelled a certain way.
Anyway, quite a few years later, I was driving to my after-school job. I was
about 17 at the time. It was wintertime, so all the windows in my car were
rolled up tightly. There were no restaurants or any other businesses in the
area I was driving through that would have released a scent into the air. I
had just made a turn when quite suddenly the entire interior of my car
filled with Papa's smell. It was so thick that it took me less than a second
to process what the smell was. You know how memories can rush back to you
when you smell a certain something, like perfume, or coffee, or candle
smoke? Well, this was one of those times. I kept driving, but my senses were
stunned. The smell was so near and so real that I actually said, "Papa?"
right out loud. A few seconds after I said it, the smell evaporated
completely. There wasn't even a lingering trace, like a lot of scents leave.
Surprised but not scared, I drove the rest of the way to work. I found out
later that my uncle (Papa's son) had also experienced him while driving. He
was driving along after work, and also felt a sudden presence. (I heard this
through my Gramma). The presence was so strong that my uncle was overwhelmed
with sadness and started crying (believe me, he is not a crying,
touchy-feely kind of guy).
It's interesting which people are chosen to be contacted. I still haven't
figured out a reason why my grandfather was with me that day. All I know is
that I knew beyond a doubt that he was with me in my car and that I
felt a warm, gentle energy along with the scent. Maybe he just wanted to say
hello, and made sure that his presence was strong enough that I would
remember my encounter and tell the rest of my family about it, thus
reassuring them that he's still with us.
