Like most of you, I spent some time thinking about the theme of freedom over the past Independence Day weekend.
I try to take time every year on July 4 to offer an extra-special prayer of thanks for all the liberties I enjoy as an American citizen.  This year, however, I contemplated it a little more than usual.
I just recently finished reading a book about Corrie ten Boom, the Dutch woman, who, along with her family, hid Jews during WWII, and was sent to a concentration camp. 
I’m sure many of you have read the book, The Hiding Place, which she wrote about the whole experience.  It was also made into a movie, starring Jeannette Clift and Julie Harris. 
Her family’s story never ceases to amaze me.  It’s the same with The Diary of Anne Frank.  The atrocities the multitudes throughout Europe endured during the German occupation are incomprehensible to someone like me, so far removed from such things.
Corrie ten Boom wrote about the horrible stench of burning human flesh that constantly permeated the air, coming from the camp crematory. 
From where she toiled so strenuously in the camp yard, she could still see the stars at night and the sun during the day.  They shone the same on everyone, whether at liberty or in bondage.
But it wasn’t until she was released from the camp and on her way back to her home in Holland that the awful odor finally worked out of her olfactory sense, and she was able to smell fresh air, bread baking, and the fragrance of flowers — the sweet smell of freedom.
As the July 4th air carried the scents of grilling hamburgers and smoking gun powder, I inhaled deeply and made a silent vow.   I promised God that I would try to use the smells I enjoy (and take for granted) to remind me to pause and thank Him and any military personnel I encounter, throughout the rest of my life.
The way my granddaughter smells when she climbs on my lap, fresh from her bath.  The scent of my favorite cologne. 
The aroma of clean laundry straight out of the dryer.  All these and more comprise the sweet smell of freedom for me, and I have a feeling they’ll be affecting me a little more deeply from now on.
Thanks for giving me a moment of your time.

Contact Marla at www.MarlasMoments.com.