Aroma

Certain smells and/or odors take us back to our childhood or places. For me, the smell of a burning cigar reminds me of Dodger Stadium. Another smell is that of burning incense at Catholic mass. This smell reminds me of Christmas eve mass.

In my early adolescence, mass was boring as heck for me. Especially because I remember it being held in Latin (what were they thinking?). Mass became more interesting when the padre (priest) began to have mass in ingles and or español. 

Every Sunday, my Mother would kick me out the door with my limosna (tithe) and had me go to mass. Also a mandatory service in our household was Christmas eve service. We would stay up watching TV and then head out to misa de media noche (midnight mass). While I may not have understood the homily of the evening, I did come away having enjoyed the wonderful smell of the burning incense used during the mass. To this day, I remember that very distinct aroma that takes me back.