Stop and smell the roses

I had been told by Allison Dubois that one of the signs from Dottye to me would be the scent of  a rose.

Now this doesn't mean so much that if I walk past a rose bush, or an air freshener that is rose scent that it came from Dottye, no it means something even more amazing.

Last year I was invited by my niece, my sisters daughter, to come out for her graduation party. First, it was amazing to my heart that it was my niece who wanted me to be there. It was going to be a great way for me to hang on the side lines and see her in her own element, to get to know her better. I've been proud of her and my other nieces since I had met them almost 7 years ago, but this would be a chance to see her with her friends and family and I looked forward to the trip.

I enjoyed myself, I felt at home. 

About those roses.

My sister and I decided to walk her dogs in the church field that is behind her house after the graduation party which was held at their house. My sister ran ahead of me with her beagle on leash so that he could sniff and feel like a little hunter.

I walked behind her, not worried about trying to keep up as I knew full well they would head back my way. 

The scent nearly overwhelmed me. Roses. I stopped in my tracks and scanned the field. I knew that the scent was roses, but surely there was some obvious reason for my smelling them.

There wasn't a single flower in eye shot. I bent over and tore some grass from the ground and brought it to my nose as I dragged in a large sniff. The grass was not the source.

I went to a nearby pine like tree and pulled some needles off of a branch and again sniffed with all my might, trying to find the source.

Nope, that too was not the source.

My heart beat a little faster, I sighed and said I know. I know you're here. I can feel you, and right now I can smell you.

I watched as Karen headed back my way and the scent vanished. No, not vanish really. It was simply gone as fast as it had come.

I grinned to myself knowing that this was one of my few private moments with Dottye. 

I glowed knowing that she was there and took the extra effort to make sure that I knew it.

It's been a year since I smelled her roses. She has indeed sent me other signs. I am sure she sends them and I miss them.

The scent of roses that day, there was no missing or denying it.

Karen never smelled them. I didn't tell her about it until after I was home from my trip visiting her. I felt selfish for not telling her at first, but I don't anymore.

I needed that moment to be mine, just for a little while.