• VIEWFINDER: Lilac Bush Memories and our Sense of Smell

• LEUKO LOGBOOK 4: “The Tongue is a Small Member”

• CAIRNS: “A” is for Alabaster

The Apostle James ranted about the tongue. Preachers do that at times, getting loud about subjects most of us ignore. He called the tongue a “small member,” and used words about the like “a fire…stains the whole body…a restless evil… a deadly poison” to describe this amazing organ. A rant like that could make a person want to cut out their tongue!

Advice: don’t do that! My tongue is indeed a small member… and it got smaller on February 7, 2024. That was my first “partial glossectomy” to deal with the leukoplakia that was shifting to cancer cells across my tongue. After two years of painful sores, I had come to the point of action to deal with this disease.

The doctors always expressed some amazement I had leukoplakia because I had none of the lifestyle habits (smoking, chewing, drinking) that foster the mutation. It was a random situation with no statistical probability of occurring. My Open and Relational theology is okay with random events. I believe God’s essential nature is Love, and love is non-coercive. This truth requires God to share some degree of freedom with all other entities in the universe. God doesn’t control other entities in the universe, rather God and the universe collaborate—or don’t—to create all that occurs. Random events are a part of this freedom. In our bodies healthy cells continually interact with their environment and with the constantly dynamic DNA within. Within these trillions of interactions there is the possibility of error, of malformation, or damage. Some of my tongue cells made wrong “choices,” if you will. To stop the process on my tongue, God would need to violate his own nature of non-coercive love. Not a good idea!  

As I readied for the surgery, I couldn’t help but think about Jan and her resilience to bounce back from several surgeries. Apparently, her cells make a lot of poor choices because she has had surgery to deal with the early stages of colon cancer, lung cancer, thyroid cancer, and scoliosis in her spine! In all of this she has been a paragon of strength to endure and rise above the pain from having four children and 13 surgeries.

Now it was my turn to have surgery, my very first one after 71 years. I was prepped and rolled into the operating room. The mask over my face felt so comfortable and…. Zzzzz’s occurred. Two hours later I emerged from la-la land. I surprised the nurse by saying with some clarity, “The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain.” She thought that was good considering my tongue was 20% smaller! Jan and Drew were there to cheer me on and soon I was on the way home. A positive answer to many prayers and a piece of cake, really.

Until the third day, that is. Searing pain surged throughout my mouth and jaw, like my tongue was at the wrong end of a blowtorch. I couldn’t eat anything. My medical care team. Dr. Drew Payne and Jan, created a schedule of pain management, a feature neglected by my surgeon. I took something for pain every three hours. My liquid diet kept me going when the swallowing was too painful. Jan’s patient caregiving overcame my whining as the days went by and I slowly improved.

Lesson: Before your scheduled major surgery, get a pain management regimen from a pain specialist, internist, or at least your PCP!

Lesson: Before your scheduled major surgery, get a pain management regimen from a pain specialist, internist, or at least your PCP! Your surgeon doesn’t know (or care sometimes) about your pain during recovery. Our bitter experience with multiple surgeries has taught us this vital lesson. The many different types of pain pills and intensity of dose must be handled well. You won’t get addicted with a good practitioner and you’ll be glad you made the effort. So will your family since they won’t hear as much whining.

A few days after the surgery came the best news: the pathology report showed all the margins were clear and no cancer was found! The naughty cells were gone forever! I finally felt good enough to travel to see the grandkids. We had a great visit. I even did a three-mile run at an easy pace. Quite the man!

For nine days the surgery was healing great. Then…

More about what happened on Day 10 in the next chapter…

 Read all the previous episodes on my Tracks for the Journey website

The early days of Spring bring a favorite moment of mine: smelling the fresh lilac blossoms in my front yard. I enjoy the beauty of the white clusters but it’s the whiff of that scent that means the most. With a single sniff, I am transported to stand by my Grannie Payne and the lilac-based perfume she wore filling the house that I visited as a child.

Iola Payne was tall for her generation. She carried herself with grace and dignity. She was successful in raising three children through the Depression and sent one, my Dad, to the Pacific Front for two long years. She kept the kitchen filled with delicious food when my family would come to share Sunday dinners. Her life was a blessing for generations.

Research shows humans can detect more than one trillion odors! The nerves connect directly to the emotional centers of the brain, influencing us before we can even think about the scent. Smell gives us essential clues about safety, food, and social connections. For example, two-day-old newborns can distinguish the smell of Momma as distinct from other women.[1] Years ago our realtor advised us to create vanilla smells when we were having an open house to create a pleasant, home-like, aroma.  

The Bible has some strange notes about smells. The ancient Hebrews said God loved the smell of a burnt offering—or not, if the heart of the worshipper wasn’t true.[2] The smell of a charcoal fire may have reminded Peter of when he betrayed Jesus.[3] The overpowering earthy scent of Nard, the expensive perfume, must have lingered for days after Jesus was anointed.[4] Certainly the oddest reference is to the death of Jesus being described as a pleasing odor, or one that fulfills the purpose for which it was made.[5] I’m not sure the human bystanders would have agreed on that horrific day!

Evidence from a few small clinical studies seems to show lavender may reduce anxiety for some counseling clients, while peppermint promotes increased cognitive abilities. I’m not sure what benefits the local convenience store gets from having barbeque sizzling on the grill but I’m no aromatherapist!

I had to get very close to the lilac blossoms in my front yard since my sense of smell is very weak. Now, I have no problem smelling cinnamon rolls and cakes in the over. But generally, I need to develop my olfactory discernment to enjoy life to the fullest. If I pay attention to this wonderful sense more fragrant memories could be unlocked!

What scents are special for you? Leave a comment on the Facebook Trackers page to share your aroma connections.

[1] Marta Zaraska, “The Sense of Smell in Humans is More Powerful Than We Think.” Discover Magazine, October 11, 2017. https://www.discovermagazine.com/mind/the-sense-of-smell-in-humans-is-more-powerful-than-we-think

 [2] Leviticus 1:9

[3] John 21:9

[4] Mark 14:3

[5] 2 Corinthians 2:15

“A” is for Alabaster: 52 Reflections on the Stories of Scripture brings to new life the people of the Bible. Preaching professor Anna C. Florence draws from the passages and her literary imagination to create interesting perspectives on 26 Old Testament and 26 New Testament characters. She uses the abecedary style of literature to name a person or some characteristic to cover both testaments from A to Z.

Jan and the Second Baptist Bible and Book Club have used many of the chapters in their weekly meeting. Jan said the fascinating turns of words, phrases, and humor helped her look with new insight into the characters, creatures, and conditions she has chosen from familiar biblical Scriptures. She found there were connections to modern events and happenings which demonstrate the ongoing power of the God’s Word.

A quick quiz: what Old Testament person would you choose for “Q?” Or which New Testament character would come to your mind for “Y?”

I’ve enjoyed this thought-provoking volume!

(Okay I’ll give you the answers: Q is the Queen of Sheba, Y is for Yeast. Of course!)

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