” Diffusion is the World” -Make Yours Fragrant

Dear Reader:

When I saw this vintage perfume diffuser it took me back to my childhood watching mother spray on perfume. She called it a ” diffuser” because she said during the war young ladies had to diffuse or add water to make it go farther. Daddy had sent it to her from Paris and even years after his passing she only wore it on very special occasions! I loved to smell it but when mother moved in with me and the family later in life-it was gone. When I asked her about it she said a moving man dropped the box it was in and the glass splintered. I don’t know who was sadder-mother or me-a keepsake from my daddy would have been so wonderful after losing mother.

Diffusion means the spreading of something more widely and is a main factor in just about every natural and man-made process. Things like breathing, air pollution, our human organs , hot tea leaves, perfume, smoke, balloons, etc. Cultural diffusion spreads new ideas, customs, beliefs, horizons, and even foods.

In every sense of the word Jesus was a “diffuser” -a person who spreads new ideas and knowledge.

Flowers and plants whose aromas envelope us in delightful scents-are simply practicing diffusion. Yesterday one our readers, Lynn Gamache, left me this comment by the picture of the luscious smelling Confederate jasmine, ” When we lead with the calm assurance that we are loved by a sovereign faithful God, then our lives should send a sweet fragrance to others as well. ”

I am a candle burner and relax in the evenings to different scented candles yet the smell of fresh rain after a dry period like we had last weekend is incomparable to anything else. In fact several stories have used metaphors comparing the fragrance of fresh rain to the eternal scent of God-I cannot think of a better comparison.

So until tomorrow… “A life without rain is like the sun without shade. “

” Today is my favorite day” Winnie the Pooh

Today is May 1-Here in the South bare footing day and the day to say ” Rabbit Rabbit ” for a wonderful month ahead! And the only reason I have May flowers since we only had one April shower is grit and grind! In other words perseverance!

About Becky Dingle

I was born a Tarheel but ended up a Sandlapper. My grandparents were cotton farmers in Laurens, South Carolina and it was in my grandmother’s house that my love of storytelling began beside an old Franklin stove. When I graduated from Laurens High School, I attended Erskine College (Due West of what?) and would later get my Masters Degree in Education/Social Studies from Charleston Southern. I am presently an adjunct professor/clinical supervisor at CSU and have also taught at the College of Charleston. For 28 years I taught Social Studies through storytelling. My philosophy matched Rudyard Kipling’s quote: “If history were taught in the form of stories, it would never be forgotten.” Today I still spread this message through workshops and presentations throughout the state. The secret of success in teaching social studies is always in the story. I want to keep learning and being surprised by life…it is the greatest teacher. Like Kermit said, “When you’re green you grow, when you’re ripe you rot.”

View all posts by Becky Dingle →