It has been a long time since I smelled canola blossom and saw a large patch of them in the field. This brings back a lot of childhood memories.
I was born in a village near the town of Sanhe, a small town with a very common name in that part of the world – an on-line map tells me that there are at least four different places with the same name in the same province. One of the most vivid memories from my childhood was this large patch of canola blossom surrounding the whole village during spring time. When the grown-ups go out to work in the field, we kids can roam free in the village and the field. In a sunny day, taking a nap in the middle of these flowers is one of my favorite things to do. I close my eyes and let the warm sun and cool breeze brushing against my face at the same time; I can hear the rustle of these flowers and gentle waves of the nearby pond. I had no cares in the world but my nap.
Under the spring Sun, the whole world was bright yellow. It was so bright that I can not bear to look at them. The brightness was so overwhelming, it hurts my eyes. But since the flower and the brightness surround me from every side, I had no choice to delight in them. To this day, bright yellow color still delights me.
One can not escape the smell of the flowers when they are in full bloom. The smell was like a pleasant euphoria, a dreamy nirvana, and a piece of heaven on earth all rolled together. Once the smell hits my nose, it triggers a tingle down my back. The happy smile of sunny spring is back in me; and I am transported to that magical place of innocence. I will always treasure this smell as a precious gift, a blessing across time.
Gen 27:27 “the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which the Lord hath blessed.”
PS: The above photo was taken at a farm near San Francisco Bay, not from Sanhe.
PPS: Some additional information about Sanhe – Battle of Sanhe,
Tourist information – from virtual tourist and Go China Travel.
