I was visiting a close family member in hospital every night, which was diagnosed as terminally ill, we were aware that despite our best help and efforts that we were not going to be able to save her.
The doctors were not sure how long she would be with us, as every day was special for us. I was working in a supermarket at the time, and most of my work colleagues at the time were much younger than me.
One morning around 11 o clock I remember getting this gorgeous overwhelming smell of roses, I said the young guy working beside me. “That’s a lovely smell of roses”. He looked at me with a strange inquisitive look, as if I was loosening the plot, and then just calmly shrugged his shoulders and said “I don’t get it”.
I came back after lunch which would be about 14:00, and was working beside a different guy, got the smell of roses again, passed the same remark and got the same reaction.
At around 4 o’clock I got the smell of roses again, this time there were a lot more guys around me and I decided to say nothing, and I think I did begin to question myself , maybe I was loosening the plot.
I was studying bereavement at the time and it was not unusual for the mind to wander back maybe to something that was in my subconscious and the mind began to play tricks on me.
It was only when the phone rang for me about 16:30, was the nurse from the ward in the hospital, to tell me that my family member had a turn for the worst during the night, and that time was running out, and that because of close relationship during her last days, that she was waiting for me to go in, to help to lead and guide her to the waiting angels.
It was only at that stage that it became clear to me, why my work colleagues had not got that over whelming smell of roses, and I had.