Things I Love

1. an unexpected phone call from a dear and distant friend that has turned into weekly phone dates for conversation and prayer

2. watercolor painting class

the teacher doing a demo

the student tries her hand, twice

3. being able to pour out my thoughts, my fears, my hopes, my joys, my jokes, my stories, my sorrows, my dreams, and my despair into my journal. just letting it all flow.


4. my ipad. i have so much to learn about how to use it, what apps to buy, and which books to read on it. however, i am thrilled about how many games of solitaire I have won.

5. clear skies in the morning and bright sunsets on windy evenings

6. gentle and personalized reminders that I am loved, seen, appreciated, that i have not been forgotten

7. black cherry pie and jelly beans from Fresh Market on Valentine's Day (yup, sugar is back in my diet. not as bad as it was six months ago, but it's back.)


8. the smell of frankincense sticks burning in my bathroom


9. the scent of both the spray I use for dusting and the cleaner I use around the house. (i would love to know what it feels like to walk into a house where the cleaning has been done, the laundry has been washed, dried, folded, and put away, and dinner is hot and ready on the stove. i want to experience that sudden assault on the olfactory nerves - cleaning fluids, laundry detergent, and dinner all at the same time. and i want to know that feeling for three straight months... at least.)


10. the coffee recently purchased at World Market, the coffee and chicory blend made famous at New Orleans' Cafe du Monde, with a few dashes of cinnamon added before i start the coffee maker. i've got a pot brewing right now.


11. finding a Lands End rain jacket at Good Will for $4.99. it looks like it was never used. if i'd ordered it online, i would have paid $50. (i broke my "no clothes shopping this year" rule because i need a rain jacket for my upcoming trip to Haiti. more details on that trip to come.)


12. watching my son listen to music, respond to text messages, sip tea, and write a well-crafted story all at the same time. kids these days!!!

13. sneaking out of the house in the evening for tea at Caribou coffee. stolen time to think, to journal, to people-watch, to play with my ipad, and to be alone. blissfully alone.

14. signs of spring while still shivering in February