This week I’ve had the tune “My Favorite Things” stuck in my head, and I’ve been thinking about the things from my childhood that still bring me comfort and joy…like cats curled up in the sunlight, the fragrance of my grandmother’s rose garden, the buzzing of bees in the summertime, and an afternoon with nothing to do but read a good book.
These days I have more favorite things. The frozen crunch of the first snow under my feet. My dogs‘ deep dreaming slumber at my bedside…at night in a quiet house. The thrill of picking warm ripe tomatoes from the garden. The shower of crab apple blossoms when a spring breeze blows. The coral-pink clouds against the twilight-blue sky just after the sun drops behind our Rocky Mountains. And the list goes on…
You have your list too. But do you write down those things, for future reference, for those darker days when you want to remember the small simple things that bring us the most joy? The smell of a baby’s soft head. A song’s lyric or harmony that brings a bittersweet lump to the throat. A basket of fresh-baked goods, left on a doorstep. Someone humming in the kitchen. The feel of clean cool sheets and the sound of crickets on a summer’s evening.
You may write these Favorite Things in a journal, or you may collect photos and fabrics that remind you of these things. You may talk over these feelings and memories over a cup of tea, or while stitching with friends, because these are the things that make a life, and fill our hearts.
I feature Barbara Beasley’s portrait* of her dog Drew, as he took in the sun and smiled in the way that only a happy doggy can smile. I’ve added some images of some of my favorite things too, and invite you to make your own list of things that make you smile.
I wish you many smiles and contented sighs this week….
…with hope for the future,
Luana and Paul
* From the exhibit “Walk on the Wild Side” currently at the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum.
