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March 26, 2016

My Favorite Things

Sometimes I think back to my childhood and reminisce over the things that I cherished.  My precious doll that I carried everywhere, or the blanket I kept until it fell apart into shredded pieces of cloth, or the pink top with the purple flowers I wore although it was two sizes too small.  Or things like summer vacations at my grandma’s house, driving through the mountains and drinking from the springs, or stopping at the old food truck on the side of the highway for hot tamales on a Saturday night with my family.  Those were some of my favorite memories, some of my favorite things.

As I grew older and discovered new interests, I put away much of those things and tucked away a lot of those memories and embarked on new adventures.  I started to discover that I liked spending time with my friends and learning new things about fashion and hair and even sports.  I grew to love football and basketball, growing up in a town where that’s what you did on a Friday night, played a big part in that.  I now valued my journal and my posters and my music. A few more years passed and I started to think about college and my career and what my life would look like “in 5 years”.  Then I began to long for those times when I sat holding my doll or gathered around the bonfire on Friday night… not wanting to face the reality of being an adult and making adult decisions.  No one told me that it was going to be tough, no one told me that life came with disappointments, and no one told me that it was ok to be scared.

But on the other side of that, no one told me that life can be awesome, that I would develop amazing and long-lasting friendships, and that although there would be some “downs”, there would also be plenty of “ups”.  No one told me that if I work hard and pray hard that I could have my heart’s desire.  But I learned that along the way, what a journey it has been.  And now I have some new favorite things. I have cookbooks and recipes galore handed down, bought and borrowed.  I use them to try new dishes, and experiment with different herbs and spices.  I tend to de-stress while I’m cooking and dancing around the house.  I have friends that I can call at any time of the day or night and if they are too far away to come at that moment, they talk to me until things are settled.  I have a bible that belonged to my grandfather and his notes are in the margins.  I have a faith that has sustained me through life’s every day motions; births, deaths, jobs, relationships, decisions and directions. Some of my favorite things are actually not things at all, they are the connections I’ve made, my ability to encourage those who are hurting, my passion to inspire and empower women; lessons learned and the experiences life has handed me whether I wanted it or not.  It’s such a blessing to think back to spending weeks of my summer without a care in the world, to now becoming the person I am today with responsibilities, a ministry, and an outreach where I’m able to walk alongside people in their journey…whatever that journey is. 

What are some of your favorite things?  Are they things at all?  I want to encourage you to think about it for a little while, maybe even write them down.  It might be time to pull out that old photo album, those records or CDs, or even that baby blanket that you packed away years ago.  Reflect and reminisce…evoke that memory, that emotion.  Where are you today?  Where are you going tomorrow?  Any plans? Goals? Aspirations? Take time to think about then and now…what does your journey look like? What are some of your favorite things?


8 comments

  1. Things! I'm 61 years old and every year brings things into my life. As you age you either hoard or purge. My mother, my mother-in-law and many women in my large family gather "things" and after my mother died I looked at things differently. Her husband has been "chained" down to her things for the past 12 years. Sad! My mother-in-law is 88 and she needs to move into an assisted living home. She refuses to go - refuses to leave her "stuff." A few Christmas's ago she asked for only one thing: a closet. There wasn't enough storage in her five bedroom home! Needless to say I'm purging. I have a new view of life as more "stuff" leave me for other places. My motto? Don't let your possessions posses you - let them fly. My favorite things are the things I keep: a heart shaped cup from a friend, two worn Bibles I will pass on to my children and my comfy pillow. My favorite treasured place is the Secret Place, behind closed doors, with my Savior. The only thing we can take with us when we go is the soul. My soul belongs to Him. Thank you for joining us at the Loft. You're a treasure.

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    1. Thanks so much Christine for sharing your heart. It's so interesting to see what we "value"...most of those things we can do without. "Don't let your possessions possess you"...definitely words to live by.

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  2. My own post today seems to echo your thought pattern. The older I get the less I value "things" and the more I value people, experiences and life's "Simple Pleasures." Thanks for the reminder.

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    1. And thank you, life's "Simple Pleasures" indeed matter the most

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  3. More important than stuff are photos I treasure - thanks for reminding us what's important. Thanks for sharing at the Loft.

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    1. Not too long ago, I came across an old photo album and the memories flooded back. The photos we take on our phone or tablet are good, but there's nothing like holding one in your hand and remembering. Thanks so much for sharing Jerralea.

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  4. What a beautiful post you have brought to The Loft! My favorite things....my Bible, my photos, my memories of my parents and childhood, the mountains where I live, my books. The older I grow the more simple and precious my 'favorite things' become. Thank you for linking with us at The Loft this week. Please do come back.

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    1. Aww thanks so much Leah. It was so heart warming to think about my favorite things and you're so right, time certainly does have a way of creating a simpler and more precious view. Thanks for having me at the Loft, and I look forward to sharing more in the future.

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