THANKSGIVING: A FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS

Precipitation on roses.

Vibrissae on young cats.

Shining cookwear suitable for water.

Oversized gloves made of a textile fiber with exceptional thermal qualities.

Gifts wrapped in repurposed grocery sacks and bound together with. . .well, strings.

No these are not a few of my favorite things, which is why I had no problem playing with the wording a bit. Nothing against any of them, they just don't make my list. But there are other things that do.

With Thanksgiving drawing near, there is a usually a push to list the things for which we are thankful. Certainly, our favorite things, the trivial and the meaningful, would fall into that category. So here are seven of my favorite things. They are always important, but they add to the total tapestry of my life. Who knows, you may learn a few things you never knew and find your own things for which to be thankful.

(Quick disclaimer: I deliberately did not list my wife, family, salvation, and so on. While I am truly thankful for all of the above, I believe they are so far above any list that they are in a category of their very own.
And, of course, to add the Lord to a ranking, even if He is number one, sounds odd to me. No one or no thing is even in the same race). 

So without further ado...

Study and research. I love to study. I love to deep dive into a subject and look up stuff I never knew before. Yes, at times, it is difficult, but overall, I find it thrilling.

Writing. Like studying, there are times when writing is plain, hard work, where I spend an hour composing what I feel is a paragraph worthy of Shakespeare, only to find I wrote something along the lines of "See Spot run!" But there are those other times when it feels as though the words just flow from the inner recesses of my brain and I almost cannot write or type fast enough to keep up. 

Access to information. Study and research has changed over the years.  I am old enough to be "pre-internet," which means I did a lot of research at the public library, digging through archives of actual periodicals and thumbing through the massive card catalog made up of (wait for it) typed cards in wooden drawers. Nowadays, I can find nearly anything I need on my laptop computer.

Hobbies and diversions. Yes, amid the study-work and the writing-work and the research-work, I have some hobbies that give me a much-needed mental break. To be honest, some of my study and writing and research is very relaxing, but I also enjoy reading fiction novels or collecting in my "off-time."

Streaming devices. Through this tiny little box attached to my tv, I can access classic and modern television shows, watch great movies, engage in some more research on a variety of topics, and watch news from several sources, not just one. The nice thing is that I can watch programs when I want. 

Music. All kinds: rock, pop, country, classical. My mood determines what I am interested in at a given moment. I think there are maybe five musicals I enjoy; otherwise, it's safe to say I like some of the songs from some of the musicals. I like cover songs, especially if they do a song in a different genre or style (a country song turned into a pop song, or a flowing classical piece turned into a driving rock ballad). It's safe to say my tastes are eclectic when it comes to music.

Quiet and solitude. While I wouldn't want to be cut off from civilization for long periods, there is a benefit to the peace of being in a location alone with my thoughts, able to think, pray, create, and sing without interruption.

So there you have it: these are a few of my favorite things, some things I am thankful to have in my life. They are not the total scope of my life, nor are they necessarily the most important things in my life. But if, after reading this, you feel led to take stock of some of your favorite things, you might find you have more things for which to say, "thank you."

Happy Thanksgiving!