One of my favorite musicals of all time is “The Sound of Music”.   The songs get in my head and are so fun to blast out singing around the house.  Lately God has been opening my eyes to so many simple little blessings in life.  The song names simple favorite things like raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens and goes on to say that when feeling bad the writer simply remembers his/her favorite things and “then I don’t feel so bad”.

One evening in our Awana group at church I was sitting behind all the kiddos and noticed how cute their different hairstyles were.  Although different, several of the boys had something that was the same.   Several of the boys had a cowlick in the back of their hair in the same spot.  Right on top in the back were the swirly cowlicks with several of the boys having a tuft of hair sticking straight out.  The name “cowlick” is hilarious on its own, but seeing several boys in a row with the crazy spot in their hair brought a new favorite to my list of favorite things.  Since that time I find myself looking for those crazy hair moments of kiddos to add an extra smile to my day.

Laughter has always been a favorite thing.  Laughter is very contagious when it is one of your favorite things.  The other night at my oldest daughter’s indoor soccer game my youngest daughter was sitting next to me in the stands.  During the game a wild ball flew to the sidelines and into one of the opposing team’s coaches.  The ball made him jump in such a way the ball cap he adorned flew straight off of the back of his head.  It had a rocket like effect with how quickly it shot off of his head.   My daughter let out a loud burst of a cackled laugh and continued to giggle at the sight.  What I found the most amusing was my daughter’s laughter and it was a sound that I carried with me for several days to follow.

God provides so many simple delights every day if we are paying attention.

A beautiful sunrise or sunset.

There is beauty in every season.

The smell of rain, spring, fall leaves, flowers, etc…

The twinkle in a person’s eye when preparing to tell a joke.

Toothless smiles of infants…and of the old…seeing people without their dentures is a favorite of mine.

When dogs smile…and yes they do smile.

Seeing the smiles and joy that a simple act of kindness can bring to others.

The list goes on and on.  The words of the song are true that when we simply remember our favorite things…then we don’t feel so bad.

Pay attention to this awesome world around us and you just might see a few of your favorite things and watch how your list of favorite things grows and grows!!!

Psalm 33:5 “He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord.”