By Verna Davis
TERRE HAUTE — Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens/Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens/Brown paper packages tied up with strings/These are a few of my favorite things.
Now, then. I’ve put that song in your head and I hope it will stay there all day long! No, I don’t want to do a revival of The Sound of Music. No, I don’t want to stand on the bed, play with the curtains, surrounded by seven children. And no, I neither look like nor sound like Julie Andrews. I’m simply going to tell you about some of my favorite things — some things for which I am grateful.
Fat, fuzzy towels that are still warm from the dryer. Grandchildren that giggle when you wrap them in those towels after their bath. Chocolate — in cookies, cakes, and milk. Vanilla — in cookies, cakes, and milk shakes. These are a few of my favorite things.
Gold fish — both the kind that swim and the kind you eat. The ones that swim teach kids about responsibility, and they look cute swimming around in that big round bowl on the table. The ones you eat provide a crunch on your salad or soup, and work as great snacks for those grandchildren that left their soggy towels on your bathroom floor after their bath. These are a few of my favorite things.
The lines painted on the side of the road. They tell me where the ditches are so I can avoid them. My grandfather’s one sentence of driving advice to me still rings in my ears: “Don’t just keep the car between the ditches — keep it between the lines that tell you where the ditches are.” Grandpa was a man of few words, but his words were deep, I tell you. The lines, and my Grandpa, are a few of my favorite things.
Sugar-free chunky applesauce I made in my crock pot, and the smell of cinnamon that permeated the whole house while it was cooking. Then, at the end of nine hours, I lift the lid, give the stuff a stir, and grab a spoonful of applesauce so good I practically swoon. This is one of my favorite things.
Shoe stores with fantastic sales on shoes that are in my size and that I can wear without toppling off them or cementing my toes together in an excruciatingly painful unnatural manner. Fabric sales at my favorite quilt shops. Scrambled eggs with onions and peppers. Thick carpet under my feet. The mail that is delivered to my door six days a week. My collection of teacups. Fresh flowers in a vase on my dining room table. These are a few of my favorite things.
Thanksgiving dinner complete with turkey, dressing, sweet potato casserole, cranberry salad, home-made rolls, and apple pie (sorry, I don’t like pumpkin). My husband, my son and daughter-in-law, my daughter and son-in-law, all three of my grandchildren, my Mom and Dad — all sitting at our long table set with my best china and the real silver I spent hours polishing. The talk and the laughter and the sharing of our lives with each other. These are a few of my favorite things.
Church. Sunday school classes that take me deep into the Word of God. Worship leaders who take the congregation on a musical journey of praise to the Almighty God. Ministers who study and prepare messages that stir me toward love and good works, challenging me to be a more obedient child of God. Brothers and sisters in Christ who encourage me and inspire me. These are a few of my favorite things.
It sounds too simple, but it’s still true. We can feel better by remembering our favorite things. That’s because we know the source of our favorite things. James 1:16-17 says, “Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”
The God who never changes, the God who sits on His throne in heaven has given, and continues to give, good and perfect gifts to me. Life. Food. Shelter. Family. Employment. Hope. Peace. He also gave his son, Jesus, whose death and resurrection has given me the greatest gift of all, eternal life. These are my favorite things. My favorite things of all.
Verna Davis may be reached at vrdspeaks@yahoo.com.
