These are a few of my favorite things....

Last week a live version of "The Sound of Music" was aired on NBC. It was fun and entertaining, though some singers are not gifted as actresses and should stick to singing songs about vandalizing old boyfriends cars out side of country bars. A very memorable song from this musical, now and when Julie Andrews stared in it, is the song "My favorite things." It's a list of things that make the character happy when she's sad. I was wondering, do we all have a list of favorite things? Are there things that when we are down, these things pick us back up and how much do we rely on these "favorite things"?

Here is my list of favorite things (and people), not in any particular order, so please do not read to much into the list:

My sons
My wife
My bulldog meatball
My pipe
My job as a pastor
My church
My conference
My District
My DS...yes he is one of my favorite people :)
My colleges (Eric, Jeff, Jack, Trevor, Pat, Mike, Lisa, Larry, Josh, Kameron and many, many more)
My co-workers (Linda, Kaye, Norma and Marry)
Pumpkin pie
Cherry Pie
French toast
Pancakes
Pizza
Scripture
Jesus
Christmas
Thanksgiving
Summer
Oklahoma
Michigan

I've got a pretty long list of favs :). In times of frustration I think, do, visit, and eat many of these things. During the Holiday season I think we are more aware of these things and people than we are any other time of the year. During Thanksgiving we reflect on being thankful for them, during Xmas we reflect on the gift that these people and things are in our busy, chaotic and often overwhelming lives. When the New Year starts we reflect on how we are going to be better people and more appreciative towards the people and things that God has so graciously placed in our lives. But the rest of the year we kinda over look these things and take them for granted. I hope I learn to not take these people and things for granted and communicate to them how much I love and appreciate them and to communicate to God how thankful I am to have so much in my life, more than during one 2month period a year.

This is my last post for the 2013 year. I wont be posting anymore thought until we are on the other side of December. I hope all of you take the opportunity to tell those you love, those you honor, those you care for that you love them. I hope you tell God how grateful you are for all the stuff and people in your lives. I hope you have a blessed rest of Advent and I hope you have a magical, mysterious and miraculous Christmas.

In Christ,
Josh Blanchard