The past few months I’ve been reflecting on thankfulness. I’m not Oprah bashing…Well… Maybe…So, in the spirit of the holidays, here is a few of my favorite things in no particular order:

The Coffee Shoppe Experience
This is a simple pleasure that a lady must enjoy to marry me. Kelly passed the test with flying colors! It’s simple. A bistro table, favorite warm beverage, and someone to enjoy a good conversation with. For a few dollars, a priceless experience. It works for discussing life, romancing, strategic planning, dreaming, discussing theology, and listening to jazz music.

Classic Classical Compositions
The most thorough enjoyment of music is classical. Like any genre, there is great compositions, good compositions, and the rest. Classical music is best listened to live, and best with a friend, followed or preceded by a coffee shoppe experience. The most brilliant thing about classical music is how much can be said by saying nothing at all.

The Bible
Good for multiple things, it’s main focus is on describing who God is and who we are in light of that. Many describe the Bible in many analogies. I like none of them. The Bible stands on its own, and without it we’d lack a fuller knowledge of who God is. To engage in a relationship with God, the Bible is essential. Not as a legalistic endeavor, an archeological dig, or some self-help guru gig. It’s a fine balance of devotion and study. The Bible is like a spouse. It takes fine tuned listening, observing and study for the purpose of knowing and engaging, not for sordid gain.

The Moleskin
Pen on paper will likely not go away. There is something about the immediacy of drafting ideas on paper that a technological device just cannot match. The Moleskin is a simple device to capture whims, ideas, dreams quotes, and recipes.

The Sunday Drive
Hop in the car, and just drive for driving’s sake. This is also a good time to enjoy oldies music, or depending on the road traveled and car driven- the symphony of the car engine. It is also a good time for conversation with a friend or romance with a mate. While some may prefer walking, driving requires horsepower, and I’m a guy. Fall and spring are the best seasons for the drive.

Writing
I think this one is self-explanatory.

Playtime
My boyz take me on many adventures, and I do the same for them. The joy of having children is you get to rediscover much of life that you knew but forgot. It speaks to why undervaluing children is so dangerous. They allow us to see the world with fresh eyes with the added benefit of the wisdom and experience we’ve hopefully gained. Children are just as good teachers as anyone.

BBQ
Ribs, steak, ribs, chicken, ribs, pork, ribs, beef briquette, more ribs… Enjoying BBQ requires people. It’s not a solo experience, it’s a fun one. BBQ involves conversation, messiness, artery clogging goodness. Well, the artery business can be avoided, but you get my point. Did I mention ribs? Yeah, those are best.

The bottom line:
My favorite things in life center on this: People and God. Without them, nothing else really matters. Eat, drink and enjoy the fruit of your labor, for this too is a gift from God.

Happy Thanksgiving!