Top 12 things I love

I picked 12 b/c I have a crazy obsession about this number. It made me happy this morning to read through the end of Revelation and see that God also fancies this number. :) I think its pretty. Anyways, I want to share with you 12 things that I LOVE about life. Maybe we will have some in common!

1. Mornings. They are full of warmth! The first thing I do each morning (at about 12:30 am your time) is get up to open the curtains and smile at Execution Rock. It smiles back. Then I shower and enjoy the warmth of the hot water. Why is it so hard to leave morning showers? Then I fix my morning cup of Nescafe espresso with a dash of cinnamon, open the doors to the back porch and have my reading time with eggs and pb toast.

2. Overcoming. We all face many obstacles in our daily lives. I love the feeling of overcoming them. Rising above is such sweet victory! I can get through anything with Christ as my anchor.

3. Progress. I love setting goals and through time, watching my work pay off through progress. It is so motivating!

4. Smell of magnolias. I have said for some time now that Bath & Body Works needs to develop a magnolia line b/c it would be sooo h-o-t. To my knowledge, they still haven’t taken my silent suggestion, but in Durban, I found magnolia scented shower gel and body spray! Man, was I excited! Now, I smell like a walking magnolia tree. :)

5. Light. When night falls, I like lots of light. When I was growing up, my parents would keep the lighting in the house to a minimum to save money, but I’d go through, turning on every light b/c I just prefer it. I guess I could also hint to a spiritual pun on words, b/c of course I spiritually prefer Light to Darkness, but here, I’m literally talking about Thomas Edison style light bulbs.

6. Breezes. Seriously, breezes are one of my favorite parts of nature, next to the sky and bodies of water. When God blows His coolness on you, I feel He’s blowing His refreshment to relieve you of the discomfort of the heat. Many times, I ask Him to send us a breeze, and He does!

7. Making people smile. If there were a profession for making people smile, I’d totally apply for it. There is something so warm and inviting about a smile! It for real, brightens my whole day when I smile at someone and they smile back. Smiles are a way to show your love for someone else, even if you don’t know them. It’s a heart hug.

8. The affection of a child. I love to be greeted by a child who is overcome with happiness to see you. I love it when they see you and a huge smile takes over their face, their arms open wide to hug you, and they run towards you to leap into your arms. That’s what my favorite child at El Shaddai orphanage did the last time I saw her (Gift). I replay that moment in my head so much.

9. Knowing I’m being prayed for. When you let me know you’re praying for me here, it means so much to me! It's such an honor to know that you take time out of your conversations with God to also petition for my safety and spiritual growth. I can’t thank you enough!

10. Mint Chocolate. I think this triumphs over my love for peanut butter-chocolate. There is a candy bar here, made by Cadbury (candybar king) called mint crisp. Oh, man, it’s delicious to even think about. They also have a mint mousse chocolate bar. I mean, seriously. It’s good.

11. Laughter. I love laughing. I’m not talking about wimpy giggles, but the kind of laughter that takes over your whole body. You shake with uncontrolled convulsions almost and it’s such hard laughter, that no sound comes out of your mouth. You only have the visible proof of crippling laughter by the wide-open smile and shoulder shaking. Its fun. :)

12. Spiritual enlightenment. I love the feeling of learning things for the first time, as well as witnessing this enlightenment in others. It’s such a special moment that you’d like to catch on video, but that never happens.

What do you love? Does anyone read this anymore??? If not, its still fun to entertain my own thoughts on this online journal. :) If so, HEY!! What do you love?