The Things I Love Most in Life

Porch Swing

 

About ten years ago, I relaxed on my patio and wrote in my journal. My goal was to make a list of the things I love most in life. The big things—and the little things. My list included about 60 items that day. I continue to add to it.

When you think about it, the things we love most in life say a lot about who we are. They represent our values, the people we love, the goals we’ve attempted—or accomplished—how we spend our time, and the things that motivate us or amuse us.

What should you do with my list below? NOTHING. The goal of this post is to challenge you to make YOUR list of the things you love most in life. See where it takes you, what it reveals about you, the memories it revives, and the people you love or MISS most. Most of all, it gives you an opportunity to reflect on your life and all the big things—and little things that have made your life rich and meaningful.

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Here are Just a Few of the Things I Love Most in Life (in no particular order)

 

  • My faith in God and the balance and perspective it brings.
  • My wife and sons—and their wives--who fill my life with joy and fulfillment.
  • My grandchildren and how they remind me to find joy in the box a new toy came in.
  • My grandma’s porch swing in Leonard, Missouri—and how, even as a boy, it reminded me to slow down and live a simple life.
  • My grandfather on my mother's side for his sense of humor. (And the grandfather I never met. I'd like to thank him for shaping my father into the kind of man that could raise six children alone after my mom died prematurely.) 
  • The gift of friendship and how it breeds loyalty and made life better--while making me better.
  • An ice-cold Mountain Dew on a hot August afternoon. (Love the stuff. Simple pleasures.)
  • The passion to write, to explore and appreciate my world--and the people in it.
  • My father, who never talked about integrity but lived it—and I caught on.
  • A lawn chair. To sit and think, write, make decisions, or simply feel the warmth of the sun and notice the shade of blue in the sky.
  • Long walks to nowhere.
  • Lunch with friend Dave Dryer.
  • Making a difference in someone’s life by something I said or wrote.
  • The smell of summer.
  • Chasing chickens. (Don’t ask, it’s complicated.)
  • The sounds of nature to remind me who is really in control.
  • The “feeling” of Christmas just before it arrives.
  • My youngest sister’s laugh. (I love your laugh, Joan.)
  • Making my father smile when he’s trying to be angry at me.
  • Long conversations with friend Jon.
  • Goofing off with brothers Chris and Bob.
  • Listening to the wind blow through the leaves of the trees in the woods in my yard.
  • Driving to the cabin up north with friend Dave.
  • Writing a novel in “The Cabin.”
  • Studying scripture and feeling it speak directly to me.
  • Feeling grateful for three unique sisters--Kathii, Mary, and Joanie.
  • Walking the University of Wisconsin, Whitewater campus with Dan, my college roommate.
  • Eating Karen’s pies and chocolate chip cookies—guilt-free.
  • Recalling the humility of my father-in-law, Herb Larson.
  • Riding the lawn tractor to clear my mind—and cut the lawn.
  • Enjoying dinner and a show at the Fireside Theater.
  • Finishing a novel with the hope it strikes a chord with readers.
  • Remembering how good it felt to be a gymnast and the fluid movements on the high bar and parallel bars.
  • Earning a black belt in karate after 40.
  • Being outdoors in the summer.
  • Praying for a friend who needs prayer. And seeing the answer to prayer.
  • My mother, Rosemary J. Magruder, who I barely knew but still think about and wonder if I made her proud.
  • For my uncles, Jim and Joe, for making me feel like I had three fathers--and I could talk to the one I needed most at different stages of life.
  • Experiencing the kindness of a stranger.
  • Being the stranger extending the act of kindness.

 
SOMETHING TO CHEW ON: Why not make your list? How did it surprise you, or take you back to your childhood, or make you think about what a great life you’ve had—from the people you love, to the things you’ve loved doing? Remember to list the little things too.

 
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