I Love

In honor of the day of hearts (but not the Queen of Hearts, because there shall be no offing with anyone's heads): “Promote what you love rather than bashing what you hate.”

I love the soft glow of Christmas lights.

I love sparkling defense in baseball. The kind where the player makes the super difficult plays look effortless.

I love sunrises and sunsets and the glitter of frost and the silence of snowfall and the flaming riot of color on Autumn trees.

I love the kind of book that you stay up far too late reading "just one more chapter," because you can't bear to not know what happens next.

I love donuts from Dunkin and warm chocolate chip cookies and peanut butter M&Ms.

I love inside jokes and being silly, laughing til I gasp for air and impromptu dancing to television show theme songs.

I love time spent with "my people."

I love exploring in my own quiet way, taking it in, attentive, committing to memory.

I love the wonder of a newborn baby, a whole new person where there wasn't one a breath before, and the magic of baby laughter, and the way an infant's body melts into your arms as they surrender entirely to sleep.

I love a good quote that resonates in the mind, echoing back, again and again.

I love a good list.

I love Sunday afternoon naps on the couch.

I love old hymns that I've sung in church since I was barely old enough to read the words and the Proper Preface ( "Therefore with angels and archangels and with all the company of heaven we laud and magnify Thy glorious name...") and the Nunc dimittis, Christmas Eve Candlelight and Good Friday Tenebrae and Easter Morning Sunrise.

I love good tv, the kind that makes me laugh and cry and think and rewind to watch a scene again.

I love soft blankets, freshly washed sheets, and Crate & Barrel kitchen towels.

I love almost anything vanilla scented.

I love dry humor, sharp wit, a touch of sarcasm.

I love a slow burn smile and eyes that twinkle.

I love song lyrics that speak to me or that transport me like a time machine.

I love orange blossoms.

I love old photos and "remember when..."

I love holiday traditions.

I love Broadway musicals.

I love my camera and the moments it freezes for me.

I love the thrill of walking into a Disney park and the satisfaction of finding a new detail after all this time.

I love a house filled with natural light.

I love long and winding back roads.

I love this man and this life I'm living and the rich blessings I have been granted.