Raindrops on roses, whiskers on kittens . . .and cute nuns

You remember that scene from The Sound of Music during the thunderstorm when Maria, really Julie Andrews, gathered the Von Trapp brood around her and invited them to sing a song about their favorite things? Perhaps I remember it a little more than you because the scene was first emblazened in my memory when, as a pre-adolescent, I thought the aspiring to nun-ship Maria was incredibly hot. I suppose I should bring that up in counseling now that I think about it, but that's a different story.

Maria and the children were popping off lines quicker than an old skool free style rapper.

I have occasion to lead worship from time to time. That is one of a few of my favorite things. But there is something that bothers me. In many services there is a time for worshippers to offer up prayer concerns, celebrations and thanksgivings. We are quick to offer our concerns to our community and to God. We are proud to offer celebrations of anniversaries, birthdays, graduations and t-ball championships. But thanksgiving? Not so much.

Thanksgiving is encouraged by most religions, giving thanks to a higher power. But I suspect that an attitude of thanksgiving is considered to be a good thing by the non-religious as well, whether it is directed to a higher power or not.

I tend to focus on the negative in the big ol' world, even in my little life. Wars, injustice, poverty, inhumanity. Bills to pay with too little money, too much work to do-not enough time, broken heat pumps, lower back pain, loss of ups, losing reading glasses, spaghetti stains on white shirts, touch screen on my droid not responding to my pounding . . .

I overlook the incredible joys of my life while ferreting out every thing, big or tiny, that is not so good.

Perhaps I am the only one with this problem. If so, I would be thankful for your good fortune, if I weren't so focused on my own problems.

Maria had it right. In times of fear and uncertainty it is helpful to exercise the discipline of thanksgiving. Once you get the hang of it, it can become a much longer song than the Rodgers and Hammerstein ditty.

I encourage you to try it if you haven't already. It can be a miraculous exercise, even if in the beginning it seems silly or unnatural, like it is with me. Just start where you are with what you are doing. Kinda like when Maria paused for a moment before the song and had this exchange with one of the children:

"Whenever I'm feeling unhappy, I just try to think of nice things."

" What kind of things? "

"Well, let me see. Nice things. . . ."

She was so cute.

For instance. as I look around the den . . .

I am thankful for the warmth of a soft sofa, for the aroma, taste and lift of a hot cup of coffee, for early morning light, for deer that visit my yard every morning, for bananas with their healthy nutrition, sweet taste and handy, easy open wrappers, for a fire in the fireplace to calm and warm me when the world seems cold, for hot showers, for my sons, whose pictures around the room remind me of a zillion happy moments and hope for the future and a daughter-in-law who is more like a daughter made to order, for parents whose house I can see from my kitchen door who instilled in me the parts of me that I like the most, for siblings who helped me grow up, and still help me, for the mystery of music, for books full of words and wisdom by writers who worked so hard to share their gifts, for the brilliance of the writers' of the U. S. Constitution (a copy is on my bookshelf) for friends, many of whose gifts scattered around the house remind me of special times and special love and that are always there when I need them, for a most unlikely new relationship with a wonderful woman who likes me, for the fun of games, for laughter, for the beauty of falling leaves, for the calming patter of falling rain . . .

Just a few of my favorite things to be thankful for . . . once I remember to do it. The list could go on and on and on.

Yeah, I've got it pretty good.

Thanks.

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