These Are the Things That I Love

A soft, gentle rain
On a tin-roofed cabin
A thunderstorm
A shadowy, forest of trees and cattle grazing
An unhurried, unworried day
A phone that doesn't ring and mail that doesn't come
A clock that has a tick
Evening sunlight through a window and watching a sunset from the hill.

I love this cabin
And the one that I have Here.
The safety I feel in my hideaway from the world
The strength it gives me each day
I love a big porch
With a rocker
And a chair for a friend that moves slow
I love the cat that enjoys the porch
And the possums
The racoons
And the deer
I do NOT love snakes.
I love those that live here
The rush at the door when they come home
Each one telling their news at the same time
The quiet and dark of night
The twinkle of a light far away
The tenderness of the special one that loves me.

These are the things that I love

The smell of clean clothes coming out of the dryer
Or woodsmoke from those off the line
Soft denim, old hats, cowboy boots and worn gloves
An old coat that belonged to Granddad
Moma's sweater
And Daddy's cap
Work clothes that still smell of the one that is gone
Sheets and blankets of pure cotton
The drip of wet clothes hung on the porch
From a lazy, cool swim at the creek

I love the smell of an early morning breakfast
The eggs
and bacon
and sausage
Fresh buttermilk biscuits with sweet churned butter
And an iced glass of Southern-brewed tea
Aunts and uncles and cousins and nieces and nephews
Eating and talking and laughing
And the clink of dishes in the sink
And I love the sound of someone biting into an apple.

These are the things that I Love

I love recipe books with character
Those from yesteryears
From farming wives and unpretentious cooks
I love old cafe's
That have been there for years
In a small town
With a screen door that slams
A bell that jingles
And a bench out front
For sitting and whittling and talking
To old men and dogs and children
I love Southern cooking
And I love the South
And Texas
And I love General Lee.

I love a long, easy drive through the woods
In late afternoon
Looking and looking at everything
Especially trees and rocks and hills and streams
And old houses with a flower garden out front
And a vegetable garden out back
And a grandma with a smile inside
That's delightfully chubby and gray
And softly wrinkled
With arms that want to hug
And lips that want to kiss
And always, ALWAYS kind words and hope for tomorrow.

These are the things that I Love

I love the sound of a rooster crowing
At grandma's house in the spring
And the scratching of chicks in an old barnyard
Grandma's laundry house out back
With her quilting frame
And jars and jars of good things to eat
A deep well
Grandpa's cross-cut saws, much read Bibles
And a potty tin under the bed
And I love Vian, Oklahoma.

I like to wander through a hay meadow
Down a dirt road
Pick a wildflower
A persimmon
And throw a stone in the pond
I love the sound of any bird, singing or creating a ruckus
Horses' hooves, a pig wallow or a hen clucking
And I love the overwhelming, soothing quality of pure, bluegrass music
Anywhere.
Anytime.

These are the things that I Love

I love friends who are true and honest and simple and plain
Who have no need to be heard above the crowd
Or entertained or pleased or rewarded
Who do not flatter, accuse or convict
Just comfortable to be around
And easy to love
A special friend who can walk in without knocking
Come by without calling ahead
And enter by the back door.

I love a Winchester, a '55 Bel-Air, Route 66 and hand-carved knives
Cooking over a campfire, fishin' for bass
And a midnight stroll
I love the call of a whippoorwill
A barn owl
And moma at suppertime
I love a hot bath
A cold soda
And people named Bubba
I love the memories of childhood
Cool evenings
And 1st place strawberries in '69.

These are the things that I Love

I love beginnings
A morning sunrise
Kindergarten
High school graduations
College days
A wedding
Foreverlasting love
The cry of a newborn
The journey I'm on
And knowing I'll end the day with Jesus.

These Are Just a Few of the Things That I Love.
vgl-2002