I don’t know who needs to hear this, but you have permission to love exactly what you love — in all your quirky, regular, ordinary, weird, wild ways.

I love being a mom of girls. I love fast boat rides that make me giggle and shriek like a child. I love having such a fun time that I forget where I put my phone. I love how a palm tree looks like a woman with wild, wind-blown hair. I love how the ocean is powerful enough to pull you in, but tranquil enough to calm you down.

I love a huge pile of shoes by the back door. I love the high-pitched laughter coming from the girls’ bedrooms, even when I’m not in on the joke. I love surprising them with their favorite foods. I love how Lydia asks me, “Do you know how pretty you are?” And I love how she won’t let me answer by criticizing any part of my aging face or body. I love how Anna refuses to be the first to let go in a hug. I love how, once, I saw her embrace a crying teen for 15 straight minutes at a retreat, because the girl kept hanging on.

I love love letters. I love when, on my birthday, Scott tells me he loves me even more this year than he did the last. I love how he says it even when I’ve been surly. I love how he cares for the land. I love taking sack lunches to him in the tractor every spring. I love how he tells me they’re the best sandwiches he’s ever had.

I love how we have a handful of friends we call fr-amily. I love how they listen to stories we’ve told a dozen times and still laugh at the funny parts. I love winning at Pegs and Jokers. I love winning especially when the guys think they’ve got it in the bag.

I love fishing, even when we don’t catch fish. I love the stories Dad tells while he’s guiding the boat and how the fish keep getting bigger. I love how he still has all the best fishing holes memorized. I love baiting my own hook. I love giving the fish back to the lake.

I love pointing my chair west and watching a sunset. I love noisy thunderstorms. I love making snow angels. I love when deer mommies with their deer babies creep through the back yard. I love how they think I don’t see them. I love how God is so creative. I love when I notice.

There is so much to love, and as we enter into 2022, I want to cherish it. Life is short, after all.

Tell me about the quirky, regular, ordinary, weird, wild things that you love.

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