Favorite things

The piano sat motionless downstairs in the basement. A layer of dust had settled on the ebony keys suggesting that it had been some time since it had last been played. The finish was streaked and faded from years of sitting in front of a sunny window. It had a matching bench with a seat that hinged upward to reveal a hidden storage area beneath that was completely filled with all manner of sheet music. As I rummaged through the pages of music, I found nestled among the classics several popular tunes from the 1960’s. 

The thing is I remember this piano, from my early years as a child, when it stood so regally in front of the window overlooking my grandmother’s garden which, by the way, was always neatly tilled and filled with a variety of blooming gladiolas, chrysanthemums and roses. When her window was open the sound of her playing could be heard floating on a gentle breeze out across a small front lawn and out into Pine Street. Neighbors could be heard humming or singing along to lyrics like “I need a revival in my soul” and “Take it to the Lord in prayer”

The lighting in the basement was very dim, so I squinted as I continued searching through my newly discovered treasure chest of memories. Lurking near the bottom  I found a familiar movie score from The Sound of Music and began to sing the lyrics out loud “Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens, brown paper packages tied up with strings, these are a few of my favorite things.” It was as if a cornucopia of memories were flooding in around me and now I had only to feast on the colorful offerings set before me.

What a wonderful world the Lord has created for us to enjoy! He’s given us beautiful sunrises and breathtaking sunsets that greet us and wave goodbye as the earth continues to carry us on our journey through time. While traveling through the cosmos, the earth’s tilt creates the right condition for our unique four seasons. How beautiful our world appears when viewed through these seasons of change. For now, the cooler fall season has arrived but soon it will cautiously beckon colder winter weather to come for a visit. 

Fall also brings us the opportunity to relax and enjoy a well deserved rest as it continues to unfurl before our eyes. Multiple shades of red, orange and yellow burst from leaves that will eventually end up falling to the ground below. Our tables will entertain pumpkins of various shapes and sizes; some will hold candles which when lit cast eerie shapes on walls through hastily cut holes. Spiced apple cider, hot buttered rum and sugar cookies send warm aromas down the hallway of our home just as the door bell rings and our family and friends arrive. What a bountiful harvest we have been given by our God.

Even the mountains and valleys display His omnipotence as a master designer. He has cut and carved the awesome granite walls of the beautiful Yosemite Valley in California, painted the sandstone red on the rocks of the majestic Colorado River gorge and seeded the mountains of western Colorado Rockies with quaking aspens and yellow pine. Antelope can still be found roaming the great salt flats of southern Utah as elk, deer and big horns freely roam the high mountain passes all the way to the Canadian border.

These places are surely on my list of places to visit but it’s my grandmother’s house on Pine Street complete with all those flowers that is still at the top of my list of favorite things. The garden was always so well cared for and the flowers seemed to smile as they opened up to the heavens above them as if to thank God for His goodness. I can still hear Grandmother playing her piano as melodies softly sail out into the afternoon breeze calling sinners to repentance and the lonely to fellowship but to all an invitation to come and partake of the Master’s table. “I need a revival in my soul...” the chorus would continue, beckoning all creatures both great and small to come and wash in the fountain that graced a corner of her garden.  

“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy –meditate on these things.”  The words of the apostle Paul resonate in my mind as I close the bench seat and suddenly find myself back in the dim light of the basement.