We all have these parts of our lives we ought to be thankful for but often overlook. They are specific to us and we are tempted to call them “small” even though their peculiar shine glows for us on dark days. Every single one is an echo of light from a brighter Star. Today I’ll list ten.
1. The large windows in our den looking northward from the top of Shades Mountain. I’m enjoying them now as I do every morning. Many have to vacation to enjoy something like this.
2. My wife working on a meal. Her enjoyment of cooking and my enjoyment of what she cooks is a matrix of awesome.
3. We live in the same town with almost all of our immediate family. We were away for almost 10 years.
4. It’s cool to talk bad about Facebook. But I love watching the progress in life of my former students. Some are getting married, having babies and some are in Seminary. It’s a beautiful thing.
5. I’ve listened to the piano intro of Backstreets by Springsteen at least 1000 times. And it never ceases to take me into a story full of youthful hope and the challenge of reality.
6. Toys strewn throughout the house. One day this will not happen and I’ll be very sad.
7. My pipe. It cost 7 dollars at an antique store in downtown Wichita, KS. But it helps me think and takes me outside into worlds of impossibilities and unfinished dreams.
8. Words. This may seem strange to some. But I play with them in my head all day. And sit at a computer screen and edit what is in front of me without even thinking about it.
9. Billie Holiday. My love for her is well-documented here. Her voice is like drinking down warmth in the still of a cool star-filled night. Desert island stuff.
10. Our friends. There are a lot of lonely people out there. We couldn’t be even if we wanted to. Our lives are full with them.
Echoes and Stars 
11. A husband who SHOWS his wife he loves her, and TELLS his kids he does too. The older I get, the more I realize how rare this is. (I speak from personal experience, but it's evidenced in your lives too.)Debi