I love the ocean. I love watching waves move back and forth. I love the sound waves make when they crash along the shore. I love the feeling of warm sand between my toes. Or cold sand. Any sand will do.

I love bathing suits in summer. Cozy sweaters in fall. Silk long underwear and snowsuits in winter. Lightweight scarves in spring.

I love the way snow clings to pine trees. Or to empty branches. I love waking up to freshly fallen snow; looking out the window makes me feel like I’m living inside a snow globe.

I love getting into a bed made with freshly laundered sheets. I love turning down a fluffy comforter and singing I know I’m gonna like it here. I love snuggling under my L.L. Bean heated blanket when it’s so cold I don’t even want to move.

I love the smell of clothes dried in the sun. The way the towels get stiff they almost scratch your skin.

I love pulling a bunch of ingredients out of the fridge and figuring out how to create a delicious meal. I love when everyone is surprised they like something they’ve never had before.

I love picking up food from Springdell Farm. I love the way Farmer Jamie makes me feel like family. I love sitting in the adirondack chairs in the freshly mowed grass, soaking up the sun as I watch the sheep graze in the field.

I love feeding people. Especially when they have dietary restraints. I love how the extra challenge of not being able to use certain ingredients gives me a way to love them a little harder.

I love homeschooling. I love sitting on the couch reading out loud. I love hearing my daughters’ thoughts about a book we’ve read. I love watching them internalize the world around them. I love the way their brain makes connections between the books we read and the life we live.

I love how David makes me coffee with frothed milk, brings it up the stairs, and sets it on the coaster on the table by my bed. Every single morning. I love how the girls climb into bed with me with their books and consider it a snugglefest.

I love a movie so good it makes me cry. I love books that make me feel as though I’m living in a different time or place.

I love a smooth-writing pen. I love watching ink appear on the page as I move my hand along the paper.

I love the smell of a pine forest. I love the smell of snow clouds.

I love being at home. I love a clean house. I really love being at home alone in a clean house.

I love the sound of childhood giggles.

I love a cup of hot tea. I love chocolate cake. When I have both at the same time, it’s a love explosion.

I love visioning for ministry in the church. I love leading teams, asking questions, hearing people’s dreams, and helping plan to make those dreams a reality.

I love thinking outside the box. I love remembering why the box is there in the first place.

I love my mom. I love the way she always trusts me, always loves me, always hugs and kisses me.

I love my aunts. I love my sisters. I love that I was raised by strong women who really don’t have a clue just how strong they are.

I love the surprise of rainbows. The way they always remind me of God’s endless promises.

I love love LOVE my book club. I love that what started as a spark of an idea has taken off and become the most incredible group of women that sit around and drink wine and tea and talk about books together.

I love getting messages from people I haven’t heard from in a long time, sharing something that reminded them of me. I love when a reader emails me to tell me my words matter.

I love painting my nails. I love a good nail polish—the kind that goes on smoothly and evenly. I love the way my nails shimmer and shine after they’ve been painted.

I love warm and cozy socks. I love soft slippers. I love a good bathrobe. I love buying gifts for people. Or making gifts for people. I love giving gifts.

I love dancing in the kitchen. Especially to music I loved when I was a kid. I love when songs from my teen or young adult years come on and I can still sing every single lyric. I love when the lyrics make tears fall down my face.

I love deep intimate conversations about love, politics and theology.

I love smooth legs and a smooth face. I especially love it when they happen on the same day.

I love David’s blue eyes that gaze at me every day as if I’m the most beautiful person in the world.

I love a bath so hot it makes you sweat, with a glass of ice water in one hand and a waterproof Kindle in the other.

I love the ELCA Lutheran Church. I love how its theology grounds me and how its people challenge me. I love how God continues to speak truth in grey. I love Holy Communion. I love Baptisms. I love big organ processionals and festival services. I love old hymns. I love contemporary Christian music.

I love youth ministry. I love listening to tweens and teens talk about what’s happening in their life. I love walking alongside them as a faithful adult.

I love tacos. Any and all tacos. And enchiladas. And chips and salsa and queso.

I love a good pizza.

I love hiking when the temperature is not too hot. I love the way nature always surprises me. How there’s always something new to discover.

I love baking sourdough bread. I love the way flour and water mix like magic to create yeast. I love the heat of the oven on bread baking day. The way the bread crackles when it comes out of the pan. The smell that permeates the house.

I love learning. I love my writing group. I love my editors—even when what they have to say is painful to hear. I love the way they believe in my stories. How they encourage me and challenge me to keep at it.

I love a good writing prompt. I love an unexpected theme. I love a planned theme. I love making lists. I love that once you start thinking about what you love, you can’t stop at just a hundred.