catapult magazine

I love . . .

by Summer and Shimmer

Random things I love (or, what I love):
By Summer Strauss, age 12

This is not in the order of most beloved, but as they came to mind. Some that are closer to the top are more beloved, but my faith is not less important because it isn’t #1, and family and friends are not worth less to me either, because they are not #2.

1. Thinking
2. Conversation and discussion
3. Planning and organizing
4. Reading
5. Listening to/playing music
6. Animals, especially horses and dogs and whales and dolphins and big cats
7. Blogging
8. Writing long essays or speeches
9. Philosophy
10. Art
11. Good movies
12. Beautiful light
13. Nature
14. Picture frames
15. Trinkets to put in my room
16. Having a neat room and desk
17. Africa (South Africa particularly)
18. I forgot to mention, it seems so obvious, FAMILY and FRIENDS
19. Taking control and being the leader
20. Helping other people around the world (I have a passion to do this)
21. Computers
22. Amazing technology so I don’t have to do anything manually
23. Almost all the food my mom cooks
24. My faith (even if I weren’t a Christian, I think I’d admire our religion, if I knew anything about it, of course)
25. L’Abri
26. New ideas
27. Short, interesting stories that are about real people (like ones you get on pamphlets or newsletters that people send out every once in a while)
28. Trees and beautifully designed houses
29. Mountains, lakes, and the sea
30. Just in case this list goes on too long, I won’t mention everything that I love about South Africa, but I love the hot, fruity, bright culture in Africa, I love the deserts and animals there, I love the people too, I love the accent, I love Afrikaans and other African languages and everything else which I could go on saying forever. I love the weather. I love the art. I love the fruit and food. I love the air and light. I love my grandparents’ houses. I love the sea. I love the Cape, with its beautiful forests. I love the South African flag.

A Quick, Messy Paragraph of Other Beloved Things:

 

A few weeks ago I told my dad that I had a millions things I love, and to name them all would be to try and count the stars. I love skiing (although I’ve never been, but I love the idea) and I love the sun. I love the stars, too. I love the sky and clouds, sunsets and sunrises. I love looking at stamps that people send us letters with, like special ones people send. I love the coins with different designs on them. I love the city, the quaint parts and the variety, the vibrant life and business. I love cobbled streets, old architecture/buildings. I love crammed shops. I love old books. I love the idea of having/being in a crammed library. I love shade… think of lying in the shade of a tree, on silky grass, reading a book. I love magical novels. I love dreaming.

I was inspired by my dad who asks his students, at the beginning of his philosophy course, to write a list of things they love. It fills you with happiness, because you don’t write the bad things (of course)! Some are actually part of my life right now, and some are in my memories, some I will never experience/own, some are anticipated, and will/may come in the future.

You can view Summer?s blog, where the original list appears.

 

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Shimmer’s List
By Shimmer Strauss, age 11

1. The sea, and the smell of it
2. Old books with yellow pages
3. Large libraries
4. Africa
5. Mango, and all the other fruit in South Africa
6. Sun dappled forests
7. Attic rooms
8. Violin, playing and listening
9. Music
10. Early in the morning, just before sunrise
11. Bay windows and beautifully designed houses
12. Art, sketching
13. Nature
14. Thinking
15. People who care about this world, and want to make a difference
16. Internet (it is so much easier to email than to write a long letter, especially if your family is in South Africa)
17. TREES
18. Neat room and desk (not that mine are actually neat any of the time)
19. L’Abri
20. The sun
21. Poetry and English
22. Mountains and lakes
23. JANE AUSTEN
24. Tea
25. Watching movies and summarizing them
26. Dogs, horses, elephants, and many other animals
27. Literature
28. Singing African Music
29. Farms with long tree lined dirt driveways leading up to the house

I’m going to do what Summer did and say some things I love about South Africa …The coast, my grandparents’ house and summer house, the animals, the sun, the people, the markets, the fruit, the fruit markets and people who give fruit to the children for free, the accent of the people, and so many more things! I won’t say them all here, though, because then I really will never finish this list.

 

Visit Shimmer?s blog.

 

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Discussion topic: I love . . .

What do you love?