Ten Things I Love that Begin with the Letter “A”

This meme started out at Semicolon and continues on at By Sun and Candlelight, where at last count the “Count me in!” comment box had 35 entries!

Here is my contribution.

1. Andrew and all the Apostles I would have been named after Peter, had I been born a boy. I also love the book of Acts and the many inspiring accounts of apostolic heroism told therein.

2. Angels Where we would be without them? I was born on their feast day and they have delivered me from many a danger. I invoke their intercession every time I start the car. On one occasion, the children and I were speeding down the highway during rush hour. The car in front of us stopped suddenly and I cried out, “Holy Guardian Angels, watch over us!” Immediately I felt our van pull back as if we were being tugged by some invisible force. We neither hit the car in front of us nor were hit by the car behind us.

3. Avila As in my four-year-old. Named after one of my favorite saints and a city in Spain that I’d love to visit, she is every bit my little choochy face and I just love her.

4. Airplanes I hate being on them, frankly, but I love that they can take me where I long to go—and fast. Africa, Australia, Alaska and Alabama: these are places I’d love to visit.

5. Apples and Autumn Do you not just love the fall? Of course you do.

6. Announcements Wedding, Birth, and Graduation…I love them all because they are a celebration of family and of life’s most important passages.

7. Adoption Speaking of family, I have such reverence and love for the beautiful gift of adoption. My prayer is that it replace and completely obliterate the so-called need for that other tragic A-word, abortion.

8. Art I was an art major for five years before switching to the field that came more naturally: English. Still, as I assured my parents at the time, no college course is ever wasted, and I even got an illustration job or two out of the process.

9. Authors I love that we can use words to speak our heart and speak the truth. Augustine, Aquinas, Austin and Alice top the list of some of my favorite authors.

And last but not least…

10. Accordions Yes, I truly love them! Does that make me a geek? It certainly does. But tell me you’re not happy when you hear one!