"These are a few of my favourite things"



One morning Peter was listening to a song in his CD player. “That’s a nice song”, I said; and he answered: “Yes. It’s my favourite”. Two days later, when the radio played a Beatles’ song, Peter said: “Oh, do you hear that? It’s my favourite song”. Often, while we are tidying the DVD cupboard, he takes one of them and exclaims: “Look! my favourite movie”. Also different dishes are for him “my favourite food”, and likewise with beer etc.

I envy that aspect of Peter’s character: most people have only one favourite song, one favourite movie, one favourite food, one favourite beer… (or else nothing classified as “favourite”); Peter has not only one “favourite” in each category, but many, many of them.

A few days before Christmas, Peter received a can of a special beer from his “Christkind” (following the Christmas tradition of giving small presents without revealing your identity). When he unwrapped it, he exclaimed: “Oh, look… I’m happy!” (and he really looked happy!).

Here, in “Rainbow House” –in L’Arche Kent– Mary (with her incredibly beautiful smile), Yvonne (full of gladness when she shows me her new coloring books), Denise (with her bursts of laughter in the dining room), Damien (dancing with joy at the moment of Holy Communion in the Sunday’s Mass) and Peter (with his vast array of favourite things), have taught me about happiness.

There have, of course, been moments of discomfort or sadness, but each one of them has also got an impressive ability for enjoying the good times with the intensity of the wise person, who is aware that the future doesn’t exist yet, and that if we are unable to be happy now, then we will never be happy.

Francisco Montoya
Rainbow House
L’Arche Kent

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