This led us into a discussion on what sense we would give up. We decided taste and smell were not as important as seeing and hearing. We honestly forgot to discuss touch. Never to hear a human voice or never to see the things around you including those you love? We couldn't decide which was the most precious gift. Can you? Complete silence or darkness? Truly wonderful reflections to make us stop and think about how wonderful these gifts are. And then Homebody mentions something that is truly important to many of us.

With faith in God and a belief that he can help us with all our trials and tribulations we can conquer the mountains, the valleys and the sunsets in our lives. This brings to mind patience, which is what I talk to him about nightly. I would say it was my favorite thing but that would be untruthful. It is something I had to learn. In my daily care of my mother, who had advanced Alzheimer's disease, I had to practice a virtue that can be very difficult to master.

EZ1 mentions three important things in life we all need fulfilled daily.

1. Peace and contentment

2. Love of others

3. Joy of accomplishments

Aces&8s has one real love: Waking up in the morning is a plus.

And goes on to add:

1. Rain on a tin roof.

2. A babies smile

3. A cat for companionship

4. A rose bush for beauty

5. The works of Shakespeare for my sanity

How wonderful this simple little act is. To wake up and know we are alive to face a new day.

Facile loves things that bring to my mind a ballet dancer, an ice skater, the gallop of an Arabian horse, the true beauty of an Afghan hound in motion during a dog show, a deer in flight, Cumulus clouds, a fashion model and so much more. She then mentions two of the most important things in life.

1. Beauty and grace

2. Laughter

3. Kindness

Beauty and laughter also remind me of people's eyes: the kind of eyes that sparkle with laughter before they break into a smile. A truly beautiful sight to behold.

YaYa1234 contributed the following:

Flowers truly are a special gift. Gardening is one of my favorite things. Oh, the feel of fresh clean earth beneath my fingers! The peace and contentment I find while bending over the flowerbeds is something I cannot describe. The first green leaves gently breaking through the earth with their promise of blossoms soon to follow and lilacs in bloom, which took twenty years in our harsh Alaskan climate to develop into their magnificent glory, are unmistakable things of beauty. The heady scent fills the air and the pride I find as my friends and neighbors ask if they can pick a bouquet repeats itself year after year. The mock orange which is not common to this area of the country and has survived the ravaging winter frost and the hungry moose who persist in pruning the branches, bravely bursts into bloom sending her fragrance in the gentle breeze through the neighborhood. The roses, which are truly one of the world's perfections with each flawless petal, fill my soul with delight. The fields of wild flowers so abundant in Alaska never cease to fill my mind with awe. The ocean smells and sounds and the ever-changing clouds are a daily part of life in our Alaskan summers. Are there any words that can accurately describe these creations?

Gavin in South Africa reflects on:

1. That feeling of a breeze on one's body that tells us winter is over

2. A forest glade with a babbling brook, on a cool sunny day

3. The sounds of birds in my garden

In Alaska I would have to change the word cool to warm but the meaning is still the same. A gentle breeze bringing with it the aromas of the world around us or gently tossing the branches and leaves of the fauna that surrounds us. The sound of water, be it a rippling river, the babbling broke or the tide beating along the seashore, brings a sense of serenity to the world. Birds! Yes, birds are near the top of my list. The sound of the male woodpecker pounding out his love song on the side of my home to any eligible female reminds me romance is everywhere. The baby robins who use my yard each summer as a resting place as they practice their first flight. From limb to limb through the aspen trees, down onto my fence and into to my back yard to pull a worm or two and begin the short flight back to the aspen. My favorites are the baby Stellar Jays who hatched in the spruce tree in my front yard. They hid among the lilacs, whenever a car approached my driveway, while Mama jay furiously chatted to the fluffy bundles to return to the spruce bows. Eventually they made their way to the feeder in my back yard and I promptly rewarded them with peanuts. Eventually two of the four jays bravely entered my kitchen for those peanuts. I watched my grandson place peanuts on his bare belly and wait patiently silent and still while these little fellows landed on his chubby stomach to quickly grab the succulent morsels. The delight of my friendship with those two beautiful creatures has continued this entire winter. The list of Alaskan birds in my back yard is endless but I must admit to a bit of bribery. My husband accuses me of cooking for the birds and I guess it is true. Homemade peanut butter and suet balls, berries I have picked during the summer and fall, bits of stale bread, fat cut from the meat while I prepare dinner, special seeds and the never ending supply of unsalted peanuts are just some of the morsels found in the feeders in my yard. I am rewarded by the view outside my French Doors with hundreds of birds daily. Birds that do not fear my voice or actions. What a delightful gift from nature. I watch the solitary camp robber rule the entire flock (except for when the occasional ravens elect to enter my realm). I marvel of the hierarchy of nature. Even the squirrel fears this black and white mass of feathers. After the camp robber the jays of both blue and gray control the feeder. I speculate how some smaller species take control with just their sheer numbers so similar to human behavior and I thank the Lord for these things I love.

Capnkirk wrote:

1. Mountains...I can't explain that. There is something mystifying about them. Something you have to experience.

2. Flying...everything about it.

4. My mother's home-bread (fresh out of the oven and a dish of hard butter.

Ahhhh! That gift of smell. Truly a wonderful sense that conjures memories in out minds. The scent of perfume or after-shave on a loved one lingers in your soul. The smell of Christmas cookies baking in December when you enter the house from the frigid outdoors reminds us of Mama. The aroma of home baked bread is truly the scent of comfort. It reminds me of grandma, wood stoves, warmth and youth. I grew up where store bought treats were not easily accessible and hot gooey cinnamon rolls or fresh steaming bread with gobs of melting salted butter and blueberry jam were truly heaven.

Odrade also loves to use the sense of smell and taste:

1. French Roast (coffee) with Belgium Chocolate and San Francisco Sourdough

2. Puppies that love you just because

3. The world at my fingertips via ICQ and Yahoo Chat

Coffee! The wonderful aromatic scent that makes one feel alive and alert. The slightly bitter taste of fresh sourdough whether it is in pancakes or bread heightens our sense of taste. Puppies! So full of love and devotions while asking so little in return. This reminds me off all baby animals. Alaska is similar to living in a Huge National Park and we are privileged to observe baby moose struggling to take their first steps, tiny caribou attempting to run along side their mothers, bear cubs playing along the road side and so much more. Little porcupines humping their tiny backs apparently practicing for their first attack on a curious predator and fluffy spruce chicks wandering down the paths while their mama's pretend to be lame in a valiant attempt to lure predators away from her young.

Some of you described the things you love in your own words.

Judy Payton mentions:

1. My favorite thing (other than my husband) are the beautiful sunsets we see out our front LR window.

2. The sun majestically disappears behind the mountain range leaving only pinks and reds and yellows and oranges. Slowly, they merge together into one and slip into oblivion, only too reappear the next day...

Jayne Sroggins says:

1. I love the forest. The smell, the way the light plays on the branches and across the leaves, the sounds of things I can't see or identify. The tiny things that grow so small that you can hardly see them and most people don't ever. The forest is special in the spring and fall when it is all changing. Mostly the peace of it all, something that seems to be in short supply in this society.

3. Mostly I love, love and to be loved. However corny and politically incorrect it is to say so, God's love, and the love he sent us through Jesus and the knowledge that I am not EVER alone. Now matter how good or bad things get, there is always His love and the love of my friends and family. My aunt has Alzheimer's but she still responds to love and touch. We must have love from cradle to grave or we die or worse still become hard and bitter, which is a worse death. So most of all I love love.

Aussieladydi who is from Whyalla in South Australia mentions:

Music was high on the list of favorites from all over the world. Each of us find different emotions in our personal choice of music. One of my most beautiful memories of music was listening to the Hungarian Symphony in Budapest. After a long day of touring the city, we entered the music hall. Sitting looking up at the beautiful paintings of the sky and clouds enhanced by the sparkling crystal chandeliers and trimmed with gold gilded carvings and looking around at the private boxes created a world of enchantment while listening to the beautiful music of the violins and other string instruments. One soon finds them selves completely absorbed in the music and the body falls into complete relaxation. As you gently shake your head and try to stay awake you glance around the room and find hundreds of people dozing or simply closing their eyes to enjoy the magnificence of the music.

Becky of the Fite Family relates some personal experiences: Hmmmm well thisn't real easy but, I think it's a good idea, If for no other reason...to make ya think!

1. I love going camping with my family...there are no phones, and this is the one time when my teenagers actually like to go bike riding, berry picking, beach combing or just stay up late with us and play with the campfire.

2. I love my computer..sounds shallow I know! But, this is how I have met so many people that are near and dear to me. Some of them have I have been fortunate enough to meet in person and others, I feel so close to, that it seems I know as well some of their family members. I have a poem on my WebPages that explains this so well! My friends on here mean a lot to me! When they have good news, I am happy for them and when they are sad or ill, I hurt for them. When we first bought this computer I had NO IDEA what an impact it would have on me.

3. Ok enough of that mushy stuff...I love chocolate!!!! Anyone who knows me, knows that no day is complete until I have consumed chocolate. I can't comprehend how a person can not love chocolate. Whether it is candy, cookies, cake or flavoring in coffee....I have never met a chocolate I did not love.

And Salmon Smacker also lists this succulent treat as her love:

2. Chocolates

2. Camping with my family and sitting on the hill in Ninilchik

3. Education

Isn't our sense of taste wonderful. With so many wonderful things to delight our senses, how can one select just a single item. I think of the first bite of fresh King Salmon in the spring, or a feast of succulent never frozen Alaska King Crab, the first moose steak in the fall, the lamb in Turkey, the variety of bread in Prague, the pastries in Greece, the sensational pork sandwich in Austria and wonder how can one select a favorite?