*subhead*Combat evil with good.*subhead*

From the theoretical horrors of “In vitro eugenics,” to the real horrors of Kermit Gosnell’s abortuary and the bombings at the Boston Marathon, I am feeling a bit overwhelmed by the evil in the world. To fight this despair, I have been bringing to mind all of the good things that are in my life. This morning I saw this on Facebook from the Generation Life page:

Being wary of quote attributions on Facebook, I looked into these words of the Holy Father and found that the phrase (from Romans 12:21) was conveyed through a telegram from Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, on behalf of Pope Francis, to Cardinal Sean O’Malley, Archbishop of Boston, to give encouragement to the people of Boston.

Ruminating on this wisdom, I wondered how to combat great evil. Maybe with the crushing weight of all of the good. I suddenly felt compelled to write down that mental list I had been compiling of the all the good around me. The big stuff is easy: my marriage, my children, my faith, my extensive support group of homeschooling Catholic moms, the perspicacious commentary of the Archbold brothers.

But, I wanted to go a bit further and look for the little good things, ones that are everyday gifts that I often take for granted. Here is a list, in no particular order and certainly not exhaustive, of the little, everyday, good things in life that I am so very thankful for:

1. warm hug from a toddler in fuzzy footy pajamas
2. a sermon where I know God is speaking directly to me
3. a front door painted in an inviting shade of red
4. sweet pink cheeks of a baby who just got up from a nap
5. an aromatic cup of coffee (or two) first thing in the morning
6. that spring in my step as I leave the confessional (as opposed to the crushing trauma of PTCD)
7. an engrossing book where I simultaneously want to know what happens but never want to reach the end
8. a fragrant glass of red wine at the end of a harrowing day
9. Maggie Smith as the Dowager Countess of Grantham in Downton Abbey
10. bumping into a long lost friend at Costco
11. digital books download-able from the local library while relaxing on my living room couch
12. my collection of geeky chemistry T-shirts
13. the beautiful impromptu harmonies of the old lady that stands next to me in the church choir
14. the rare moment when one of my teenagers says, “Mom, you are the greatest!”
15. spam filters
16. the unconditional love of a dog for his master

Feel free to expand the list!

Rebecca Taylor blogs at Mary Meets Dolly