these are a few of my favourite things ...

As a teen, I regularly attended a church group called Mutual. Our Mutual leaders organized a "Favourite Things" party.

We were to ...

• wear our favourite clothes, 
• bring our favourite thing,
• and bring a favourite food item to share.

As I reflect back on that party, I imagine what it would look like now.

For me:

Now (mid 2010s)	Then (late 1970s)
a t-shirt and yoga pants	pyjamas and a housecoat
spicy black bean soup	a box of Fruit Loops
a whiteboard and some markers	a bag of jewellery

It was a party for women, teenage women and their female leaders. There was one exception. We had a special guest appearance from our Bishop, Bishop Val MacMurray.

We could have our photo taken with him. I did. I have that photo in my photo album. Seeing it snaps me right back to that moment, a moment when I felt connected to my peers, my leaders, and my Birkenstock-wearing Bishop.

I heard he passed away last year.

They say you can't take anything with you when you go. I hope there is one exception. I hope he got to take his Birkenstocks with him.

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Val MacMurray at the Favourite Things party

This is a blogbomb by Rebecca (blog version of photo bomb?  sticking myself in the middle of Bonnie's post?)  I remember that party, and I remember Val.  Indeed, I still have the photo from the party.  My favourite outfit was my swimsuit and a housecoat.  Can't remember what my favourite food or 'thing' was back then.  but if i were to cast my mind back, i would pull up the taste of apples and red liquorice.

Val and Maryanne MacMurray were awesome.... they both made space for an opening in my imagination of what was possible in the world.  I am so happy I had the chance to have part of my life woven into part of theirs.