Joys Abundance

This past Sunday I was sitting in our Sunday school class, and I realized I had a smile on my face.

It was just there. 

Simply present but meaning so much.

More often than I like to admit, this is a struggle for me in life.

To just smile. To just enjoy.

As I sat there, I thought back over the day before.  

I felt so much happiness and joy.  

I reviewed what I did that might have instilled in me this beautiful feeling. 

Let's see........

• I had been in my kitchen. 
• Joy abounds in there, but it really abounds when I am able to provide for others with the fruit of my labors.
• I had spent the weekend with MV and PV around home and just enjoying some much needed family time.
• I listened to my 5 year old read to me.
• Caramel popcorn was ate while watching HGTV on a loveseat all 3 warm and snuggly! (I dread the day when PV is too big or doesn't want to sit with us.)
• My daughter asked me to watch my beautiful grandaughter later in the week!
• Received videos of said grandaughter singing, talking, and dancing!
• Giggles with the 5 year old.
• Feeling accomplished because I FINALLY cleaned out the closet and made my husband happy!
• I spent time in my craft closet making Christmas gifts and helping PV create one of her own.
• I made a new craft I never had before!

What I didn't do probably aided as well in the abundance of joy!

• I didn't think about my daily job, every second and worry what was around the next corner.
• I didn't get upset when the house wasn't perfectly cleaned.
• I didn't get too upset when cleaning out my closet and found a large pile of clothes that no longer fit, due to being too small.

I started this post Tuesday morning, it's now Wednesday morning. The sounds of two little gals playing with Barbies is in the other room, well who wouldn't smile at that? 

In this season of Thanksgiving, JOY is one of the most important things to be thankful for I think.

Writing this post helped me to perhaps put into more perspective what really does bring me joy, ignites my passion within, and what is most important.  I need to keep that in the forefront of my mind I do believe!

Thank you for spending some time here at In Between the Sunsets of Life.

I hope JOY is in your day, your week, your life.  

Julie

PS: One of the best feelings yesterday for me..... was having this little joy come through my front door, squeal with joy, GRANDMA JUUUUUULIE , and run towards me in excitement.  My dad gives some pretty great hugs, he never let's go first, but he's got some competition with this little gal.  ES, she squeezes so tight, you can feel it deep in your bones! :) Smiling like crazy remembering it now!

Kindness Pies!

Today marks the 2nd annual Acts of Kindness (in a jar) that PV
and I participated in with our dear friends the "M's".
  If you want to see what we did last year, just click this link!

Honestly, we are alittle behind this year in getting this done!  

We definitely want to continue earlier in November!  

Today the weather is frigid, and only 28 degrees!

But the girls are troopers and we got the job accomplished!

We chose to make Apple Pie in a Jar to distribute!

We decided to use the recipe from Glorious Treats !

I'm very proud  of all the girls.  They were great!

There was organization by the girls all by themselves, upon each arrival to a new home.

"I get to ring the door bell."

"I get to talk."

"I get to hold the jars."

That was the chatter, from the back of the van!

  

The girls were great help in the kitchen!

They all participated!

Chopping apples.

Stirring the yumminess and apples.

Cutting the crust.

Toppings galore.



The time we spend together was wonderful.
Friends are always a blessing, and we fortunate to be able to call the "M's" friends!

Teaching the girls about quality time doing simple things and sharing kindness is important 

to both myself and the other mother.  This is just one way to accomplish it.

I hope your day brings you kindness in some form!
May your day be blessed!

Julie

Community

Community.

If you stop and think about this word, does it make you feel comforted and just "good" inside?

It does me. 

In the past few weeks I have come to see community mean many things.  

Some of which I was lucky enough to participate in and other times I was a bystander.  

Community can be within a rural town, school system, church, a club, business, bible study or almost anywhere.  

You name it, you probably have at least one!

For example,  I have seen a group of teenagers take to a stage to entertain 

their (2) local communities 

with big hair and 80's music rockin!  As I looked around the aged gymnasium I saw many people that grew up together in these very 

communities come together and support the youth.  

The gymnasium was full the night I attended, it was a warming feeling to see that community supporting the youth.

I have witnessed a community of women holding a new life each week while we study the word of God together.

 Each woman, anxiously waiting to hold the precious gift God bestowed upon her parents.  And all the while, those ladies supporting the Mother, not by only holding the infant, but sharing the word of God, so that infant can hear it.

Coffee shops.  At 6:00 am you can find a community of men gathered for morning coffee and perhaps a tad bit of gossip as well, on a weekday basis.  If one of them needed help farming, moving, or advice on life, that community would be there. They have built this community together.

The entrepreneurs of lip balm in our local community, I witnessed as a swarm of ladies smelled the refreshing scents and got their checkbooks out to support this community, this teacher.  It's not only for a good cause, it tells the youth of our day, you are worthy.  I believe in you!  

I participated in a community of kitchen. 

 The kitchen was busy preparing for the annual Thanksgiving dinner.  

As I peeled potatoes and bantered back and forth with my husband,

 the community around me was just as busy.

 I think the best times are in the kitchen are with laughter and giggles and jokes.  

Everyone was busy preparing green 

beans, gravy, turkey, and more so the people of the church could come 

together and celebrate the thankfulness each of us has had.  

After the meal, I stood in the kitchen once again, and 

as I leaned back against the kitchen counter waiting on more plates to dry, 

I just took in the sight before me.  

The sight of community and the blessings in itself that

 it has given to me in these few short years.  

The kitchen was full of women, 

the men were at the tables talking about who knows what, 

and the children were playing randomly throughout the church.

 (Don't get me wrong, I think men have a place in the kitchen too, 

but that is for another post!) 

This community brought forth goodness and I want that for others as well.

Community. 

 I hope you have a community or two or six to participate in. 

 If not, I'd be happy to invite you to some of mine.  

I know I would be blessed to have you.

May your day be bright. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Julie

How Far Removed?

I was excited the other day, when a link showed up on my Facebook page for a new movie that is to be released in the Spring 2014.  

The main reason is it's about farming. 

 I'd like you to take  2 minutes and click on the link to watch the trailer.  

Then I will proceed to explain my title of this post!

Farmland

The first line in the trailer is

" Most people are 5 generations removed from the farm."

This line in particular got me thinking about how interesting it would be to interact with my readers to see how far removed they are from farming  (or not.)

This isn't intended as being mean or saying your family is wrong for not being in farming, it's just interesting to me.  I hope you will participate!

The area I live in, the state was built on settlers that came here to have a new start, something they could build of their own, and be farmers.  

I'd like to know how many generations you

 would need to go back to find your family farming. 

Perhaps you are still farming or like me one generation.

If I look at myself individually, not married, I am removed from the farming operation 1 generation.  My parent's farmed but if I wasn't married to a farmer, I wouldn't be!

The world has so many more options today for careers and farming is high risk. 

Those are a couple reasons why families may not be in the farming industry today. 

So take a moment or an hour and look back at your family history.  See where the farming may have ended and comment here or on our Facebook page where I share this.  

I think it will be fun and I love interaction with you all!

Thanks for stopping by!

Julie