Today is World Kindness Day and the perfect time to consider how I can extend kindness to others. Not just today, I hope, but as a growing habit as I journey through this life with the people around me.
Random acts of kindness are always nice, and I’m thinking that going the extra mile to make that personal connection would really make someone’s day. The day is just beginning, so I’ll have to keep my eyes open for ways to show kindness.
Whenever I hear the word “kind,” I think of the days I was a kindergarten teacher at Harrah Community Christian School. One of the Bible verses we learned together was Ephesians 4:32a. I often combined motions and movement as we practiced our verses, and for this one, we marched around the room, urging each other to “Be kind and compassionate to one another (Ephesians 4:32a).” I don’t know about the kindergartners, but every time I see that reference or hear “kind,” our rhythmic rendition pops into my head.
So today, how will you be kind and compassionate to others? I’d love to hear.
Go forth and be kind.
Be Kind, Make Friends is available at WMUstore.com.
It was so cute to watch my honey bring in the mail the other day. He was so excited to show me the cover of Be Kind, Make Friends on the slip sheet of the Mission Friends Winter Leader Kit! I mean, it does look awesome to me as well. But his excitement was super adorable.
Despite the disappointing beginning of repeated plantings, low number of sprouting seeds, and nibbling of sprouts by bird and pest alike, we had quite a successful pumpkin harvest. And I say bring on fall! I love pumpkins and I love autumn! Decorating with homegrown pumpkins is so rewarding.
Read to the bottom for the final count. The photo above shows the “big” pumpkins from the garden. In the carving world, they really are medium sized to small, but in my garden, they are the big ones. Also notice the random yellow squash. I harvested 2. I replanted zucchini and yellow squash multiple times. The end results were zucchini: 0. Yellow squash: 2.
The table above was one of our distribution points. Pumpkins available for adoption were placed on the lovely garden table made earlier this year by my honey.
Above is yet another adoption table, covered with the big pumpkins. This table was also made by my honey, but a few years back, so it has lovely weathered wood.
Above is the first harvest of the minis. So cute and adorable, and perfect for every nook and cranny. I will definitely plant these again. They are so much fun, and pretty aggressive climbers. We watched them creep up sunflowers, pine trees, and any other item taller than themselves. Note, this is another table made by the honey. This one is fresh and needs weathering.
The hand belongs to my grand, Donavyn. He is the one who arranged the minis by color. I loved that! Donavyn and Autumn were thrilled to help with the pumpkin hunt and retrieval.
This is the final harvest from the new planting box out in the pasture. Whoa! A surprising number of big and small pumpkins. Plus, I had tossed in sprouting potatoes and other compost at the “fill the box with stuff and dirt stage,” not thinking what might happen. Potatoes happened! I pulled out the “weeds,” and potatoes were attached to the bottom! How fun is that! That’s why I like experimenting in the garden.
Drum roll please. The final totals for pumpkins harvested this year are:
Love, Laughter, and Life 