In the Midst...

We had a chance once again last week to debut a new product on Talk of Alabama morning show!  Sassy pineapple jam.  It is delicious.  Everyone who tries it has given rave reviews.  It was the wonderful creation of our beloved jelly queen, Janet.  As I found myself prepping Friday morning for our t.v. spot I was missing my jelly queen.  The message she sent me the night before read as follows, “love you more…you go sell that sassy pineapple!”  You see, there are some days that are great and some days you wish you could forget. A week ago, the Alabama Sunshine family had one of those days we wish we could forget. 
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In the past year of owning this business I have had several of both.  I find life whizzing by me at the speed of light and for a while I would say things to people like, “ok, when I can.” Or “when work slows down I will try to” Then I realized the place we live is in the midst.  In the midst of the chaos and the busy is the extraordinary.  The everyday special will pass you by if you don’t take time to enjoy it now.  When I look back at this year I see times I have recognized that and times I have been completely blinded by chaos and let precious moments pass me by.  We have celebrated triumphs and suffered defeat but at least we’ve done it and we are still hanging on.   We have laughed and we have cried and somehow in the midst we manage to live life.
 
So I leave you with this.  Do the things you think you don’t have time for.  Go, be bold, tell others you care, love BIG.  Because you see, our time here is short.  If you lose yourself in the midst you will miss the best parts.  This week we remember one gone far too soon and we let it be a reminder to us all.  Life is precious and never to be taken for granted.  R.I.P. Mike, you made our jelly queen smile and for that we are eternally grateful! We know you are looking down on us and probably already passed along the recipe for sassy pineapple in heaven’s kitchen! 

Janet (a.k.a. "Jelly Queen") and the love of her life, Mike