Look Up!
Look up to find the blue
Looking back at you.
Hidden behind clouds,
It’s there for you to see.
Don’t focus on the gray.
Just brighten up your day
By knowing that the sun
Is there for you and me.
We may not see it now,
But we’re assured somehow
The gray will pass away.
The Son’s there constantly.
.
Look up!
God Bless You, dear friends…
See you tomorrow!
Throw-Back Thursday
When you think back to days
Long gone, in their haze
Do you think of all the ways
Your life impacted others somehow?
.
Do you look into the faces
And see the hopeful traces
Of love and learning in the spaces
Between the distant then and now?
.
Some of those sweet smiles
Transcend the time and miles-
They “friend” their teacher while
She clicks the happy “Allow.”
.
Today I reach out in love
With Facebook’s help and God above
Smiling down like a cooing dove
Singing “I’ll love you forever!” (That’s my vow)
.
God bless all my former students –
What a privilege it was to walk with you
Through learning and growing –
And live to this age knowing
You remember me, too.
.
Just love one another… and let that lesson live on the longest…
What teachers do you remember fondly?
See you tomorrow!
Santé!!
When we are with our family from Switzerland,
Food and wine are the foci of the day.
Preparing for the evening meal
Is our joy-filled version of play.
.
We plan and shop and try to see
If we can fix a meal so tasty and bright
That guests must take a picture of it
Before they can eat a single bite.
.
My son-in-law is an exquisite chef;
So, cooking a meal for him to eat
Is a summons that I rise to greet.
It’s a challenge that I love to meet.
.
I wait to see what André and DeDe say,
And I ask for sage and constructive advice.
Cooking is a hobby, a life-long endeavor,
And having a built-in expert is really nice!
.
Here you are, my blogging friends –
Enjoy a look at a few of our latest meals.
Maybe someday you can come to dine
And see how our Montana hospitality feels!
The rack of lamb with polenta and green beans I fixed last night.
André taught me how to fix it next time so all the “lollipops” are more evenly cooked.
The pork roast with mushroom cream sauce and potatoes au gratin and asparagus/sautéed almonds – – – mmmm – – – André fixed earlier this week. It was incredible!
Beef in a plum sauce with asparagus on cheesy potatoes –
garnished with parsley. Too pretty to eat!
DeDe and me happy to be in the kitchen together
Bob and André enjoying a relaxed visit between meals
A wine of choice for a meal out.
Another chef’s version of rack of lamb. Pretty, huh?
André – waiting for a meal in the beautiful area of Jackson Hole, WY
A dessert worth waiting for…
Another meal they had on their way to visit us. Mmmm… it’s called a Fire Roll. I love sushi. It’s my go-to meal when I have a chance to eat out. What is yours?
Loving One Another includes cooking and treating one another with food and hospitality, right? What’s your favorite meal to fix or eat at home?
Today is my TOPS day
(Take off pounds sensibly)
I think I’ll wait til my kids leave before I go back to weigh in.
Don’t you think that’s a good idea?
❤️❤️❤️
See you tomorrow
Zeal!
Zeal is the zest of life!
It’s the spice that adds joy to our days.
It’s the the ingredient that allows our passion to take the reins.
Photo by Sebastian Voortman on Pexels.com
What are your passions?
What are you zealous about?
As we wrap up this A-Z series designed to help us
add more meaning and find more purpose in life,
what is your take-away?
I often have quoted Frederic & Mary Ann Brussat
from their book, Spiritual Literacy.
Here is what they had to say about ZEAL:“Be passionately aroused by life.
Cherish every moment,
honor your commitments,
and treasure your kinship with all.”
Be Passionate About Life
What are you passionate about?
Make a list of those things, people, ideas, places
that arouse your passions.
Prioritize them, if you can,
and decide to
zealously do something positive
about each one of them this week.
Photo by Designecologist on Pexels.com
Here are a half a dozen things I am passionate about:
1. FAITH
2. FAMILY
3. FRIENDS
4. COMMUNITY
5. NATURE
6. SERVING
To “zealously do something positive about each one” of them this week, I will:
1. Practice my faith by attending church and teaching Sunday School, singing in the choir, and leading as moderator for our Presbyterian Women. I will “walk the talk” as I strive to apply the principles Jesus is teaching me in His Word. Practice the principle this JanBeek.blog is built on: “Loving One Another.”
2. Devote time and energy to keeping in touch with family far and near. Treasure time with those who are here now… my husband, our daughter and son-in-law, grandson, granddaughter and her family. We are so blessed! Let the ones far away know they are precious to us, too. Write them, pray for them, call, text, or visit them. Never take them for granted.
3. Exercise hospitality as I invite friends to come for dinner, or treat a friend to lunch. Write cards of appreciation, those “Just Because” kinds of cards… not waiting for a birthday, anniversary, illness, or some other “expected” time to get a message. Pray daily for my friends, just as I do my family and our community and world leaders. Put their faces up to God and ask His blessings on them. He knows their needs better than I do.
4. Serve my community in the ways I am able: Food Bank, volunteer sous-chef at the Sr. Center, “man” the desk at the Medical Center as a “Purple Lady,” and visit friends at the nursing home (sometimes with my accordion in hand so we can sing “Oldies but Goodies” together). Shop locally – and express appreciation to our local merchants.
5. Appreciate and help to preserve nature. Pick up after myself. Give to the Wildlife Preserve, the Nature Conservancy., and other worthwhile organizations that work to enhance and protect our environment. Admire the mountains. Appreciate the deer and antelope who roam our grasslands here on Pintail Ridge, and admire the beauty of our birds – and even the cute little rodents (the hawks have to have something to feed on!).
6. Give Time! By now you know serving is a passion of mine – because I am retired and I am blessed with good health and TIME. In the list above I mentioned many ways I intend to serve. One I didn’t mention was my friend, Raymond, whom I visit weekly. He lives alone and his family is out of state. As long as I am able, I hope to look for those in need of what I have to give, and to serve in whatever way the Lord leads me. I am zealous about serving!
Cherish Every Moment
Honor Commitments
Be Zealous About Life (every day is a gift) – unwrap it!
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com
God Bless You, dear blogging friends.
Thank you for journeying with me through this A-Z series.
See you tomorrow!
What Do You Yearn For?
Today’s letter in the A-Z series
on Finding More Meaning
and Greater Purpose
in Life
is “Y”
The Word is “Yearning”
Photo by Johannes Plenio on Pexels.com
When you look at this picture, what do you see?
I see more than a dog and a girl and a tall, dark tree –
I see more than a grove and a road to light –
I see something for which I pray each night.
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com
I see the peace for which I yearn –
the Lord, to whom I turn –
I see a road that lets me in –
And the path where I begin.
In their song, “Somewhere Only We Know,”
the Sons of Serendip sing of this place:
“Why don’t we go somewhere only we know?”
Some of the lyrics say, “I found the earth at my feet…
Walked by a river and it made me complete…
There’s a place we used to love;
Is this the place I’ve been dreaming of?”
I’m dreaming today of that place on earth
Where only peace abides;
Where folks can hear differing opinions
And find no need to take sides.
.
I pray to find at the end of the tunnel
The Love of Christ everywhere on earth,
The peace that passes understanding
That was our gift when Mary gave birth.
.
I yearn to place my feet, my soul
On the spot where only love can grow,
Where labels end and hate is gone,
Where love and compassion are all we show.
In their book, Spiritual Literacy,
Frederic & Mary Ann Brussat
wrote this about Yearning:
“Follow your heart’s boundless desire.
It takes you out of yourself
and fosters an appreciation for
the multidimensional pleasures of life.”
What do YOU yearn for?
Photo by Designecologist on Pexels.com
See you tomorrow… the Z Day of this series!
Kisses and Hugs
XXXOOOXXX
to you!
Today’s letter is “x”
It’s x-ceptionally hard
To find words beginning with X
That demonstrate ways
To add greater meaning and
Purpose to your life,
But I guarantee if
You kiss 💋 and hug 🤗
Your family daily,
You’ll add quality as the
XXs and OOs are
Returned to you!
That’s what I’m busy doing
This week with our family here
Visiting from Switzerland 🇨🇭
Back to the lovin’
❤️ 💋 ❤️
See ya tomorrow!
Love One Another
Our marching orders are “LOVE.”
What’s confusing about that?
Is love unpredictable, my friends?
Can’t we just LOVE at the drop of a hat?
.
What about those annoying people?
Can we just love them unconditionally, too?
That’s not as easy as loving the lovely –
At least not for me, how about you?
.
Is love something we can command?
Well, Jesus did command it, in fact!
He said, “Love as I’ve loved you.”
What’s that mean to us? What’s the impact?
.
He paid the price for our forgiveness.
He loved us so much, He died.
We couldn’t love as much as He did,
No matter how much we tried.
.
The commandment before that one
Was to love neighbor as self.
The new commandment is an extension;
It doesn’t put the old one on the shelf.
.
We are commanded to love others and God.
It’s a mutual love for us all.
The standard of love goes from self
To loving as Jesus loves us. That’s tall!
.
It’s a tall order to love sacrificially;
It goes beyond self love so much.
It goes beyond whimsical emotion;
It goes beyond just those we touch.
.
How well we love all others
Is a reflection of our faithfulness.
It’s a hard order to obey;
It requires prayer and holy helpfulness.
.
This command is not a suggestion.
It wasn’t spoken for only a few.
It is a definition of us as Christians.
It’s not a feeling; it’s what we do!
.
Love One Another.
.
Amen!
Sermon notes – Sunday, May 19, 2019
My “Take-away” from today’s sermon
by Rev. Jean Johnson
at Madison Valley Presbyterian Church
Ennis, MT.
Rev. Jean Johnson defined love by saying,
“Love is something we decide to do,
a gift we decide to give.”
I’ve decided to give.
Dear Blog Readers,
have you??
I love you!
Thank you for visiting
and reading
and commenting,
and creating your own
loving and inspirational posts!
Happy Sunday!
Back to the Family…
See you tomorrow!
Nothing in the world
Is better than family time
Grandson, dog, daughter:
Love personified!
Our daughter and her husband, who live in Switzerland, arrived yesterday. Yay!! We took DeAna and André to dinner last night for a special wine pairing event.
Here is the menu, with pictures of each course. Beautiful presentations and deeelicious food!
I won’t be posting my usual A-Z series today. I’m having too much fun. Today they went to Anaconda to pick up their son (our grandson, Chris, who’s in the Job Corps there). We’ll all be together for the next ten days. I’m sure you’ll understand if my A-Z series takes a break in favor of sharing family love!
Have a super Saturday.
❤️ See you tomorrow ❤️
WELCOME!
Let’s take a WALK in WISDOM together today.
This wheat field offers opportunities
to wander a while:
Photo by Samuel Silitonga on Pexels.com
“W” is a letter with
a wealth of opportunities for
words that encompass
the qualities we need to
add more meaning
and
find greater purpose
in life.
With WONDER and WHIMSY
Fill your eyes with the wide-open wonder of the world. It is a magnificent place, isn’t it? The water is one of the wonders that brings the whimsy to my surface. Makes me want to run in the waves and wiggle my toes in the sand. Makes me want to explore the wishes I would love to see come true.
Photo by Loe Moshkovska on Pexels.com
Explore WISHES
To live a more meaningful life and find greater purpose, we need to open our hearts to explore our wishes, make our bucket lists, and dream big!
Bob Goff is one of my favorite whimsical people.
I have not met him in person, but I love his book, Love Does,
and I am a huge proponent of his life’s purpose:
to help people Dream Big and fulfill their
heartfelt wishes.
Check him out:
https://dreambigframework.com/
On his website it says,
“Bob has inspired millions to dream big and make life more awesome. He is driven by a desire to help others unlock their potential to love and be loved greater. What goals and dreams have you been putting off out of fear or the thought that you can’t do it, that it’s too hard? Chances are, Bob could talk you out of those thoughts and send you charging into your next adventure.”
Let WISDOM Guide You
Sometimes wisdom is found in silence.
Prov. 17:28 in The Message, Bible translation by Eugene H Peterson reminds us:
“Even dunces who keep quiet are thought to be wise; as long as they keep their mouths shut, they’re smart.”
The wisdom of the Bible guides my prayer life, my daily walk, my associations with others. That particular verse in the NIV (New Revised Version) says, “Even a fool is thought to be wise if he keeps silent.”
Mom’s version of that was,
“It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool,
than to speak and remove all doubt!”
Mom was always trying to get that message across to me. As a child I must have been quite the blabber-mouth. Bob will tell you that I still am, but I think I have improved through the ages. I hope I’m not as big a motor-mouth as I once was. My third grade teacher wrote on my report card, “Janet must learn, she can’t talk ALL the time.”
I’m still a work in progress. Aren’t we all?
A good part of walking in wisdom is learning when to speak and when to listen… and developing the habit taught in The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, “Seek first to understand, and then to be understood.”
Photo by rawpixel.com on Pexels.com
With wonder and whimsy,
Explore wishes.
Let wisdom
guide you.
Thanks for walking this journey with me.
SEE you tomorrow.
Hugs to You !!
Inspire to Love
Let the SonShine!
You inspire me to respond
Learning to Live; Living to Learn; Learning to Love; Living in Love
