Spreading love, joy, peace, faith & unity

Archive for September, 2025

I CAN Say Goodbye

I can say goodbye

I can hug and squeeze them tight

Send them on their way

Farewells at the airport
Good morning Sunshine!
I Can Say
Goodbye to September…

… and Hello to Autumn!
October is here.

Hello to blended mango margaritas and…
… hello to more trips to Bozeman
and to enjoying the fall colors while we go
I can say reluctantly goodbye to green grass and bright flowers
… and say hello to orange sunrises
and sunsets and pumpkins

Yes, I can say
Hello to cooler days
and colder evenings
(but we’re not ready for the snow yet!)


Seasons come and seasons go.
Company comes and company goes.
But family (ah yes, family) stays in our hearts forever
regardless of how many times we have to say goodbye!

To what are you ready to say goodbye?
And hello to what?
Tell me!!

Love,
JanBeek

I Can Enjoy Family Times

I CAN enjoy Fun Times with family …
and I DID!!
It’s been quite a week
Here I am with our “bonus daughter,” Laina, who lives in Maryland,
our grandson, Nick, and his mom, our daughter, DeDe,
both of whom flew here from Switzerland.

Our smiles tell you what fun we were having!
DeDe & Laina have been best buddies since their freshman year in high school. Do you have people with whom you have remained friends for 40 years or more?
Laina, my hubby Bob, & Nick enjoyed time together
at Wasabi’s in Bozeman, Montana this weekend.
Yes, DeDe and I were there, too.
It’s a fun place!
Nick entered a “run” on Saturday in Bozeman.
Can you believe he ran (or walked when necessary)
for a total of 17 miles? Amazing!
No, he didn’t finish in the #1 spot,
but what fun he had eating the chocolate
from the 1st place medallion
that Elaina bought for him!!
Gotta keep movin’ to stay fit!
Fun times indeed!!

What do you do to stay fit?
When not busy running or dining out,
“the kids” found other happy things to do –
like a day in Virginia City
and a trip to Yellowstone.
Every day we were on the go!
Here is Nick at our favorite brunch spot
in Bozeman:
Jam!
If you’re ever in our area,
you gotta be sure
to make this one of your stops!
We knew how to wait happily for our brunch table!
Back home, you can see that our family time
was enhanced by “the pup!”
Kenny has loved all the company … extra playmates!

They leave to return to their homes tomorrow.
We are certainly going to miss them!

Who have you hosted in your home this summer/fall?
I hope you had as much fun with family as we did!

Off to bed now.
See ya tomorrow –
We’re going to the airport bright and early.
Good night!


Love,
JanBeek

I Can Sit Quietly

I can sit quietly and wallow in this life called retirement.
Like a child wallowing gleefully in a mud puddle,
bouncing, splashing,
and a puppy rolling in it,
I can roll through my days,
bounce from one activity to the next,
and make a splash
as I enter my 14th year of blogging.

Once upon a time my blog had hundreds of followers
but as time went by, things changed,
I changed,
and priorities changed.
Life is like that.
But I still maintained my connection
with a small group of blogging friends.
We have sent sunshine into each other’s lives.
Come join us today!

After a few years of dwindling posts,
I have decided to return to my quest
to encourage love, joy, peace, faith and unity
through daily blog posts.
Thank you for joining me.

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Waking each morning from a restful night’s sleep
I can make myself a cup of coffee,
climb the circle staircase to my sanctuary,
and sit quietly in my rocker.
I can (with the help of my hearing aids)
hear the ticking of the clock.

I can sync my breathing to the clock’s rhythm.
Try it.. You can do it, too. Slow down. Breathe

I can listen for the voice of the Almighty
as I rock gently to the rhythm.
I can read my daily devotionals
and meditate on God’s Word.
I can plan my day as I tune in to
God’s will for me today.

Praise God!
Count my blessings.
Pray for my family, friends,
country, and this world.
Confess my shortcomings,
and ask for forgiveness.
I CAN live each day with purpose.
You can, too.
Let’s do!

Let’s sit quietly and ask God for guidance.
You with me?

Love,
JanBeek

Returning to My Blog

I have had a break from my blog for awhile. Why? Spending time with visiting friends and family this summer and early autumn has taken precedence. Also, for the last 300+ consecutive days I have been doing a daily French lesson on Duolingo. Can I speak French now? No… But I can read and understand some. Time to move on. So, I’m exchanging that focus for now. I’m returning to my daily blog posts. I hope you’ll join me.

Today, I reread a response from a friend who wrote to me back in 2021 with this comment:

“You lit a candle in my mind and heart this morning when I read your blog post … Thank you for spreading love, joy, peace, faith & unity through your blog…”

I kept a copy of that blog response in my journal titled, “I Can and I Will, Watch Me!” The entry that day in 2021 was, “I CAN Be an Inspiration.” That is my mission… and I have been neglecting it here on WordPress. But, I’m back!

My journal has 124 entries, each starting with “I Can…” As the “Inspirational Leader” I read one a month last year to my friends at Madison Valley Women’s Club. They responded very favorably to the inspirations. For the next few months, let me share one a day with you, okay? Hopefully you will follow along, and “I Will” be an inspiration to you, too. “Watch Me!”

I CAN Inspire!

I’m not in retirement
I’m in re-inspirement
Each day a new opportunity
To inspire
and
To be an inspiration
grabs me!

What is the secret
to being an inspiration?

Love people
and
Try to understand them.

Reach out in love
today.

Sincerely tell
at least three people
today,
“I Love You.”

Laina, Nicky & DeDe, I love you!

There! I did it! Your turn.

Love,
JanBeek

Give Up One Word

If you had to give up one word that you use regularly, what would it be?

Hate

Tears of Joy

Daily writing prompt
What brings a tear of joy to your eye?

Tears of joy come easily
When someone approaches me breezily
To say my lost puppy is found
And they have him right there on the ground

Tears of joy come spilling
When someone says they are willing
To do some yard work for my Bob
Whose limited body makes me sob

Tears of joy are a blessing
When troubles overflow and I’m stressing
And then miraculous help arrives
Fixing the problem … giving high-fives

What brings tears of joy to your eyes?
Crying is a gift to the wise
Who turn to others and prayer
Knowing that needed help is there.

Where do you turn so that you can have
Tears of joy and turn sadness to glad?
Know that the Lord always is there
You can count on Him everywhere!

Happy Labor-less Day, my friends!

Love,
JanBeek & Bob

(and our friends, the Vasches, too… we have
tears of joy when friends like them come to visit!)