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Family Christmas


We are very blessed
To be with family today
A Merry Christmas

Four generations
With fourteen of us in all
God bless our family

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Generation One
With sweet Generation Four
Thank God for babies

Children grow so fast
Remain babies a short time
Enjoy while you can

As a babe Christ came
Helpless and vulnerable
To live as we live

Mary and Joseph
Provided a loving home
Knowing He’s Special

Peace- John 14:27

So when did they know
The Truth of His intentions
Did God prepare them?

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I can’t imagine
Raising a loving child
For Him to die young

Some friends are hurting
On this day after Christmas
They lost a child, too

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Maybe their lost one
Is a sweet four-legged friend
That breaks your heart, too

On this Christmas night,
let’s reflect with my loved one from Zimbabwe
on Christmas Meaning:
God’s Plan by Taking the Human Form
– Birth of Jesus –

John 3
16 : For God loved the world so much
that he gave his only Son,
so that everyone who believes in him
may not die but have eternal life.

17 :
For God did not send his Son
into the world to be its judge,
but to be its savior.

11 :
“I am the good shepherd,
who is willing to die for the sheep.

It’s not about the day
as no one knows for certain when Jesus Christ was born.
It is a celebration of why He was born.

Here’s to our Salvation celebration
through the birth of Baby Jesus.
Let us make room for Him in our hearts 💕

Blessed Christmas beloved ones of God.
Shalom 🙏🏽❤️

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God Bless You, dear friends.
I pray you had a wonderful, family-filled Merry Christmas!

Love,
JanBeek

Category:

Animals, Bible Lessons, children, Christmas, Faith, Family, God, Haiku, holidays, Jesus, Love, pets, Poetry, relationships

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Rainbow Bridge


Our hearts are hurting today.
Yesterday we had to help our 12 year old Boston Terrier, TazE,
over the Rainbow Bridge.

She was struggling to breathe, rasping…
not eating or drinking for the last four days…
and lost the use of her back legs twice during that time.
Her organs were shutting down.

We were snowed in and unable to get out.
It was terrible to see her suffer.

She had lost all kinds of weight
since this picture was taken
because even when she still was eating,
it was very little.

We knew we were losing her,
but we just didn’t want to let go.
Who will be my walking partner?

Our wonderful neighbor, Rex,
spent over an hour with the snow plow on his ATV
here in our driveway yesterday
plowing us out so we could take TazE to the vet.
The ladies at Mountain View Vet Hospital
in Sheridan/Twin Bridges were wonderfully
compassionate, empathetic, and professional.
TazE went peacefully in my arms.

My heart is breaking,
but I know we did the right thing…
and I believe when I get to heaven
she’ll greet me at the pearly gates!
It wouldn’t be heaven if
our beloved furry family members
aren’t there, too!
Would it?

Bob won’t miss having the toenails to clip.
That was a stressful job!!
But he sure will miss his buddy
when we’re out on our “Lucille”
(she’s our ATV… a red head who is a Ball).

There is a part of Bob’s personality
that only surfaces
when he is with his Boston Buddy!
I will miss that part of Bob!

Happy TazE

In Heaven our TazE will be forever young!
Good-bye for now, sweet pup!
See ya over the bridge… keep the light on!

(St. Peter, give her a bone, wouldja?)

Love,
JanBeek

Category:

Animals, Faith, Family, Heartache, Life and Death, Life's Challenges, Love, Montana, pets

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It’s Beginning


It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

From my toes to my head … see that hat?

Christmas parties have begun

That’s the luncheon at our Madison Valley Woman’s Club yesterday.
45 ladies showed up from our little Ennis community!

My dear friend, Susan P, came and helped me decorate our house from tree to…

…fireplace mantle and lotsa places around the house.
She did things I could never do by myself.
God bless her!

Those candles on the mantle are battery operated
and can be set to change colors!!

Isn’t that fun?
They can all be one of any choice of 8 colors
or they can rotate.
Good ole CostCo.
They have lotsa fun things
to get you in the holiday spirit!

But nothing depicts the Christmas season
quite as well as this treasure
that I found at our Christmas bazaar last Saturday.
It’s a manger scene made by a darling lady in Nairobi.
She used the bark from banana trees!!

It’s not Christmas unless we
recognize the nativity as
central to the holiday!

Is it beginning to look a lot like Christmas at your house? Tell me about it!

Have fun fixing your home
to reflect this holiday season
in a way that is meaningful for you.

For me and my family, it’s Christmas…

Thanking God for the gift of
Baby Jesus,
sharing time with family & friends,
sending out cards,
decorating with trees, candles, music
and presents…

and the fun has just begun!

Our TazE looks just like this Boston on the right.
She has decided the blanket under the tree is her bed.
She thinks the presents are for her.
Help!

Have fun this Christmas season…
and good luck keeping your dog, cat or kids
out from under the Christmas tree!

Love,
JanBeek

Category:

Animals, blessings, Faith, Family, friendship, holidays, Jesus, Living in Harmony, Love, music, pets, relationships

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Reblog #11 – Smile


It was September two years ago when we were in the midst of the pandemic, isolated, sequestered, missing friends and family. I posted this blog titled “Smile.” It’s time this cold, snow sparkling in the sunshine day in November to repost it. I hope it makes you smile. It brought a smile to MY face!

Smile when your heart is aching
Smile even though it’s breaking
Though there are clouds in the sky
You’ll get by – if you’ll just smile!

Do you know that song?
I’ll share it with you …
Along with some things
that made me smile today:

Everyone needs a blue-footed booby for a smile!
And I dare you to look at this cross-eyed owl trying to see that ladybug – and not smile!!
This snowy egret got its feathers ruffled over SOMEthing!
I used to have a pet goat when I was a kid. This one made me smile big time!

(Change the Thursday to Friday on the following meme) And that “Good Night” can say “Good Morning” or “Good Afternoon” (depending on where you are in th world).
But before I leave you, I told you I’d share that song with you.
It’s not the current version of “Smile” by Katy Perry.
It’s the version from the 1950s when I was a kid (a freshman in high school -to be exact!)!
Here it is. Smile!


This is one of Nat King Cole’s songs that I loved the most.
Its message is so important for us in this world today.

You’ll find that life is still worthwhile, if you’ll just smile!

Hug each other tight…
Just like these rainbow lorikeets


SMILE!!
Thanks for visiting JanBeek.
See ya tomorrow.

Category:

Aging Gracefully, Animals, blessings, Family, Gratitude, Love, music, optimism, photography, Poetry, prayer, relationships

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Reblog #4 – Nostalgia


Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

NanoPoblano2022 has invited us to reblog an old post each day during this month of November. I’m having fun going back through some of my first posts… Here is one from our vacation in southern California in 2014. The roadrunner picture in the original post was not available so I borrowed one from Pexels. Thanks!

January 27 2014

There was a Time Magazine article by Lily Rothman in which the author quoted artist, Brendan O’Connell, “Nostalgia makes memory warm.” O’Connell stopped to say parenthetically, “That’s actually a significant thought,” and I paused. Hmm – memories, nostalgia, warmth. Yes, it’s true. Not all memories are warm, but all nostalgic memories are warm. Do you agree? When you think of warm memories, what comes to mind? Here’s mine:

Childhood

Climbing
Hillsides
Into
Lands
Dense with
Hidden
Occupants
Ordering Hot
Dogs.

Hah! That’s my whimsical acrostic for today – looking back on yesterdays.

But, how about Making Memories Today?

Image

There’s no better place to make memories than where you are right now today! For me, whether it is in the warm desert on vacation in the southern California sun with roadrunners scampering by and sun casting spakles on cactus, or back home in the cold snows of Montana, each day is a memory in the making. The climate doesn’t determine the warmth of the memories. The people I am with, the events we choose, the lessons I learn, the visions I absorb: those are the nostalgia of tomorrow. I am making warm memories today – wherever I am!

Nov. 5, 2022 – our snow is almost all melted now. With today’s winds, the rest of it will blow off the roof of our house (peeking through the trees there).

That acrostic up there was mine back in 2014… but I have no idea how that could have been true. We lived in the flat central valley of California. No hillsides to climb! If I were looking back at my childhood and creating an acrostic today, it would say:

CHILDHOOD

C hasing
H ounds
I nto
L ittle
D ugouts
H aving
O odles
O f
D ead animals

Oh my! That one is reality! My dad owned a Tallow Works and one of his jobs was picking up dead animals from ranchers and farmers and bringing those animals back to the “plant” where we lived. We always had at least one dog as a pet… and they were always “hounds.” No money for pedigrees!! In our bare fields behind our house, my neighbors (cousins) and I would dig holes and create pretend worlds. That 2014 acrostic must have come out of that pretending. Sometimes our best memories are the imaginary ones, don’t you think?

If you were to write a childhood acrostic today, would yours be real? Or would you pretend?


I hope your real world is full of happy memories – warm nostalgia.
Have a great day today, my friends.

.

I had a warm, huggy, loving daddy. My memories of him are certainly warm nostalgia!!

Thanks for visiting
JanBeek
See ya tomorrow

Category:

Animals, blogging, children, Family, Love, Memories, Montana, Poetry, Sharing, writing

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S/He’ll Be Back!


It’s been a wonderful early winter Sunday.
It snowed all night last night!
Yes, I know… too soon!
It’s only mid-October.

See those footprints under the tree?
When I looked out the window this morning,
there was a deer,
nibbling on the berries in that tree.
By the time I dashed to get my camera/phone,
she was long gone!
I think she is the same doe
who visited us last week,
and chewed off/ spit out
the geranium blossoms that were in that planter.

Yes, she’s been here before.
I captured her on camera last spring.
She’ll be back!
She’s pretty… but she is a nuisance.
She thinks our plants were put there
to supply her salad bar!

Today’s sermon by Rev. Mary Grace Reynolds
dealt with this same theme: “He’ll be back!”

John 16:16
Your Sorrow Will Turn into Joy

16 “A little while, and you will see me no longer; and again a little while, and you will see me.”

In my sermon notes today, I captured these main ideas,

Life doesn’t always turn out as we imagine.
Disappointments run the gamut.
The disciples were puzzled, not understanding
where Jesus was going and why He had to leave.
Jesus knew His disciples would grieve
and they would be mocked for believing in Him
as their Savior, so He wanted to encourage them.

20 “Truly, truly, I say to you,
you will weep and lament,
but the world will rejoice.
You will be sorrowful,
but your sorrow will turn into joy.”

He would not leave them for good…
He promised He’d send them
A Comforter (The Holy Spirit),
and then He would return to them.

Jesus told the disciples,
“The Holy Spirit is a gift
that will come in my absence.”

The Holy Spirit is with us today.
The Spirit is a nudge in the night,
the inexplicable comfort in times of distress,
a direct line to God (God on speed dial!)
Sometimes referred to as the Holy Ghost,
He will come to remind you of everything
Jesus taught during His ministry on earth.

Tragedy is tragedy-
However, there is a wisdom obtained
when we experience the goodness
and the tragedy together.

Life can take us on turns we don’t expect.
We’d like to trade pain and tragedy for comfort.
However,
disappointment and pain help us be
more fully connected to others
with empathy and compassion.
That ain’t always easy – that’s for sure!

Mary Grace concluded her sermon with this thought to ponder:
“We become stronger than what hurts us.
There is much hope in that.”

Are you like me?
Wouldn’t you rather just avoid that which hurts you?
Don’t hurts just feel like a trap?

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

God is asking us to look at life’s challenges through Jesus glasses.
Don’t deny yourself the lessons learned.
When things aren’t working out, take another look!

Like that deer on my front lawn,
troubles and disappointments return.
But so do joys and blessings.

My cough has been quiet while I typed this.
It may return when I try to sleep tonight,
but it won’t last forever. JOY comes in the morning!
Hang in there, my friends.
I’ll be back!

Have a blessed week.
Today was my grandson, Chrissy’s 27th birthday!!

Happy Birthday, Toki!!
(He’s in Switzerland…)


Thanks for visiting and leaving your comment below.
I love having positive exchanges with you.

Grace to you,
JanBeek

Category:

Animals, Bible Lessons, blessings, Faith, Family, God, Jesus, Life's Challenges, Living in Harmony, Love, mental health, Montana, peace, prayer, relationships

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Visiting Zinal


What a wonderful way to spend a Monday afternoon in Switzerland! DeAna drove us up to Zinal… just to enjoy the time together, the scenery, and an ice cream. We did all three. Wanna join us?

Mountain majesty

Views usually not seen

Except in movies

Sharing with our De

Made all the more beautiful

By stream and mountains

Blue sky up above

Flowing River at our feet

Life can’t be more sweet

Then add some icecream

And the cows that made the cream

Surely it’s a dream!

Hearing the children

Laughing and playing outside

Yes, it’s Paradise!

Meantime, the Groshongs

Continued their hiking fun

In this same region

Found a gentle cow

Grazing on the Swiss hillside

Up close – personal!

Lucky the bovine

Was feeling cooperative

But don’t press your luck

Here comes another

He’s looking mighty leery

Don’t try petting him

Onward to glacier

Visit before it is gone

Then back to Zinal

What will tomorrow bring? Come back and see! I love sharing with you. Which of my pictures today did you like best?

Love to you from JanBeek (and Bob & De, too)

Category:

Animals, blessings, Family, friendship, Haiku, Love, mountains, nature, Poetry, relationships, Travel

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Angels Watching Over Us


I have a guardian angel
Who is faithful – yes, indeed!
He’s saved me from disaster,
Been there for every need.

An angel guarded Angela,
Our Boston Terrier pup,
From dying when a rattlesnake
Bit her on her butt!

You have a guardian angel
Who’s watching over you.
I hope that you are grateful
And careful on your feet, too.

Sunday in church our pastor
Read a poem that touched my heart.
It conjured up my angel;
Who’s compassionate and smart.

Yours is, too!!
In fact, YOU may BE
somebody’s angel!
Serving love with glee.

“The World I Live In”
Mary Oliver

God of Grace, help us to see
Your angels at work among us,
lighting upon the unhoused in the street,
delivering cups of coffee,
Ziploc bags full of toiletries,
and deli sandwiches.

Help us honor Your angels
with our praise and gratitude –
the patient teacher, the loving parent,
the determined wildfire fighter,
the volunteer rescue worker,
the visitor of the elderly,
the sick and the imprisoned.

Give us eyes to see, O God,
your angels at work
and help us be among their ranks.

Click the link below and enjoy listening to Alabama sing for us “Angels Among Us.”

https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=MONUVPD2S1Y&feature=share
Our Angela –
saved by God’s angel!

Angela’s angel was a vet
Who was in his office on a Sunday.
He had the vaccine and loving care.
She’d’a been gone by Monday!

We never know when God
calls on us to be
the angel to a friend in need.
Open your arms and eyes to see.

God bless you!

Thanks for checking in today.
You’re my visiting angel.
Let me be yours!
Gotcha in prayer.
Tell me how to pray for you specifically, OK?

Love,
JanBeek

Category:

Animals, blessings, Faith, God, Life's Challenges, Living in Christ's Family, Living in Harmony, Love, music, pets, Poetry, prayer, relationships, Serving One Another

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Montana Trails with Friends


This is “Lucille.”
Yesterday we joined 12 friends
and went on a trail ride
into the Gravelly Range
above Antelope Basin.

Lucille is our ATV (all terrain vehicle).
Because she’s a redhead
on whom we have a ball,
we named her after the actress/comedian,
Lucille Ball.

Are you old enough to remember her?

Anyway, we met at Antelope Basin
about 50 miles south-west of Ennis,
and took the trails through the Gravelly Range
to our destination of Hidden Lake.

It was a blue-sky-perfect day
with temperatures not rising above 80 degrees.
We had not been up to this site for over a year.
In the meantime forest fires
had ravaged the trees
and changed the landscape.

This tree was lush and green last time we were here.

We stopped and chatted with our friends awhile before taking a lunch break.

Good buds: Sherry Riggs and Penny Hocking

TazE was quite interested
in what Rex & Penny Hocking
were getting from Linda Schott.
Mmm … fresh and yummy Flathead cherries!

TazE was interested in Bob’s Cheetos, too!

After lunch we traveled on up to the lookout above Henry’s Lake.

The wildflowers were prettier
than I have ever seen them this late in the summer.
We had quite a wet spring and that helped!

Traveling back down,
we could see our Madison Valley in the distance.

We gathered to take a group photo of our ATV friends.
And then some couples and quartets, too.

Top left: Kris & Bob (CG’s cousin) with CG & Caroline
Bottom left: Penny & Rex
Right: Sue & Bob Welna

Here are our five ATV’s.
You can see that Lucille stands out
among all those earth tones!

Most of the way to and fro
the trail was a road also traveled
by cowboys in their pickups,
tending the the cattle up in the verdant fields.

Some of the trail was rocky, steep and pretty hairy.
But, we managed just fine…
and I am so grateful that
Bob and I both had
enough stamina to enjoy the trip.

We Thank the Lord for our neighbors/friends
(the Welnas and Hockings)
who came to help Bob prepare Lucille
for the trip, and then
returned this morning to
help him put her back away.
God bless them!!

Maybe you’ll come join us
one of these days
for a Montana trail ride.
Ya think?

I’d be tickled to see you!

Just give me a call
and let me know when you’re coming.
We’d love to see you
and treat you to a Montana trail ride!

Thanks for visiting JanBeek
See ya tomorrow (God willing)

Click on the link below if you’d like to enjoy
Dale Evans & Roy Rogers
(my favorite cowboy)
singing “Happy Trails to You.”

https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=oG_fSoYFWLA&feature=share

Category:

Animals, blessings, Family, flowers, food, friendship, Gratitude, Living in Harmony, Love, Montana, mountains, music, pets, relationships, Travel

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Wonderful Weekend


Enjoying Sunday
Remembering Saturday
And Fish on Friday

Sunday began
with this prayer-filled
good morning photo
from my friend Lisa
in North Carolina

After church,
Sunday continues
with our TazE
needing attention
and us
trying to
just relax!

Saturday memories
include a wonderful evening
shared with Bob
and dozens of friends
at the Madison Valley Ranchland’s
annual “Noxious Weed Dinner and Auction.”

Check out
Bonny Morningstar Guzzo
on Facebook
to see her wonderful pictures
of that highly successful event.

Friday memories
include our walk
along the Madison River
in Lion’s Club Park
where this beautiful
painted fish sculpture
greets us.

The painting on the fish inspires the Haiku poet in me.

“Father, please teach me
I want to learn how to fish
To fish like you, Dad“

Back home, the clouds keep the day cooler
as the sun plays peek-a-boo
The trees provide welcomed shade
And the birds serenade you

The breeze causes the wind chimes
To sing a lullaby
Reminding me of my sis, Sally
She’d love this place as much as I

The deer come quietly to rest
Beneath the shade of verdant trees
They promise not to nibble
But who can trust deer like these?

Time to think about a meal
Don’t know what I’d like to cook
Need to go check out the fridge
Maybe left-overs -Have a look!

Mmmm… I can see shrimp
Waiting for the coconut
Time to make the sauce

Hope all is well with you.
Thanks for sharing
my weekend memories
vicariously with me.

Now it is your turn
What are your best memories
Of this great weekend?

Sending love your way…
Hugs,
JanBeek

Category:

Animals, blessings, Family, Fishing, food, happiness, Love, Memories, Montana, Poetry, trees

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