I wrote this poem for my friend, Fran, as a comfort as she sees Hannah off on her final journey. Bon Voyage, dear pup. You’ve been a treasured friend for over 15 years. You’ve earned you eternal reward!
I Believe
I don’t have to understand In order to believe. I just have to trust – And know it’s okay to grieve.
When tragedy strikes – Like the death of a friend – I don’t have to comprehend Why my friend’s life must end.
I can just believe There’s a heaven and a hell. My friend will ascend To eternity to dwell.
In heaven are the ones Who lived by the Cross. They accepted God’s grace, So their death is not loss.
There are people and pets In that paradise up high. I don’t have to understand – Just anticipate the sky!
Rest in Peace, Sweet Hannah. Your cross to bear has ended – Your life you shared and blended. Your soul to heaven ascended.
See ya round the bend!
Have a blessed Saturday. Say a prayer for my friend, Fran.
These pictures below are from a book by Cynthia Rylant titled, “Dog Heaven.” It was a gift to us from the Colorado State Veterinary Hospital staff after our beloved Boston, Angela, died following a two year bout with cancer.
And thank God there are fields for romping in Heaven.
See ya round the bend. (Do you have a pet waiting for you in Heaven?)
The Reason for the season Is not always clear. Today as I was decorating, This message caught my ear.
Time to decorate For the coming of Jesus. It’s Holiday Time.
Time to decorate The foyer and entryway; Put up Christmas wreaths.
This fresh wreath is in the cool foyer
This one’s in the entry (on the other side of the foyer). See the stairs to my sanctuary there?
Time to decorate Dining room and kitchen, too. Poinsettia in place.
Time to decorate Living room and outside, too. Hang lighted snowflake.
Time to decorate For the coming of Christmas Where is the manger?
Is Jesus in your decor?
I can decorate. The reason for the season Must be apparent.
Bring out the hand-made stockings and all the memories those stockings bring to mind!
When I hang this little guy on the tree, I remember Bob’s years as a beekeeper.
Bob’s Aunt Nora made this one. She lives on in our hearts.
Before we had TazE, we had two other Boston Terriers: Angelo and Angela. Their memories remain alive with these ornaments.
Remembering our Bostons is part of the Christmas joy.
Look carefully at that picture. Santa is back there… But in front of him is a clay manger scene. It looks pretty primitive. That’s because it is! Out son made this as an art project in Sunday School when he was about 6 years old. He’s now 55.
Do you keep such works of art and take them out each year to treasure the memories?
Can you guess what this is?
It is a case from a friend who visited from Africa – and in the case are these darling manger scene figures made from grasses:
They remind me of our dear friend from Zimbabwe, Lamiel, who lives in my heart.
Grandma Beekman’s Christmas egg
When the Christmas decoration boxes come up from the basement, with them come so many memories. This is a real egg with a window cut out by my dear mother-in-law, Laura Belle Beekman. She painted it red, decorated it, and added a musical angel to the center of it. It was my Christmas gift from her in the early 60’s, shortly after Bob & I were married. With her Faberge’ style eggs, she comes alive again – and lives in our Christmas decor.
See the date on this? 1971!!
When I hang this ornament on our tree each year, my Hillsborough, California kindergarten class comes alive. This one with our kitty, was the sample I made as my students were creating theirs – with a picture of themselves on their ornaments. One of those students, Heidi, still has hers. She posted it on FaceBook last week. What a treasure! Heidi is now 55!!
The boxes of ornaments are filled with memories. Not all can go on the tree… But it’s such fun to decorate.
How are you doing with your holiday decorations? Have you put up a tree? Or do you have a Menorah? Or an Advent Wreath? Tell me about your decorating fun this time of the year.
And meantime, click on the link below and enjoy two of my favorite singers singing one of my favorite Christmas songs.
Merry Christmas is coming… Enjoy your decorating! And don’t forget the REASON for the SEASON!! See ya tomorrow. Love, JanBeek
This is my son, Ty, with his grandchild, Cosette (my great-granddaughter). Ty sent me this photo yesterday. It warmed my heart so much!
Cosette with The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown
Isn’t that the most precious photo and the most adorable expression? Someday with the help of her mom and dad, grandparents, her Uncle Sam, and friends who love her enough to read to her, Cosette will know the difference between an up-side-down view and one that is right-side-up. But meantime, this Great-Grandma (call me “GG”) takes enormous joy in seeing the delight in this child’s face – and her interest in books at her young age!
Uncle Sam, Cosette & her daddy, my grandson, Jordan
When children are surrounded by love, they grow into loving adults who know how to love in return. Yesterday, while Cosette was receiving this kind of nurturing, my friend, Kathy and I took the hour and a half’s drive from Ennis to Helena. We visited Intermountain Children’s Home and delivered some backpacks with school supplies for a boy and a girl who are there.
Intermountain ccottages
Intermountain is a school and residential facility for children who did not have the privilege of a loving start. They are between the ages of 4 and 14 and are critically “at risk.”
I first visited Intermountain about 14 years ago- with my Presbyterian Women’s group. We delivered “Wish List items” to the home for the children. This chapel was not there at that time… it was added to the campus about 6 years ago. I have loved visiting every couple years or so and watching Intermountain grow and thrive.
Intermountain was established in about 1908. It’s been around a long time! It was essentially a home for abandoned children initially. Today it is home to 24 children who need intervention for a variety of reasons. (The numbers were double that before COVID forced the space to house less children for social distancing and safety). There are four cottages with 8 children in each… and a staff of trained professionals who work as counselors, teachers, cottage parents, and administrators.
My friends, Kathy from our PW in Ennis and Tyler Zimmer, who is Intermountain’s fund-raising coordinator and an excellent tour guide!
Play is an important part of the children’s rehab.
Children who have been abused or neglected need guidance to learn how to play together peacefully, how to get along, how to trust again.
This is the bell tower in the center of the Intermountain campus
This plaque is at the bottom of the bell tower
Harry “Dibbs” Mitchell is just one of thousands of children who have been helped by the Intermountain brand love and care. Many, like “Dibbs” went on to live successful lives and enjoyed being able to “give back” to the place that changed their lives when they needed that intervention the most. They have about an 80% success rate – sending children out into the world with less traumatic symptoms than they came with. Not every child is receptive and able to change yet. We need to keep all our children in prayer. God’s not through with them yet… nor are we!
Intermountain’s website can tell you how to add your financial help if you are looking for a way to help children that has a long history of success: https://www.intermountainresidential.org/
Meanwhile, back to Cosette:
Grandma Monika, Uncle Sam, and daddy Jordan (and Grandpa Ty, photographer) took Cosette to the pumpkin patch
You can see how she loved it!
Cosette got to choose one to take home with her. to show mommy Joss.
I hope their ride home was as pretty as ours from Helena back to Ennis
I love this chapel tucked back into the aspen!
I wonder if it still is used every Sunday for worship?
I hope you are inspired to think of a way that you can help children in your life. If you’re a mom or dad with family still at home, you have your task facing you daily. Love ’em, read to ’em, and limit their screen time. Give ’em lots of hugs, encouragement, and face-to-face time!
Cell phones and internet games have their place – but they are not nearly as good a baby-sitter as you are!
Take a child to a pumpkin patch this month!!
Take a child on a picnic NOW before the snow comes! It’s predicted for Sunday here in Ennis!
God bless you, Ty & Monika, for being good grandparents. God bless you, Jordan, for being a loving daddy. God bless you, Sam, for being an adoring uncle.
Here’s a cute little Halloween kitten to bid you farewell for today.
Just as people try to create Wonders strange and unique , Look at what our Creator did – Come and take a peak!
No one should begin to suggest These were formed accidentally. No, it took a God with humor – To do this so creatively!
What do you think this is? Look at its funny beard:
Weird, huh? It’s an ant’s face magnified at least 500 times!
And while we are admiring our Creator’s sense of humor, take a look at this split-colored lobster!!
Our Creator’s imagination is beyond imagination! Have you ever seen a curly-haired horse?
Well, now you have! The coat on a poodle is a lot like this, don’t you think?
When I was a kid, Halloween was one of my favorite holidays. We planned for months what our costumes would be. One year I was two things… from the front I was a princess and when I turned around, I was a cave man. How my mom created that, I have no idea. Halloween used to be safe and fun and creative. People made popcorn/caramel balls and cupcakes and candied apples – and no one was afraid to eat what you received. No one was afraid to go alone as a bunch of kids after dark!
Yes, we are necessary to one another! If we are going to return to the safety of connection and wholeness, we need to seek to return to the people God made us to be.
We are more unique than an ant, a lobster, or a transparent fish! We are more intelligent and exceptional than a curly-haired horse. Our memories are better than theirs, too.
We need to remember what it felt like before COVID-19. Remember our connectivity. Remember when the world was a safe place for kids to Trick-or-Treat alone after dark. Remember when people knew all their neighbors by name – and people relied on one another.
Remember how creative our Creator is. If He can make an ant with that kind of face, a lobster with those characteristics, and a fish that’s transparent and that exists as an individual and as part of a larger organism, He can help us to emerge a better people when this pandemic passes. Pray for that! Trust in His creative powers.
I need you! We need one another! Thanks for visiting JanBeek. Have a safe and creative October.
Thank you, Ed Coyle, for this beautiful photo of the grand Tetons in Wyoming.
My friends, Terry and Jim Groshong, are hiking in the area of the Tetons this week. It is such a gorgeous area. I need to share some of their photos with you.
The Tetons are truly amazing!Terry & Jim enjoyed a visit to this museum today.There’s my dear friend, Terry. Bob calls her Sparkles (because she does).Great photo, huh?That previous photo had to have been taken through one of these holes, don’t you think?
Don’t these photos make you want to take a trip to Jackson Hole, WY, and on to the areas around? Terry and Jim did some hiking… You may want to plan on that, too.
Bob and I worked at the manse (church parsonage) today. He painted the area above the garage door where the paint was chipping due to years of snow and sun bearing down on it. I stayed with Bob while he did this project yesterday and today. Not a good idea for an 81 year old to be up on ladders and scaffolding. But, it had to be done.
While Bob painted, we had an audience:
With a little noise, she got up and spent about a half an hour munching on the lawn.
Meantime, Bob completed his job. The manse looks refreshed!
That was the gray base coat. I’ll show you the finished product tomorrow. Time to go now and listen to our Presidential Debate between Biden and Trump. I pray for honest exchange and civility.
Can you find a quiet space right where you are? Can you share it with a pet or a partner and release your shoulders and your stress and enjoy life in the moment?
Get off the merry-go-round of life. Step down from the carousel of cares And unclench your jaw. Drop the tongue from the roof of your mouth And take a few very deep breaths.
There is no better way To spend an autumn day Than to take a ride with friends Up into the Gravelly Range
We traveled along the Madison Overlooking the Palisades And enjoyed the river view And the hint of what’s to come
Every mile closer to Antelope Basin, our destination, The scenery became more and more breathtaking!
Lake at Antelope Basin
At the 7,000 foot level The autumn colors amaze The aspen are changing color From green to gold to orange
Golden grasses and blue sky Accented the purple mountains And created a wonderland For this appreciative photographer
Wow!
We went in and out of twelve Or more gates to keep cattle in They stood at the road’s edge Unperturbed by our noisy ATVs
When you sing of purple mountain majesty And you wonder what that might look like, Just come to Montana and you will Wonder no more… you’ll just be in awe!
We stopped by Hidden Lake To rest and have our lunch The lake is soooo beautiful And it really is hidden down there
Chuck and Caroline relaxed with Bob After enjoying a picnic lunch Penny & Rex were with us And TazE, too, of course!
Isn’t that blue sky spectacular? And the colors of the trees glorious? Don’t you wish you could be In an ATV traveling with us?
golden aspen
‘Tis time to return to our pickups Load up the four-wheelers Return down to our Madison Valley And look forward to the next trip.
Wish you could join us! I’ll share a couple more pics tomorrow. Have a good night. Thanks for traveling with me vicariously! Hugs, JanBeek
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!
But before I tuck in, 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! Here it is. Smile!
Nat King Cole had a voice described as “Liquid Velvet.” This is one of his 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. Like these rainbow lorikeets
Good night, my friends. Thanks for visiting JanBeek. See ya tomorrow.
