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Blogging Friends

Why do you blog?

Today’s prompt made me pause and reflect on the why.
Why am I here? Why have I posted “stuff” here for so many years?
It’s not for rewards or recognition.

The title up there tells the story.
It’s my place to stay connected
with Derrick & Dwight,
Ann & Sue,
Richard & Donna,
Caralyn & you!!
It’s blogging friends old and new
who take the time to comment,
who post their own inspirational messages …
that’s why I’m here.
I care about you.

Thank you for also blogging and for staying in touch!

Love,
JanBeek

Answering the Prompt

janbeek.blog/2023/06/25/what-is-wasted/

What is Wasted?

How do you waste the most time every day?

Time is not wasted

Not if you live purposely

What is your purpose?

Today I’m working

Preparing for our dinner

Ready to feed all

No, it won’t be that

Rack of lamb’s too expensive!

Come for spaghetti

It’s a simple dish

Nutritious and tasty, too

No one leaves hungry

Don’t consider time wasted

Resting is important, too

Blogging’s not wasted

Scrabble’s not wasted

Games keep my brain from dying

So do chats with Bob

Tell me, what is waste?

Your garbage is my treasure

Come waste time with us!

No bull! Time’s wasting

If you live without purpose

Who’d want to do that?

Not me!!

How do you waste time?

Tell me in comments below

Love ❤️ from me, JanBeek

Just One Day

Today’s JetPack prompt was:

What’s a job you would like to do for just one day?

Just one perfect day
That’s all I’d actually need
To find a home for every dog

Just one perfect day
Find homes by some tennis courts
Make all dogs happy

Just one perfect day
Find homes for all the children
No need for orphanages

Just one perfect day
A universal wiper
Eliminate war


Oh, there’s so much more
I would love to accomplish
In one perfect day



With the perfect job
I would wipe away all tears
In a perfect world

What job would you like?

Let’s sign up for that perfect job…
for just one day!

Hugs,
JanBeek

Music Changed Lives

Today’s JetPack prompt was:
Describe something you learned in high school.

Here’s my answer:

When I was in high school,
I sang in the choir
and I played clarinet in the band and orchestra.
I learned a lot about music.

During the summers of my junior & senior years,
my parents made it possible for me
to attend Music Camp at the College of the Pacific.

I learned there that the accordion was not considered a real instrument.

(Hah! “Welcome to heaven, here’s your harp.
Welcome to hell, here’s your accordion.”
My friends always shared jokes about it.)

I had to learn to play the piano!
That was so hard.
(My hands are small
and my fingers
don’t reach an octave!)

I also learned that a choir or band/orchestra conductor
could be very humble and quiet
and still demand and receive respect.

During my senior year,
I viewed those conductors
in my high school
with a new set of eyes and ears
after singing and playing under the guidance
of folks like Jester Harrison,
Dr. Bodley,
and Curt Herbert Adler
during summer camp.

And because I was exposed
each summer to music therapy at C.O.P.,
I listened to music and internalized it
with a whole new set of ears.

This video is an experience with music
that my Swiss family shared.

Different kinds of music
creates different responses.
You can blow it off.
You can dance to it,
or you can join in!
Hah!
That music makes me hyper!
That’s our DeDe and her hubby, Andre’ in there!!

Music from a cello
or other soothing stringed instrument
sets my mind and body at ease.
Piano music can be very soothing.
Depends on the choice, of course.

This is my choice for soothing music.
If you have some time and want to just listen for a while,
see how this music relaxes you!
In contrast, ask “Alexa, shuffle music by Fluffy Machine.”
That’s my grandson, Nicky’s band. Oh my, it’ll jazz you up!

What’s one way I used “Music Therapy”
in my classroom?
It’s based on the Iso Principle.
Match the mood of the music
to the person’s mood;
Change the mood of the music,
and the person’s mood changes with it.


When my students came in from recess,
they were all hyper.
I played hyper music on my accordion
to match their mood
and gradually changed it to
calmer sounds.
Then we sang a song,

“It’s math time, math time,
Time to have some fun.
Please get out your books now,
Turn to page ___,
Be ready.
OK, we’ve begun.”

black click pen on white paper
Photo by Lum3n on Pexels.com

It worked!
They were all on the right page
and ready to begin!

Parade Magazine once had an article about music.
In it, the author wrote,
“Can you imagine your life without music?
It’s almost impossible.
Whether we are cruising in the car
headed to the beach on a hot summer day
or listening to muzak at a doctor’s office,
we are constantly surrounded by song.
Makeups, breakups, parties, hanging out with friends,
singing along with our kids, or caroling a Christmas tune
music stamps nearly every aspect of our life.
Much in the way a killer soundtrack accompanies a movie,
most of us have songs that accent each phase of our lives,
melodies that instantly bring us back
to specific moments or memories
when we hear them even years later.”

Is there a song or a piece of music that impacted your life?
Here is one of my favorites.

You can go to YouTube to hear this music
or you can ask “Alexa” or “Siri” to play this song by Susan Boyle.
It is the Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi.
I love it… and I want to be exactly that.

Let music change your life – every day!
Thank you, JetPack, for this prompt.
Thank you, dear blogging friends, for visiting.

See ya tomorrow.
Love,
JanBeek

Life without Enemies

handwritten message in black ink
Photo by Polina Kovaleva on Pexels.com

On his blog today, Rahul Gaur  invited his readers to create a poem inspired by another poet.. using opposites. Rahul”s blog site is titled:

SMOKE WORDS EVERY DAY.

THE HOME OF POETRY

His description of the Day 3 poetry prompt intrigued me:

NaPoWriMo Day 3: Find a shortish poem that you like, and rewrite each line, replacing each word (or as many words as you can) with words that mean the opposite. For example, you might turn “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?” to “I won’t contrast you with a winter’s night.” 

Then Rahul shared a poem he wrote using that “Opposite” prompt: On his blog site you can see a link to the original poem.

When I am standing on the edge ⁣⁣⁣
Revelling at the vista, which the mist blurs ⁣⁣⁣
I forget the lovely image, hers, as⁣⁣⁣
She fades… fades… fades away⁣⁣⁣
⁣⁣⁣
Over me, joy has taken me in its veil⁣⁣⁣
More a creature of this world ⁣⁣⁣
And one less angel on the earth⁣⁣⁣
I want nothing more, nothing less⁣⁣⁣
⁣⁣⁣
When I am standing on the edge ⁣⁣⁣
Revelling at the vista, which the mist blurs⁣⁣⁣
I think I recall the image, hers, again⁣⁣⁣
She passes…passes… passes by⁣⁣⁣
I want nothing less, nothing more


I picked up on Rahul’s prompt and decided to write a poem inspired by poet, Holly Haley.

The original poem: “Friendships”

Write life without friendships
And who would read it through?
Paint life without its friendships
Where is the rainbow hue?
Build life without its friendships
Who would live therein?
For friendship’s glow leads to the goal
That each of us would win.

poet: Molly A. Haley

And mine:

“Enemies”

Live life with enemies
And no one would join in
Scribble life with its enemies
And forget to add a grin.
Tear down life with its enemies
And regret the choices you choose
For death darkens your door
When you’ve no friends to lose.

Jan Beekman

Want to try your hand at this opposites poetry?
If so, I’d love to have you share it in the comments section here.
happy multiracial friends embracing on bench after basketball training
Photo by Monstera on Pexels.com
Friends are such an important part of every happy life!

On the other hand, enemies are sometimes hard to find (at least for me).
If you look at everyone through your Jesus glasses, you will see the divine in them.
You will pray for them, and you will realize that they are placed in your world to teach you.
What do your enemies teach you? Well, for one thing – they teach you what you don’t want to be!!

text in frame on wall
Photo by Brett Sayles on Pexels.com
Hmmm… what does that mean, “Front Toward Enemy”??
a massage therapist massaging a client s back
Photo by Anna Tarazevich on Pexels.com

You want that person at your back to be your friend, right?
When your friend says, “I’ve got your back,” what’s that mean?
To me it means, when my back is turned and someone intends to harm me,
my friend will be there to protect me.
Turning your back on your enemy can be dangerous!

How do we avoid having enemies?
Can we really live a life without them?
The PollyAnna in me says, “Of course!”

What do you think?

Just love one another!

Hugs to you,
JanBeek

Two Letter Words

There are useful words

Important to remember

When appropriate

OK and GO

AW

UM

We

Ah

Us

But the most important two letter word is

NO!

I say it, but not often enough. How about you?

How often do you say “no” to things that would interfere with your goals?

I will always love you —

( A Simple Poem inspired by a discussion between our 4 year old when she made mistakes that even the biggest mistakes aren’t enough to make us love her less – a window into God’s unconditional love and grace for us.) Pee on me, I’ll wipe you and me clean and make funny faces to […]

I will always love you —

Click on those blue words up there (I will always love you) and go to read this lovely poem in its entirety.

Thank you, GrowingGood Familiesgrowgoodfamilies.blog for letting me share.

Liquid Love – Dwight Roth

Love is not something solid that you give to someone such as a gift at Christmas. It is not a gift card from Target with a dollar amount written on …

Liquid Love

Reblog #16 – Our Mortality

Fear of Death?

Are you afraid of death?

I posted this blog about 4 years ago… and that fellow in the photo below has since gone to his eternal home. We all will meet again someday if we are believers. Are you? Let’s explore this topic together this Thanksgiving week as we thank God for each day He gives us, OK?

img_5416

When I asked this friend, “Are you afraid of death? he quickly responded, “Nope!” with assurance.

2018… yesterday, I had an ultrasound. The radiologist not only took a million pictures, but then she called in her senior partner and asked for her assistance.

Oh my! What were they seeing? How many angles did the image need?

By the way, it was my kidneys and bladder areas, not something less complicated – like my hand. (By the way, this year I broke my little finger in a fall… and believe me, I have learned there is nothing simple about your hand!!)

Later in the afternoon I received a call from the medical center. It didn’t surprise me when they asked me to schedule an appointment ASAP for an MRI. They needed a more definitive picture of whatever is in there. Something that’s not supposed to be, of course.

Photo by Chris J Mitchell on Pexels.com

Would your mind do what my mind did under the circumstances?

Would the big “C” word enter your mind? And would you contemplate your own mortality?

I did – and I am!

When I go to the medical center tomorrow and they receive the MRI results, and they say, “Your days are numbered. You are full of cancer,” would I panic?

No!

Why not? Well, all our days are numbered, aren’t they? Nobody’s going to get out of here alive.

Photo by eberhard grossgasteiger on Pexels.com

But, would I like to live a healthy 100 years
and then die peacefully and unexpectedly
in my sleep one night?

You bet!!

But, what are the chances? Pretty slim!

However, in today’s world, a person who has enjoyed good health and is living a healthy life style should expect to live at least into his/her 80’s. Don’t you agree?

Photo by Flickr on Pexels.com

After all, my parents lived into their late 80s, and so did both my in-laws. Genetically and socially, I expect to do the same. Wait, though…  I’m not quite 80 yet. (That was 2018… I am 82 or 83 already… but who’s counting?)

How would I feel about an eminent death sentence?

How would YOU feel? Have you faced such a challenge and overcome it?

My husband, Bob, was diagnosed with prostate cancer about a dozen years ago.

First step: We called my older cousin who is a Prostate Cancer Survivor “Poster Child.” We received tips from him. He recommended we get on line and learn everything we could about the disease and the treatment options. Go to renowned specialists (he named two). Get a second opinion. Keep a positive outlook. Pray. Share. Ask friends and family to pray with you. Seek professional advice. Research your options. Be your own best advocate. Remain positive.”

Second step: We did all those things, and Bob chose cryotherapy – he had his prostate frozen – and he is “in remission.” Cancer free – and living the “Golden Years” with me!

If I should learn that my days are short, I would miss my loved ones here on earth, of course. But would I be afraid of dying? As my friend said when I asked him that question, I can emphatically say, “Nope!”

I know where I’m going. I know my Redeemer lives and has a place reserved for me in Heaven. And, I pray you BELIEVE, too. Then, we can be assured we will see each other in Paradise and we will enjoy eternal joy together.

See you there someday …Hopefully not too soon!

Have a very Happy Thanksgiving, my friends.
We certainly have much to be thankful for, don’t we?

Love,
JanBeek

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