Spreading love, joy, peace, faith & unity

Archive for the ‘Gratitude’ Category

April 1st – A Day to Choose

Choose wisely! Don’t let yourself be fooled!

Today is a special day in our family. My great-granddaughter, Mable, turns a big TWO today. She is the child of our chosen granddaughter, Faith. What a blessed day it was when she, as a newborn, was gifted into our Beekman family!!

Mable is such a love!!!
BUT, don’t be fooled, Mable.
Those blocks are not for eating!!

Also in the picture below is my “chosen” granddaughter, Kayla. Her 28th birthday is today. Mable and Kayla were born on this special day to be conduits of God’s love!

I am with our daughter #2, Laina, and her daughter, Kayla. Don’t be fooled… that was several years ago! But, hey… aren’t we a happy trio? Laina and Kayla (and her sister Katy) are dear ones we have chosen to be part of our family. We are so blessed by them!

Do you have “chosen ones” who have added love and joy to your family?

Do you know that YOU are a chosen one, too?

light person red art
Photo by Marek Piwnicki on Pexels.com


In her message today, “Corine @ Therapy For Christians” cwilliams@therapyforchristians.com had this message for us about the idea of being “chosen”:

“…as you navigate the complexities of life, know that you are not merely a recipient of grace but also a conduit of it to those around you, you are called to bear fruit – fruit that will last. Just as God’s grace has chosen you, you are empowered to extend that same grace to others. 

This week, contemplate on practical ways to become vessels of God’s love and grace. Choose to share His grace through acts of kindness, words of encouragement, or simply being present for someone in need. In doing so, you actively participate in God’s redemptive plan, becoming a tangible reflection of His love in a world that often hungers for acceptance and understanding.

Allow His grace to permeate every aspect of your being, guiding you toward a life that bears fruit and brings glory to His name. Trust in His sovereign plan for your life, knowing that you are chosen, loved, and appointed to walk in His purpose. And remember, growth in any area of life, starts with growth in Him…”

So, on this April Fool’s Day, be careful what and who you choose. Be mindful! Don’t be fooled!

John 15:16 KJV
“Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.”

We are chosen! Hallelujah! Now let’s go out and spread the love!!

Happy April 1st!
It’s a day for choosing.
Choose love, not pranks!
God Bless You!

Love,
JanBeek

Silent Saturday

In silent awe,

JanBeek ❤️

Daily Routines Help Us Cope

This week one of our writing prompts was:
What strategies do you use
to cope with negative feelings?

My daily routine helps me nip any negativity in the bud! I invite you to adopt this 12 step program, too. You don’t need a 12 step staircase like mine to do it. You can do it sitting in a chair! I say this 12 step prayer every morning on my way down the circular staircase from my sanctuary:

1. Thank You for the love
2. the joy and
3. the peace that are mine. Help me with
4. Patience,
5. Kindness,
6. Goodness, and
7. Faithfulness that brings blessings.
8. Gentleness and
9. Self-control.
10. Help me live humbly with an attitude of gratitude, and
11. a response of generosity, forgiveness,
12. Obedience and integrity.

In Jesus name,
Amen!

May your day be filled with love and joy!
May you adopt a daily routine that helps you chase any negative feelings away!

God Bless You!
Hugs,
JanBeek
(and Bob ‘n Owen, too)

More Than a Job

Today’s prompt was:
What’s your dream job?

My career as an educator was more than a job. More than a “dream job.” It was a beautiful calling. It was a gift. I was a teacher. I loved my students, my teaching colleagues, the joy of making a positive difference in someone’s life.

Today I had the wonderful privilege of reconnecting with a student who was in my first and then second grade classrooms back around 1969-70. Today she is a teacher – and has been honored by being selected as the Turlock School District and Stanislaus County “Teacher of the Year.” Congratulations to Eva Marquez Lear!! Thank you for expressing your gratitude and recounting your love and reaching out to tell me I was one main reason you decided to become a teacher. It’s more than our “dream job” … it’s our calling, our gift … pass it on. God bless you!!

Eva & me today

What’s YOUR dream job?

Love, JanBeek

My Mission

Today’s WordPress Prompt was:
“What is your mission?”

My mission is to spread God’s love, live in faith, and “bee” an inspiration for others to do likewise!

How about you? What is your mission? You know we each are put in this world for a purpose. Do you know yours? How are you fulfilling it?

Meet with old friends! Today we reconnected with my high school buddy, Monica, and the wife of my senior class sweetheart. Carolyn is fulfilling one of her missions: taking care of Jerry !!
God bless Carolyn & Jerry! Such fun to reconnect with them. Jerry and I had a year of wonderful fun together in 1956-57!!

And Bob reconnected with Monica … with whom he attended Sunday School every week during his childhood. So precious!!

No friends like old friends!!

Our mission is to spread love and joy wherever we go. What a wonderful way to begin this new year of 2024! Our travels in California have been blessed with great weather, family, friends, and Bob’s 85th birthday celebration along the Pacific coast. Such fun!!

Alan & Ingrid with Bob at Monterey Aquarium.

Alan & Ingrid with us at Big Sur.

Then precious time with my brilliant cousin, Adrian, and his wife, Laura.

Life doesn’t get too much better than this!

God bless my birthday boy!
My main mission besides spreading God’s love: take care of this BeeBoy! I’m so blessed to have him in my life all these 65 years!! I pray we have many more.

God bless you!

Have a wonderful week.

Love, JanBeek ❤️

Beginning ‘24 in CA

While it snows in Montana, we bask in gorgeous CA sunshine with family & friends!Just right temps!

It’s a great way to welcome the new year!

God is good! Life is wonderful! After celebrating Bob’s 85th birthday with his two brothers and their wives, we are now with dear friends here in Pebble Beach for a few days.

Last week this part of the 17 Mile Drive in Carmel/Monterey was closed due to high tides. Open now, we are soaking up the beauty!

Yesterday we went wine tasting in Carmel with Alan & Ingrid. Such fun!

Today we’re headed for the Monterey Aquarium. Stay tuned! I’ll be back!

How has your 2024 begun?

Did you go to church to begin the year? Have you thanked God for your new day!? Please do!

Cherish family!

Shine the light of love and spread the gift of peace wherever you go! God bless you!

Love ❤️ JanBeek

Highlights of 2023

1) Time with family & friends is so precious! That time heads the highlights. I hope you had quality time with your loved ones last year, too

Bob’s the middle brother – time with brothers Bruce & Bill can’t be beat!

We love visiting family – like my cousin, Adrian & his dear wife, Laura.

When friends/colleagues from the past take time to share with us, we feel so blessed. This is sweet Suzette Stavrianoudakis who taught with me back in the 80’s-90’s.

The opportunity to go to worship with our son,Ty, his wife Monika, her parents, and our granddaughter & her hubby & Mable, one of our 3 our great-granddaughters, was a very special highlight. Ty& Moni visited us in Montana, and we are enjoying the beginning of 2024 with them.

I loved visiting with my college roomie, Sue Booth, who also was a bridesmaid in our 1962 wedding!

Nothing beats the highlight of seeing your 85 year old birthday boy holding his one-day old great- grandson.

But very close to that best highlight is the privilege of praying for 5-yr. old Eli as he experienced brain surgery and had an amazing recovery. Our last picture of him showed a happy 6-year old smiling as he sat on his surgeon’s lap. Praise God! Answered prayers (too numerous to mention) always are highlights!

It’s hard to beat visits from people like Peter Martin (and Victor Salazar) former 1970’s wrestling students of Bob’s. They came from states away to spend time with their old coach. What a treat!!

When our daughter, De, & her hubby showed up from Switzerland surprising us with our 1980-81 AFS son, Christian Zufferey, and his wife, Célia, the surprise was the greatest one imaginable!

A week before that our oldest Swiss grandson, Mike & his wife, Tania, came with friends for a week. Like I said, time with family & friends we’re our greatest highlights.

Mike’s younger brother, Nick, visited with his sweetheart, Céline, also. Goodness, how blessed can you get, huh?

We love having time with friends and family. When will you come to Ennis, MT to visit us?

July is a great time to be in Ennis. Put it on your list, ok? Make it a highlight of your 2024!

What were your 2023 highlights?

Hugs from

JANBEEK ❤️🤗

You Matter

I hope you know

How much you matter to me

Your presence in my life

Whether real or virtually

Makes my life better.

Thank you!

Have a really Merry, Healthy, Happy, Blessed Christmas!

Sending lotsa love,

JanBeek

Just “Bee”

It’s okay to “Bee”
Just “bee” without any fret
Just “bee” contented

Release any pain
Let go all uncertainty
Turn over the keys

Relaxing is hard
Whence comes the ability
To just simply “bee”?

Psalm 42: 5-11

5 Why, my soul, are you downcast?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God.

6 My soul is downcast within me;
therefore I will remember you
from the land of the Jordan,
the heights of Hermon—from Mount Mizar.

7 Deep calls to deep
in the roar of your waterfalls;
all your waves and breakers
have swept over me.

8 By day the LORD directs his love,
at night his song is with me—
a prayer to the God of my life.

9 I say to God my Rock,
“Why have you forgotten me?
Why must I go about mourning,
oppressed by the enemy?”

10 My bones suffer mortal agony
as my foes taunt me,
saying to me all day long,
“Where is your God?”

11 Why, my soul, are you downcast?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God.

To “Just bee” in peace
Gratefully receive God’s good
Live life without lack

Gratefully receive
The grace God is giving you
To see your blessings

“Just a little more”
Is not the way to JUST BEE
Praise God for your gifts

The real truth is
We have more than enough
To live gratefully

young woman sitting in apartment on second level with plants
Photo by Ksenia Chernaya on Pexels.com

Take a look around
You might just be overwhelmed
When you really see

See all your blessings
We are so much better off
Than most other folks

Let Us Pray
(from In Touch devotional by Charles Stanley)

God, it is easy to focus on that is wrong in my life
rather than what is right.

I find myself overwhelmed
by all the injustice, pain, and division in the world.

Forgive me for the times I’ve chosen to feed negativity,
to spread hopelessness among my friends and family.

But I’m not alone in my grief,
You are heartbroken by these things, too.

So Lord, I pray for Your guidance in sorrow.

I want to lament all that is wrong –
without being consumed by it.

Teach me to balance grief
with the assurance of Your love.

May my heartbreak, empathy, and faith
play a role in Your healing of the world.

Amen

So, let us just “bee”
Bee friends; Reach out to others
Live life without lack

We’ve more than enough
Of God’s love and compassion
Jesus gave it all!

Like a honeybee
Let’s distribute what we have
To make life better…

for everyone!
Let it “Bee”


To just make your world
“bee” a better place today,
What can you just give?

Love,
JanBeek

Favorite Place in My City

Hmmm… the prompt for today
asked me to tell what is
my favorite place to go
in my city…

Is that question assuming we all live in a city?
Thank God, I don’t!

cars on road in city during night time
Photo by KEHN HERMANO on Pexels.com

Now, I don’t mean to offend those of you in cities
who love living where there are bright lights,
lots of traffic, big buildings, and crowds of people.
BUT,

Give me one main street,
cars I can count on my two hands,
businesses who know customers by name,
plentiful opportunities for building friendships
as well as volunteering to help others,
mountains in the background,
and a river that runs through it…
and I’ll be happy!

My favorite places to go in my little town?
1. Our independent version of McDonalds is “Sugar High”
(It has great burgers and terrific huckleberry shakes)
2. The Manor Nursing Home
(I love helping the residents there – it’s such a loving place)
3. The Madison Valley Library
(We have a five star library… doesn’t get any better!)
4. Lion’s Club Park
(The walking trail bordering the Madison River is divine)

In a little town like Ennis,
you can see the stars at night.
No bright lights to block out their beauty…

Now, why would I want to live in a city?

What’s your favorite place to go in your “city”?

Hugs to you wherever you are…
JanBeek