Loving One Another

Archive for the ‘holidays’ Category

Celebrate July 4th, Ennis, MT


Celebrate July 4th in Ennis, MT

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Independence Day in Ennis, Montana is like stepping back 50 years.

The Firemen put on a pancake breakfast and feed over 800 people.

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The parade blocks off Hiway 287 traffic for two hours. The floats are simple. The horses are wonderful. The old cars are fun to see. The children are delightful.

Grand Marshalls' buggy

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This video taken when we were watching it from Main Street a couple years ago gives you a real good glimpse of our parade. My friend, Mary Oliver, was Grand Marshall.

This year we watched from across the way from our Manor, the nursing home. The residents come out in their wheelchairs to enjoy the festivities. Some voolunteers served them rootbeer floats and presented the with July 4th hats or crowns. Adorable!!

Betty Blue-eyes

It was overcast and a little cool
when the sun went behind a cloud,
but it did not rain on our parade!
Thank you, God!

Manor residents ready for parade

Manor ice cream floats

I volunteered at our Senior Center to offer coffee, water, donuts, and restroom facilities to the more than 6,000 visitors who came to our little town of 1,000 residents on this special occasion.

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My friend, Lynn,
who is President of our Sr. Center Board of Directors,
spear-headed the effort.

Lynn @ ESC

The rodeo is good-ole western down-home country.

And after the rodeo, we all have a BBQ
or invite neighbors and friends to come home with us.

July 4- girl

The neighbors invite the neighbors to come dine with them in their welcoming homes.

Ducsays home sign

Dinner at Ducsays

What a lovely evening we had!
Just look at that view from our neighbor’s patio!
(Our house is beyond the trees to the left.)

You gotta experience it to believe it.

Maybe next year YOU can come to Ennis, Montana to experience the Firemen’s breakfast, the parade, the hospitality of the Sr. Center and the residents’ homes, and the rodeo.

Hope you had a Happy 4th of July.

What did you do if you were in the USA? And if you’re in another country, do you have similar celebratory experiences to celebrate your country’s independence or founding? Tell me about it!

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Thanks for joining me!
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See ya tomorrow.

Category:

children, Family, friendship, holidays, Love, Montana

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Marvelous Mountains


Nature at its Best!!

Clover Meadows - gate

The Gravelly Range

With its wildflower fields

Nature at its best!

Another great day

With super four-wheeling friends

And our pup, TazE

That’s our TazE (Taz for Tasmanian Devil and E for Ears). She’s a love.

The wildflowers were spectacular!

pink wildflowers

wildflowers in Gravellys

Here are our friends, Barb & Don, brought their dog, Charlie.

Charlie in wildflowers

And here are Barb & Don with both dogs:

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And below I’m the one in short sleeves…
and Bob’s the guy in short pants!
Our buddies are great fun!

Won’t you click the arrow and come join us?

Yes, we got a little rain before we returned home,
but “Lucille” (our red-headed ATV – Polaris Razor –
who is a Ball), kept us dry!

rain on windshield -ATV

What are your plans for this week?
In the USA we’ll celebrate Independence Day.
It’s a big deal in a Ennis, MT.
Nearly 6,000 extra folks come into our town
– our population’s only 1,000 –
for our Firehouse pancake breakfast,
4th of July parade,
and rodeo.
I’ll post pictures on Thursday. OK?
If you’re in the area, join us!

You have a blessed week.

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See ya tomorrow

Category:

Animals, flowers, friendship, Haiku, holidays, life, Love, Montana, nature, pets, Poetry, Travel

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Unbearable Sermon Message


Unbearable

Some Sundays, the sermon message is unbearable! But, I go, I listen, and I try to discern what God is trying t tell me. I let the minister speak to my heart and I ask God to help me be discerning.

Today was one of those days when I longed for a pastor who could divert her attention from the lectionary cycle and get with the stuff that is more “cultural.” After all, it’s Father’s Day! I don’t want to hear about the unbearable!

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Photo by Kat Jayne on Pexels.com

But, based on John 16: 12-15, somehow Rev. Jean Johnson at our Madison Valley Presbyterian church came us with this unlkely message for today:

Unbearable

Jesus did not tell His disciples
All that He had to say.
He said some things were unbearable.
They’d hear them another day.
.
Preparing for vacation, a family
Was told to come right away.
There had been an accident –
Too unbearable to hear any day!
.
Their son had not survived.
They were devastated, of course.
How can we respond or help?
We can’t fathom their remorse.
.
Think of a time when indeed,
Delight and splendor were spilled overboard.
Ever had so much happiness
You could only say, “Thank You, Lord”?
.
The touch of your spouse’s love
Can be beautifully unbearable
When you know forgiveness
Was given for the unshareable.
.
Things can be unbearably wonderful,
Or they can be unbearably awful.
Unbearable opens our hearts to love.
The opposite, unfeeling, should be unlawful!
.
When you bear the unbearable,
God is with you, alive and well.
In tears of joy or cries of agony,
God’s more present than we can tell.
.
When life is too big, too real,
Too much – too much to bear,
That’s when we know God for sure,
When the Spirit declares, “I Am There.”
.
Nothing is withheld from God.
We may feel a flutter like a dove…
It’s God, who is lifting us up.
When in the unbearable, we feel His love.
.
Thank You, God!
You never fail me!

Amen?
Amen!

I pray you had an UNBEARABLY joyful
Father’s Day today!
heart of love
See ya tomorrow.

Category:

Bible Lessons, God, holidays, Life's Challenges, Love, Poetry

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Universal Responsibility


Universal Responsibility

 

Memorial Day – a day to remember
Those who gave their lives
That we might enjoy freedom.
How quickly that freedom dies!
Some want our soldiers to believe
They are giving their lives so we
Can live in liberty and can behave
However we choose – we are free!

Free – what do you think it means?
Free to worship as we please  –
Free to squander resources at random –
Free to waste and abuse? Jeez!!

Today more than ever before,
We must exhibit a life of respect.
We must oppose the forces of hate
And show love for all … Otherwise expect
Universal Destruction!

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I want to be free to see a world with:

  • no war
  • no hate
  • no hunger
  • no suffering
  • no abuse
  • no prejudice
  • no squandering

May have to wait for the Promise of Eternity, huh?

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Photo by Reynaldo #brigworkz Brigantty on Pexels.com

JUST LOVE ONE ANOTHER!!!

Have a Love-filled Memorial Day
Be the Missing Peace!!

See you tomorrow

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Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Category:

holidays, Living in Harmony, Love, Memories, Poetry, Promises, respect

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Learners All


We are learners all
Living in Discovery
New every morning

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Sunday Sermon Notes
“Learners”
– based on John 14:23-29
– preached by Rev. Jean Johnson
– poetic notes by JanBeek

.
We cannot hold on to life.
It is not ours to control.
The winds of time blow over us,
And our life continues to roll.
.
Jesus gives us a precious gift,
The one we can count on today
And always: PEACE! He gives it
To us… speaks it as He is going away.
.
He leaves us with a peace that
Passes all earthly understanding.
He promises, “I will be with you…
Love Me – Obey Me,” He’s commanding.
.
Reading scripture daily is a way
To know the Word and live it.
Praying daily is a way to receive
His love, so we can give it.
.
Love, Life, Word and Spirit are
The way His peace we receive.
The reality of these gifts are ours
When we learn His Word and Believe.
.
Let not your heart be troubled.
Let go your grasp for life’s control.
Give it to God, your Anchor;
Let His peace permeate your soul.
.
Amen?
.
Amen!

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Photo by ♫ ♪ on Pexels.com

Happy Memorial Day in the USA
(A day to remember those who
have fought and died for our freedom)
.
See you tomorrow

Category:

God, Haiku, holidays, learning, Life and Death, Living in Christ's Family, Love, peace, Poetry, Promises, Serving One Another

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Joy at Easter


Easter is a time of joy.

Of course it is! It’s the day of “Hosanna! Hosanna in the Highest! He is Risen! He is Risen Indeed!” We sang at Sunrise service (even though it was a rainy day and we couldn’t see the sun), and we went to church and sang joyfully there.

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Photo by David Jakab on Pexels.com

But in addition to its spiritual meaning, Easter has a social meaning, too. It is a family day. In my family, when I was growing up in central California, USA, it always was a day my sister and I got to wear pretty new dresses with shiny new shoes. We had an Easter egg hunt. We gathered with relatives for a sumptuous dinner of ham with pineapple and scalloped potatoes with cheese, lots of different vegetables, and a variety of home-made desserts. Aunt Angie’s Easter pie with a hard-boiled egg hidden in the enter of it was always part of the offerings. We played with our cousins. It was a day to look forward to and a day to remember.

silver spoon and forks beside vegetables

In my world today, the pretty new dresses are not a part of the celebration. Wool pants and a cozy sweatshirt was the way to block out the Montana cold. The shiny new shoes gave way to boots to keep my feet dry. No Easter egg hunt in pouring down rain!

red and gray rain boots near pink umbrella

But the part that hasn’t changed is the family gathering. It may not have been aunts and uncles and cousins. We didn’t have Aunt Angie’s Easter pie. But we had my granddaughter, Hope, and her husband Drew, and their almost two-year-old, my great-grandson, Xander. They joined us at church and stayed for the church ham dinner potluck afterward. What a joy! Look at how Xander is growing!

Hope Xander Drew

And we had our grandson, Chris, with us. If you have been following my blog, you met Chris earlier when he came from Switerland late last year and decided to go unshaven for awhile and be a “Montana Mountain Man.”

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Well, look at him now! He’s been at the Anaconda Job Corps since last February and is studying to be a heavy equipment mechanic. He’s taken off 30 pounds (with exercise and careful food intake) since he arrived in the USA last Thanksgiving. He’s feeling fit – and looking happy. What a wonderful Easter gift it was to have him with us this weekend!

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Easter IS a time of JOY. It looks different at different times of our lives, but with God and family as the focus, it always is a time to thank Jesus for His wonderful gift of love. It’s a time to shout “Hosannah! Hallelujah! He is risen indeed!”

Happy Easter!
How did you spend your day?

 

Category:

blessings, children, Family, food, God, happiness, holidays, Jesus, Love, Memories

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Sing to the Lord


purple petaled flowers centerpiece

Photo by Giftpundits.com on Pexels.com

Easter morning’s here

It is a great time to sing

Let your voices ring!

Happy Easter!

Category:

Faith, Haiku, holidays, Love, music

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