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Celebrate July!!


I have taken a week off from blogging…
time to enjoy company …
time to enjoy summer finally!

July is a month
Of special celebrations
First: Back on the road

Bob, TazE and I were invited to join our friends, Mike and Julie, on an ATV ride into the Gravelly Range.

Julie & Mike brought their
wonderful dog, Zeke.

The wildflowers were out in full bloom, and my friend, Susan Phillips, captured their beauty magnificently. What you see is the Madison Valley and the Sphinx in the Madison Range in the background. Impressive, huh?

Thank you, Susan, for letting me share some of your photos.

I captured some of the panoramic scenery. It was such a pretty day!

The fields of wild mustard and other wildflowers were breathtaking!
The fields are so green.
The cattle are happy grazers!
Bob & I thought this was a
beautiful place to stop for a lunch break.
That’s Bob holding TazE’s leash…
And Julie bending low in front.
She and Mike were our drivers…
and Caroline & CG were the trip organizers.
Caroline & Chuck-
dear friends!

Then, other dear friends, the Tillions,
came from California to spend a few days with us.

Ingrid & Alan Tillion

We went to our nearby tourist attraction,
Virginia City, and enjoyed time together there.
No time to blog… too busy being in the moment!

Ingrid & Alan almost missed the hailstorm –
but not quite! We got hammered!!

We went on the 4th to watch the parade from the comfort of our friends’, the Washburns, beautiful yard. They provided breakfast and lunch for an amazing group of their friends. We felt privileged to be included and to be invited to bring the Tillions with us.

Alan, Bob, Jan & Ingrid
Such a beautiful Independence Day!
The parade came right in front of our lovely, shaded area at the Washburns.
I loved the painted horse.
Back at home, we were treated to
our own neighborhood parade
with the Welna Family… too cute!

To continue our July celebrations,
we went with the Tillions to Bozeman
on July 5th, and we all enjoyed a
yummy brunch at Jam! (my favorite BZN brkfst)

Mmmmm… it was delicious!

We didn’t stop there… yesterday we invited our pastor, Rev. Mary Grace Reynolds, to come celebrate her birthday with us. So you can see why I have not blogged for a few days. It’s been a wonderful time of face-to-face with people who are dear to our hearts. No better way to celebrate!

Happy Birthday, MGR!!
We’re so happy you are a part of our lives!
You make us happier with your presence.

It’s good to be back on my blog.
I thank you for visiting and sharing time with us.
I hope you will share how you are celebrating July, too.

Happy Trails to You!

See ya again soon, I hope.
Have a beautiful rest of your week.
What will you be doing? Tell me…

Love,
JanBeek

Category:

Family, flowers, friendship, holidays, Love, Montana, mountains, nature, pets, relationships

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Wear Red!


Today was a day
we were encouraged
to wear red.

My cast insures
that I’ll wear red
whether I want to or not!

Hello from Bob & me

Tomorrow the pins
will come out
and the cast
comes off!

Then my prayer
is that the swelling
decreases & flexibility
begins to return.

That will be
a time to celebrate.
Don’t you agree?
Wheeee!

Oh, but why
“Wear Red”
You ask?
It’s Pentacost!

Photo by Adonyi Gu00e1bor on Pexels.com

Tongues of fire
Descended on the folks
Gathered at the Temple

The tongues of fire
Were the Holy Spirit
Entering the Disciples

Here’s how the story goes:

At the Last Supper, Jesus instructed His disciples to go out into the world to minister and heal the sick on their own. Fifty days after Jesus’ death, the Holy Spirit (with tongues of fire) descended onto the disciples, allowing them to speak in tongues. All the people from all parts of the world who were gathered there were able to hear the Word in their own language as the apostles (filled with the Holy Spirit) spoke to them. Some explanations say that it was the “Pentecostal experience” that allowed the apostles direct communication with God. The PBS News Hour explanation of Pentecost says, “That signaled a major shift in the religious landscape and laid the foundation for what would become Christianity.”

Pentecost shares roots with the Jewish holiday, Shavu’ot. Since that holiday’s liturgical color is red, to symbolize the apostles “tongues of fire” and also the blood of martyrs, sometimes Christians will dress in red or decorate churches with red. Many churches hold baptisms and confirmations on that day, as well. (Our church was decorated in red and we held a fellowship hour after church celebrating the graduation of three of our young people from elementary to high school – and from high school to college.)

Many artists have tried to depict what
that day of Pentecost
must have been like
for the people there.

This is one of my favorites:

Here is another favorite…
It shows the people from various cultures,
each of whom speak a different language,
receiving the Holy Spirit.
God’s sign of UNITY
through and within
our diversity.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful
if we all could have a “Pentecostal experience”
where we understand every language
as if it were spoken in our own tongue?
No more language barriers?

How are you celebrating Pentecost today?
Are you wearing red?
Let’s all celebrate
UNITY
through and within
our diversity.

LOVE is why Jesus came!
Pentecost is a day
to celebrate His continued presence
through the Holy Spirit
sent to live in each of us!!

God bless you.
See you later…
After the pins come out!

Love,
JanBeek

Category:

Belief, Bible Lessons, Faith, God, holidays, Jesus, Life's Challenges, Living in Christ's Family, Living in Harmony, Love, peace, Poetry, relationships

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He’s Alive!


I serve a RISEN Savior
who is alive in me
through the Holy Spirit.

How about you?

Let His Light Shine!

These images of Christ are my favorites.

I am wearing a red sweatshirt today
that has a bright yellow sun in the upper left,
with blue, yellow, and white flowers
in the middle bottom.
The words on the upper right say,
“Kids make
the day
BRIGHTER!”
The letter are in green
to match the flowers’ leaves,
and in yellow
to match the bright sunshine.

Photo by Negative Space on Pexels.com

On Easter Sunday we were expecting our granddaughter with her husband and two children. We hadn’t seen our granddaughter and her littlest one since before Christmas. They were scheduled to come at 2:00 pm for Easter dinner. No way we imagined they could come to walk with us at Easter sunrise. They live an hour away. But, coming for lunch would be wonderful.

At 1:00 pm I received a call from her husband. They had two or three reasons why I should not expect them after all. The table was set; the Easter gifts there; the Easter eggs with chocolates inside them were hidden in the downstairs music/game room. I was beyond disappointed. But, he said they would come on Wednesday instead. They’d be here at 11:00 am, he said.

Today is Wednesday. At 10:30 I got a call. I thought it was probably them saying they are on their way. No, that wasn’t the message. Instead, it was my grandson-in-law telling me my granddaughter is at the hospital. She can’t come. I won’t post here the reason. Suffice to say, she needs our prayers. I don’t know if he left her there (so she is in the hospital) or if he took her home … but he said he is coming with the kids without her.

Take a look again at those pencil drawings of Jesus. Which one is closest to the age of my great-grandchildren?

The second one… the one he is tickling could be my great-grandson. Make that big sister over His shoulder into a little sister. My great-grandkids are 3 and 5. Imagine Bob & me with them this afternoon. Pray that we can make them feel as happy as Jesus makes all those children feel.

Christ is alive in us. We have the love, joy, and peace of the Holy Spirit. He gave it to us. Lord, help us pass it on, OK?

Kids DO make the day brighter. Help us make their day brighter, too, OK?

They were this little two years ago when we took the to lunch here in Ennis around Christmas time. I posted the following photo of me with my great-granddaughter last Christmas when we met them up in Big Sky and had lunch together there – just the kids and their mom. Their dad couldn’t join us.

It was summer time when we saw them before that. Their mom & grandma (our daughter-in-law) are in this photo.

This time it’s just the dad and kids
and the mom can’t join us.
We look forward to the day
when we can ALL be together again!

I’ll post this evening
to show you
how they have grown now (God willing)…
we are waiting for them now.

Pray with me, will you?
Lord (our Living Savior),
guide their daddy
and the children
safely to their great-grandparents
in Ennis, MT today.
Please.
Thank you!
Amen.

See ya later!
Thanks for visiting
JanBeek

Category:

blessings, children, Faith, Family, God, Gratitude, holidays, Jesus, Life's Challenges, Love, Montana, prayer, Promises, relationships

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What’s Good About Good Friday?


That was the question we explored at tonight’s Good Friday service:
What’s Good About Good Friday?

Yesterday in my post titled, “Last Words,”
I promised I’d tell you about our Good Friday service.
I told you our pastor, Mary Grace Reynolds,
had selected passages from scripture
that recorded Jesus’ last words.

I shared a few of Jesus’ last words spoken that
last Friday … words that were memorable to me:

  1. Mark 14: 24-25 = Last supper – blood of the covenant poured out for you
  2. Mark 14:27-31 = Prediction of Peter’s denial
  3. Mark 14:35-36 = Take this cup from me…
  4. Mark 14:42-43 = Are you still sleeping? … the betrayer is coming
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

But those quotes were from Jesus’ last conversations with His disciples
before He was arrested… before He was hung on the cross.

Tonight’s “Last Words” were from the cross:

  1. Luke 23: 33-34 = “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.”
  2. Luke 23: 39-43 = “Truly I tell you, you will be with me…”
  3. John 19: 25-27 = “Woman, here is your son…”
  4. Matthew 27: 45-49 = “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
  5. John 28: 28-29 = “I am thirsty”
  6. Luke 23: 44-46 = “Father, into Your hands…”
  7. John 19: 30 = “It is finished.”

The selection that was mine to read was #4. I practiced it a lot and still goofed up when I tried to read it orally because the scripture tells it in the language Jesus spoke: “Eloi! Eloi! Lama sabachthani!” I can say it just fine sitting here at my computer – but in front of the congregation? Put on the spot? I faked it! I hope most didn’t notice. I’m sure Jesus forgives me!

Each of us who read was invited to create and share a reflection and a prayer related to our selection.
Here is what I said: “Like Jesus, there are times in our lives when we are in great suffering or turmoil, and we feel God has forsaken us. The Good News is He never has and He never will.”

That’s what’s Good about Good Friday!

Jesus took away our sin. He died for us. Because of His life, death, and resurrection, we can dare to approach God knowing He will never forsake us. Never!

My prayer was this:

“O God, You are our hope and our salvation.
Your Son is our gift, our gateway, our guide.
We thank You for His sacrifice for our sake
that we might be assured of Life Eternal
with You in Heaven.

Thank You for never forsaking us
when we enter Your presence in faith.
We give You our hearts and gratitude.
Amen.”


Tomorrow is “Silent Saturday.”
I will not blog.

I’ll be busy Easter Sunday
with sunrise service and church
and guests here for dinner.
(Hopefully my granddaughter, Hope,
and her hubby and two children,
Xander & Sienna,
will be among the guests)

I bet you will be busy
doing meaningful things
this weekend also.
Happy Easter!

See ya Monday (God willing)
Love,
JanBeek

Category:

Belief, Bible Lessons, Faith, God, Gratitude, holidays, Jesus, Love, music, prayer, Promises

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Happy 2sDay


Today (22-02-2022)
-or 2/22/22 as we record it here –
is a palindrome day,
which is a number or word that can
be read the same way forwards and backwards.

Several commenters were excited
to celebrate their 22nd birthday
on the same date as “Twosday.”

Also, starting at 2:00 pm in Las Vegas
(touted to be the wedding capitol of the world),
222 couples said their wedding vows
in a group ceremony
that ended
at exactly 2:22 pm.

Would you dash to Las Vegas
to be part of such a crowd
for such an important occasion
in your life?

I wouldn’t!

How did you spend your Twosday?

Bob & TazE and I spent ours at home –
snowed in with two foot deep
( appropriate for 2’sday)
snow drifts behind my car
and a pickup that was
unable to start –
Frozen in
-10 degree
temperatures!
Brrr!

It wasn’t “two bad.”
We were cozy inside.

How did you spend your 2’sDay?

Category:

holidays, Love

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The Gift of Love


Love is a gift from God.
Love is an action word.
Bob Goff wrote a book:
“Love Does” – have you heard?

Have you heard the Word
That tells us how to love?
It’s in Corinthians 13 –
Instructions from above.

In her post today, Caralyn of “Beauty Beyond Bones” explained her thoughts on the subject of the Source of our love. She remarked about the newest Time Magazine featuring a cover photo of Jesus. The caption, “Who Do You Say that I Am?” caused her to give us a wonderful Valentine’s Day answer:

Caralyn wrote:

“You are my best friend.
The source and foundation of my recovery.
You are my hope in hard times,
my gratitude in the good,
my comfort in fear,
my joy in the everyday,
my courage and fortitude.
You are the fullness of my heart.
You are the grace
running through my veins.
You are my everything.”

https://wordpress.com/post/35023548/25969
(Hopefully this link will take you to
Caralyn’s post today:
A God Wink Valentine)

In my devotional time with In Touch, the daily readings by Charles Stanley, the subject of love was linked to our faith. Yes, it is within all things – because all things were made by our Creator – made with love and care! But the reflection on today’s scripture reminded us that “… accepting God’s love is a matter of faith. Even when you can’t feel it, believe it.“

1 John 4:7-10
“7 Dear friends,
let us love one another,
for love comes from God.
Everyone who loves
has been born of God
and knows God.
8 Whoever does not love does not know God,
because God is love.
9 This is how God showed his love among us:
He sent his one and only Son into the world
that we might live through him.
10 This is love: not that we loved God,
but that he loved us
and sent his Son
as an atoning sacrifice
for our sins.”

Love is a gift from God.
We can do nothing to earn it –
But it is ours to share!

Charles Stanley wrote:
“No one is worthy of God’s grace and mercy…
To consider yourself beyond the reach of grace
is to trample on the Son’s sufficient sacrifice
and the Father’s generous gift.”

Wear your love on your sleeve.
Radiate love with each smile.
Let love stay behind when you leave –
It’s renewable – it’s your style!

Take my heart –
and please don’t break it!
Love was make for you and me!

Thanks for visiting JanBeek today.

I send my love to you.


Happy Valentine’s Day!
See ya tomorrow (God willing)

Category:

Bible Lessons, books, Faith, God, holidays, Jesus, Love, music, Poetry

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The Rhone River Valley


We went down the Alps

On public transportation

Spending the weekend

Don’t let the sheer cliffs scare you. This driver knows what he’s doing! Thank God!!

You’d enjoy the ride

Putting trust in the driver

He’s quite talented

We’re just relaxing

In Grandmaman’s lovely home

So blessed to be here!

Here’s Nick & Céline

They treated us yesterday

Pink Asian in Sierre

Great breakfast again

At Grandmaman’s lovely home

Sierre, Switzerland

Listening to bells

Is such a rare privilege

I wish you were here!

Our DeDe is such a blessing!

This is a typical scene of flower boxes in Vissoie. They are beautiful at De & André’s chalet.

Did I show you that brief video earlier? It was in my saved drafts.

This afternoon we had a wonderful lunch with Theu and Célia. Their son, Aurélien, lived with us in 2004-5 when we took a motorhome trip from CA to MT and UT and found our Ennis home. We have such wonderful memories of that year with him as he gained air hours to get his pilot’s license 

Live sweet memories 
of beautiful days gone by 
cherish the friendships
Thank you, Theu & Célia!

There you see Denise happily engaged in conversation with Célia who was across the table from her. They hadn’t seen each other in a while. We had not seen Theu & Célia since Aurélien’s wedding 8 years ago!!

I hope you are able to maintain long-term relationships like this one. Tell me about a special one you treasure.

Did I tell you yesterday about Sylviane? We started calling her Syli in 1982-3 when she lived for a tear with us in California. She took DeDe to live for a year with her family after she left us.

Young, naïve, beautiful, impressionable DeDe!

The lesson learned here: unless you want your daughter to go off to a foreign country to live the rest of her life, do not invite a foreign exchange student into your home when your dollywolly is young and impressionable!

Here I am with ZuZu, our 1980-81 Swiss son.
So… on the other hand…

… if you want to enrich your life exponentially, you might consider just that! Check out AFS and tell them what country you’d like to have change your life!!

My friend, Dana, said she wanted to hear more alpenhorn. Here you are, Dana:

Thanks for vicariously traveling with us one more day! See ya tomorrow. Meantime, have a blessed Saturday.

Love, JanBeek

Category:

children, Family, Haiku, holidays, Love, mountains, music, Poetry, Travel

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Update on 2Beeks


Bob & I have “2Beeks” on our car’s license plate.
With the last name of Beekman, the nickname “Beek” is a natural.
Sometimes we catch people driving past us, looking strangely at us.
I imagine they are looking to see if we have particularly long noses!

I have a few new followers who joined JanBeek this month.
I think WordPress’s “Bloganuary” has brought them here.
Thank you!

If you are one of them, you may not have seen the post
where I showed our family a few evenings ago
sitting around the dinner table discussing our ancestry.

We gave Bob a bad time about his “honker” (beak by another name)
and we showed him how he inherited it from his great-grandfather!
Tonight we are giving Bob a bad time for another reason:
His honker is doing a lot of honking! He has RSV.

This respiratory virus put him in the hospital in Napa on January 1st.
What a way to start the new year, huh? RSV is nasty!
After spending the night there, he was dismissed Jan. 2nd
and we were able to travel back to our son’s to recuperate.

This is not the way we hoped to begin the new year.
But the good news is we had the option of coming
back to Placerville – it was a sunny CA day today.
The recuperation time is greatly appreciated!


Bob’s cough is getting better… and soon we will be
able to hit the road and return home to Montana.
It’s not what we intended, of course, for this “vacation.”
We wanted to visit friends in Pebble Beach –
and spend time with Bob’s brothers in the CA valley.

But, we are grateful that when this curve ball
was thrown at us, we had a beautiful alternative.
Thank God for loving family and friends, right?
God has a plan for why this has happened!

“And we know that for those who love God
all things work together for good,
for those who are called
according to his purpose.”

Romans 8:28

God knew we needed more rest and relaxation!
Our house isn’t ready to return there now anyway!

Our soft and marred fir floor’s being replaced with amazing old wood from a 1921 silo!

We hope your year has started off happily.
We pray you’re healthy and dong what you want to do.
We trust the Lord has us right where He wants us.
And we hope, dear friends, the same is true for you.

Happy New Year!

What’s an update on what’s happening in your life?
I’d love to know how your New Year began.
Thanks for visiting JanBeek.
See ya tomorrow (God willing)

Category:

Bible Lessons, blessings, Faith, Family, God, Gratitude, health, holidays, kindness, Life's Challenges, Living in Christ's Family, Living in Harmony, Love, Poetry, prayer, relationships, Serving One Another, Travel

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Embrace Baby Jesus


jesus christ figurine
Photo by Jeswin Thomas on Pexels.com

 

If you look for Me at Christmas

You won’t need a special star-

I’m no longer just in Bethlehem,

I’m right there where you are.

You may not be aware of Me

Amid the celebrations-

You’ll have to look beyond the stores

And all the decorations.

But if you take a moment

From your list of things to do

And listen to your heart, you’ll find

I’m waiting there for you.

You’re the one I want to be with,

You’re the reason that I came,

And you’ll find Me in the stillness

As I’m whispering your name.

Love, Jesus

 

background close up day daytime
Photo by Artem Bali on Pexels.com

Merry Christmas, dear Blogging Friends.
May your day be filled with
love, hugs, and opportunities
to reflect on the real Reason for the Season.

I first posted this poem in 2018.
I decided it was worth posting again this year
because many of you are new followers,
and some of you who saw it three years ago
may have forgotten it … I did!

Photo by Bich Tran on Pexels.com

Merry Christmas to you!

Celebrate that precious baby today.
Put Jesus in your heart to stay-
Carry Him with you in a blessed 2022…
We’re counting on it to be better each day!

What are your post-Christmas plans?
We’re getting ready to celebrate
my girlfriend, Sue’s birthday the 28th
and Bob 83rd b’day – the 29th the date.

See ya tomorrow (God willing)
Love,
JanBeek

Category:

blessings, Christmas, Faith, holidays, Jesus, Love, music, Poetry

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Embrace the Christ Child


One of my favorite Christmas songs is “Mary Did You Know?”
The lyric I like most in it is, “Mary, did you know,
when you kiss your little baby, you kiss the face of God?”

And one of my favorite versions of the song is sung by the Pentatonix…

Have a listen… the words are powerful
and this quintet is magnificent!!

Did you know, the sleeping child you’re holding is the Great I Am?

Have a very meaningful Christmas!
Remember the meaning of the One.
Embrace the Christ Child – and
Thank God for His Only Son!

John 3:16

“16 For God so loved the world
that he gave his one and only Son,
that whoever believes in Him
shall not perish but have eternal life.”

God bless you and your loved ones this Christmas.
I am praying for your health and happiness…
and for your faith in Christ which gives you eternal life –
Guaranteed!

Thank you, God!

See ya tomorrow (God willing)
Have a beautiful Christmas eve!
Love,
JanBeek

Category:

Belief, Bible Lessons, Christmas, Faith, God, holidays, Jesus, Living in Christ's Family, Love, music, Poetry, prayer

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