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Archive for the ‘learning’ Category

News About Honeybees

Yes, I often write about honeybees.
Why?
Well, if you have been a JanBeek follower for any time at all,
you know that my hubby, Bob, is a retired beekeeper.
Not just a hobbyist, but a full-time bee guy
with as many as 2,000 hives
back in the late 1980’s & ’90s and early 2000’s.

Even after retiring here to Montana, he worked for several years with local beekeeping hobbyist, John White. Bees are a part of Bob’s DNA! His dad was a beekeeper and his brother was, too. Now he has three nephews and a grand-nephew keeping bees big time.

So, it was no surprise to me when I received an e-mail today from someone wanting me to post on the topic of honeybees again. She sent me a letter and asked me to put it on my blog. I’m happy to do so. Here it is:

“Hi Jan,

I hope your day is going well!

I came across your website and noticed you shared a lot of information on beekeeping. I thought our guide could be helpful for your readers. 

Glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup, is one of the most commonly used herbicides in the world by commercial gardeners. However, many pesticides – including insecticides, fungicides, and herbicides – harm pollinators and other beneficial insects. 

To help educate those in the farming and gardening industries about this toxic chemical, we’ve created a comprehensive guide with organic, and homemade; and a second guide with agricultural alternatives. please take a look:

drugwatch.com/roundup/glyphosate/
drugwatch.com/roundup/cancer/

I thought these guides would be beneficial to share with your community. Would you consider adding that as resources to your website https://janbeek.blog/tag/honeybees/ to inform people about this critical matter better?

I appreciate your time and look forward to your response. Have a great day!”

Nicole Nunez (She / Her) | Outreach Coordinator

1 S. Orange Ave. Ste. 201  |  Orlando, FL 32801  

So, let’s all do our part to protect
our honeybees,
our trees,
and our fresh water,
okay?
What do you say?

Hugs to you on this Fabulous Friday.
I hope you’re staying warm.
It’s 15 degrees outside my Ennis home
– and snowing.

Oh my what a difference a week can make.
Take a look:

Oh my, those images are too large to show the total difference.
I need to learn how to post them smaller,
but I was trying that side-by-side feature.
It’s kinda neat… you can see more of each image
by using the middle arrows to slide it left or right.
Anyway, you get the idea…

Bee Warm!
And bee good to those bees!!

Sending lotsa love your way,
JanBeek

Category:

Animals, learning, Living in Harmony, Love, Montana, nature, respect, Serving One Another

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Advice

Daily writing prompt
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
View all responses

The value of tidbits of advice differs as we hear them at different times in our lives.

As a young child, my mom’s advice always included words of encouragement:
“Let your light shine.”
“You can be anything you decide you want to be.”
“You are more than good enough.”
“Take it one day at a time.”

Mom certainly let her light shine!!

Later in life, I have discovered that I can receive valuable advice daily by reading my Bible, reading devotionals written by Christ-like, modern-day disciples, and listening to compassionate friends. They say things like:

We should never tire of seeking advice and heeding the words of wise counsel.
http://www.Motivational Words of Wisdom.com always has sound advice.

It’s hard (in fact impossible for me) to narrow pieces of advice down to the one best.
How about you?

God’s latest advice to me was, “Slow down and watch where you’re going!”
Do you hear God’s advice being shouted in your ear at times, too?

Category:

Aging Gracefully, Faith, God, learning, life, Life's Challenges, Living in Christ's Family, Love

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Lessons Learned

Daily writing prompt
Share a lesson you wish you had learned earlier in life.
View all responses

I am not indispensable.
I used to think I was…
If I wasn’t there,
the school would have

shut down!!

low section of man against sky
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Hah! Not true…
The custodian and the secretary
Are indispensable …
Not the principal!

So unlock the misconception!
Set yourself free!
You, too, my friend
Are not indispensable!

What lesson do you wish you had learned earlier?

Lighten up!
Live, love, laugh…
Peace to you!

Hug lots,
JanBeek

Category:

Aging Gracefully, Belief, contentment, happiness, learning, Life's Challenges, Living in Harmony, Love, mental health, peace, self-acceptance

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Watch What You Say!

Words are impactful
They last longer than you do
Have consequences

“Be careful with your words.
Once they are said,
they can be only forgiven,
not forgotten.”

-Author Unknown

My words lamented
My friend’s weak immune system
Sorrow for her health

Didn’t realize
That I came across as smug
My immune’s better?

Pow! Ouch! Boomerang!
What you say and do
Also impacts YOU!

strong muscular adult sportsman in gym during break in training
Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com

I have heard it said
When you point a finger out
Three come back at you

Maybe this flu bug
Who attacked me Sunday night
Was sent to teach me

You’re not perfect, Jan
Go grab some humility
Don’t knock someone else!

I didn’t mean to…
Impact is often hidden
Never meant to hurt

Four days of the flu
Is enough to wake me up
And teach me this fact:


You better…

“Words are seeds that do more than blow around.
They land in our hearts and not the ground.
Be careful what you plant and careful what you say.
You might have to eat what you planted one day.”

-Unknown

assorted color alphabet on black background
Photo by Magda Ehlers on Pexels.com

Lots has been written
Words used to convey meaning
Words sung to inspire

Words are impactful
They last longer than you do
Choose them carefully

Don’t let them give you a back eye!
Hah!

Thanks for visiting JanBeek
See ya again soon, I hope.

Category:

Haiku, kindness, learning, life, Life's Challenges, Living in Harmony, Love, mental health, music, Poetry, relationships

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This Dim Little Light

This dim little light
Is all that I have to give,
But I’ll let it shine.

Photo by Rahul on Pexels.com

John 1:5

“His life is the light that shines through the darkness –
and the darkness can never extinguish it.”

tealight candle on human palms
Photo by Dhivakaran S on Pexels.com
Even if my light
Is only a flickering
I know it matters

When I realize
My light remains connected
To His Source, I shine.

I shine more brightly
Because I invite Him in:
“Fuel my battery!”

orange usb charger cable on black surface
Plug me in to YOU!!
I need Your Beloved Source!
Fuel my little light.

Little light of mine
Shine brightly into the world
Let God’s love show through

When life becomes hard
Don’t make your countenance grim
Turn your eyes toward Him

He’ll light your candle
He’ll flip the electric switch
He’ll send out His Son!

Yesterday was hard
I posted a note on-line
Asking for some help

But in the process
I named a non-responder
Asked for other names

A “bashing party”
Ensued; was not my intent
The post was removed

wooden scrabbles pieces on white table
Photo by Brett Jordan on Pexels.com

Yes, apologize
When you’re wrong just admit it
Shed some honest light

Shed light in the dark
Make amends the best you can
Even a dim light

This dim little light
Is all that I have to give,
But I’ll let it shine.

This little dim light
Is fueled by Love and the Truth
That’s all I can show

Lesson learned!
Thanks for visiting JanBeek
Have a Terrific Tuesday!

P.S.
Thanks for praying about my outta sight blood pressure.
It is coming down.
God is good!

Category:

Bible Lessons, Faith, God, Haiku, kindness, learning, Life's Challenges, Living in Christ's Family, Love, music, peace, Poetry, prayer

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No Authority

The prompt today was:

“On What Subject are You an Authority ?”

We just said good-bye to our guests from Switzerland who stayed with us for a week. We did a lot of sharing with one another while they were here. But, even though each of us has had a lifetime of experiences in various fields (technology, social work, teaching, coaching, and beekeeping), none of us tried to come across as an authority on anything! What a turn-off that attitude would be!!

If you have the attitude that you have more knowledge than anybody else around you on a certain subject, and you speak with unabashed authority, I hope you’re being asked to do so, and you’re paid a lot for your opinion! I hope that knowledge gives you an opportunity to have authority with your authority! But…

… in my experience, the one who flaunts his authority (rather than living as an open-minded, humble, life-long learner) seldom finds life very satisfying. Tim McGraw spells it out pretty clearly in his song, “Always Stay Humble and Kind.” You can listen to it below.

Proverbs 22:4 
ESV

“The reward for humility
and
fear of the Lord 
is riches and honor and life.”

I am rich in friends
I am rich in love of life
Christ is my life’s authority.
Where do your riches lie?

It was an interesting prompt today.
How would you have answered it?

Look up for your purpose!

Keep looking up!
Keep learning.
Stay humble and kind!

Thanks for your visit today to
JanBeek

Category:

Bible Lessons, Faith, friendship, Gratitude, happiness, Jesus, kindness, learning, life, Life's Challenges, Love, music, relationships, respect, Sharing, Spiritual Gifts

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Alacrity

Do you know this word?
Alacrity!

happy sportspeople of different ages preparing to run in forest
Photo by Gustavo Fring on Pexels.com

Alacrity = cheerful readiness

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

When I chose my word for 2023, “Ready”
back on January 1, 2023,
I did not know what I needed to be ready for.
But I told myself, “Whatever comes my way,
I will be cheerfully ready!”

This past week, we had the privilege
of hosting my niece,
her husband and 16-year-old son,
and her bff from Utah, Melissa.
And mid-way through their visit,
our son and his wife came for
3 days and 4 nights.
A house full!
Was I ready?

Yes! When your guests are happy, helpful, and relaxed, it’s easy to be cheerfully ready for them!

A day in Yellowstone was a highlight. We all were ready for the bubbling geysers and pools, bison and other animals. Old Faithful always was a hit!

Are you ready to visit Yellowstone? Are you ready to ooh and aaah?

That photo captured only about 1/4 of the herd. It was the largest group of bison mamas and their calves that I’ve ever seen!

We were ready to see the elk and deer 🦌 So, yes, they did not disappoint us! We even saw a black bear. Rare!

My grand-nephew, Liam and I were ready to have our memories of “Artist’s Point” captured by a kind tourist. It’s my favorite Yellowstone spot!

And the guys were more than pleasantly waiting with alacrity for their day of fishing on the Madison. Each of them caught at least one fish … some caught three. No, we didn’t have a fish fry! The Madison River has a “catch & release” policy.

What are you ready for today? I hope you’re anticipating it with alacrity!

Have a Marvelous Monday!

Live, laugh, love ❤️ JanBeek

Category:

Animals, Family, Fishing, friendship, learning, Love, Memories, Montana, nature, relationships, Travel

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Tenacity

two brown bears on grass field
Photo by Francisco Cornellana Castells on Pexels.com

On this day after Mother’s Day,
I was enchanted by this video
of a Mama Bear and her cub.
The parenting style astounded me!

I hope you can see it when you click on the link beow:

fb.watch/ky20qiVPmf/

This is “Tenacity Personified”.
Watching it is “Patience Personified”.
Mama Bear is “Confident Parenting” personified.

Would I have been that confident?

Would I have had the tenacity
to hang in there long enough
to let my child succeed
on his/her own?

Nope, probably not!

I’d no doubt have rushed down to rescue.

How about you?

Have a Marvelous Monday!

Love,
JanBeek

This picture of us was taken yesterday on Mother’s Day by our friend Ted. He is a 95-year-old retired photographer who is temporarily at the Manor Nursing Home recovering from a broken back. It’s good of Bob, don’t you think? Usually when I get a picture of him smiling, his eyes are closed! Thank you, Ted!

Category:

courage, Faith, learning, Life's Challenges, Love, relationships, teaching

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Got Wisdom?

Photo by Jean van der Meulen on Pexels.com

They talk about the wise old owl –
But is he really wise?
He looks menacing to me –
Just take a gander at his eyes!

Did God make some birds wiser
Than the rest of birds and folks?
I know He made some funnier –
Some share the greatest jokes!

Animals do the darndest things –
You know God made them smart.
Where do humans get such wisdom?
Where do we go for a start?

The Bible is full of ideas
for finding wisdom and where.
I think a lot of different books
Suggest that wisdom’s there.

You can search the shelves forever
And find words to the wise, for sure.
But if you want to GAIN that wisdom,
Go first to the Book that’s pure.

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com

No, it doesn’t take a lot of searching.
The Book is the most ever sold.
Every word in it is God breathed –
It’s the wisest story ever told.

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

James 3:17-18

“But the wisdom
that comes from heaven
is first of all
* pure, then
* peace-loving,
* considerate,
* submissive,
* full of mercy, and
* good fruit,
* impartial, and
* sincere.
Peacemakers who sow in
peace raise a harvest
of righteousness.”

Righteousness = free from guilt or sin; justifiable; genuine & excellent.

Hah! There are Bible coloring books,
But they are for beginners who want to start
Getting used to those Bible stories
Before taking them to heart.

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

If you want an apple from the Teacher,
Don’t search Google for the book.
Just go to your own Bible, my friends.
You’ll find wisdom there, if you look.

Don’t let it sit upon the shelf
Gathering cobwebs, dust and dirt.
Take it down, dust it off, and read.
Gaining a little more wisdom never hurt!

Proverbs 1:7

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge;
fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Kristyn Getty has such a pure and sweet voice.
The words to this song are wise indeed.
I hope you’ll take time to listen and enjoy.
Gaining God’s wisdom is an every day need.

God bless you, dear friends.
May His wisdom increase in you every day.
May you dress yourself daily in His strength!

Sending you love, hugs, and best wishes
for a happy, healthy, and wise Friday.
JanBeek

Category:

Bible Lessons, Faith, God, learning, Life's Challenges, Living in Christ's Family, Love, mental health, music, Poetry, prayer

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OOOPS!!

Ooooops! In yesterday’s post on “Waiting” I made a real boo-boo!

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com

I was up in my sanctuairee this morning reflecting on the subject of waiting, anticipating the coming of Christmas – and I realized, Oh Lord, help me my God!! I mixed up Lent and Advent!! I said we had 40 days of waiting for the Christ Child during Advent! No, no, no… Lent is the 40 days of waiting for Easter, Advent is the 4 weeks before Christmas with 4 Sundays to celebrate the coming of the Baby in the manger. It might be the period of time the Wise Men followed the star to find the manger scene and present their gifts to the Savior.

But there is a mystery about the Wise men and their travel to follow the star. The wise men arrived after the birth. If they saw the star at the moment of Jesus’ birth, then it would have taken at least a few months for the wise men to arrive.

Regardless of the time it took the Wise Men to travel, since when did Nov. 27 to Dec. 25 equal 40 days?? Sheesh!!

The season of Advent is celebrated over four Sundays before Christmas
– this year, those Sundays are Nov. 27 and Dec. 4, 11, and 18.
The Advent season ends at sundown on Christmas Eve.
The end of Advent marks the beginning
of the liturgical or church year for Christians.

Photo by Kevin Bidwell on Pexels.com

So, this season of “Waiting” is a time when my Jewish friends wait, too. They celebrate Hanukkah. The word Hanukkah is Hebrew for “dedication,” which refers to the rededication of the temple after the Maccabees’ victory. They need to wait for that season to begin on December 19th. Hanukkah, (Hebrew: “Dedication”) also spelled Ḥanukka, Chanukah, or Chanukkah, also called Feast of Dedication, Festival of Lights, or Feast of the Maccabees, Jewish festival that begins on Kislev 25 (usually in December, according to the Gregorian calendar) and is celebrated for eight days. Hanukkah reaffirms the ideals of Judaism and often involves a festival with lighting of candles each day of the festival. Although not mentioned in the Hebrew Scriptures, Hanukkah came to be widely celebrated and remains one of the most popular Jewish religious observances. Hanukkah is celebrated from Monday, December 19 to Monday, December 26 in 2022.

The menorah is a symbol of Hanukkah. The menorah is meant to spread light to others. It is traditionally placed in a window,on a table or outside your door. Jewish faithfuls are supposed to light the menorah just after dark each night of Hanukkah.



As Christians, we pause and take time to put up our Christmas tree, decorate our home, our church, our community, and purchase the presents we want to give to our loved ones. Santa Claus has usurped the place of Jesus Christ as the central Christmas figure in many homes. It’s not Santa’s birthday we wait for and celebrate, however.

It’s not 40 days til Christmas! It’s coming sooner than you think… sooner than I imagined! We need to approach this season as innocent children… a Child of God … waiting expectantly. Focusing on the real Reason for the Season.

Jesus actually tells us to be like children and to come to Him full of faith and trust. The popular children‘s song “Jesus Loves the Little Children” reminds us that “all are precious in His sight” and no matter your race, gender or nationality, God wants to see all children come to Him.

Photo by Jeswin Thomas on Pexels.com



So, forgive my “Ooops!” from yesterday… and get busy, my friends. Finish up those Thanksgiving leftovers, and get in the spirit! And let’s look – as through the eyes of a child – at what Advent really means:

Thanks for visiting JanBeek and my OOOPS today!
See ya tomorrow.

Hugs to you and your loved ones!

By the way, I am missing the Bell Choir this year.
Our director, Jan Thomas, is moving from Ennis to Bozeman.
Tomorrow the moving van comes.
Keep her and her hubby in prayer, wouldja?
They are going to be sorely missed in our community.

We are WAITING for a new bell choir director to emerge.
Got any recommendations?

Category:

blessings, Christmas, Faith, God, holidays, Jesus, learning, Living in Christ's Family, Love, teaching

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