We thought we were bullet-proof; We thought we were too far out of it. Guess again, my near-sighted friends – This virus doesn’t know when to quit!
From lowest number of cases In all of the USA, We made miserable strides. We had 26 new cases in one day!
The percentage sounds so much worse Than telling you the number 26, But numbers can be deceiving – Just ask those who are newly sick!
Montana is a state with barely a million Total in its entire population, But when Yellowstone opened up, People came from the world, not just the nation.
We visited with friends in their yard yesterday, But we were able to socially distance easily. Look at the space between house and table And the blue sky – with God helping quite breezily!
We sat and watched the sunset Reflect on the gorgeous Madison Range, And thanked God for our open spaces; With the absence of hugs – feeling strange!
But when today’s news reported the increase In the number of cases in our state, We thanked God anew for our health – And the blessing to continue to feel great.
I pray you are being wise and safe too, my friends. Enjoy your social situations, But remember to wear a mask if you can’t distance And keep happy and healthy relations!
I’m off to the park to walk again with TazE. It’s another beautiful, blue-sky day. “Bee” happy and stay healthy, will you please? I hope our numbers go down – and stay that way!
Don’tcha love that fence post? See ya tomorrow. Virtual Hugs, JanBeek
Those were the words read from the will when my friend, Marion, met with her siblings after their mother died.
Today’s devotional in “Mornings with Jesus 2020” told of a similar story. The writer quoted her father as saying, “Before I leave here, I intend to spend every dollar I ever made.”
She thought he was kidding. After all, he was a God-fearing man … “who could quote scripture from Genesis to Revelation.” (Alice Thompson, Thursday July 9th).
But her earthly father had given her no inheritance!
After being angry for awhile, Alice turned to her Bible, and she turned to the Lord. Alice wrote that she spoke to her head about Lamentations 3:24. It says, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for Him.”
Even though Proverbs 13:22 says, “A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children,” Alice realized her father – who left “nothing for me,” had indeed left the most precious gifts of all: His loving relationship with her and his faith in God.
He lived his life loving her and her mother, giving to the Lord and to those in need, and using his hard-earned dollars to enjoy a good life. A nice house, a new car every few years, memorable vacations, generosity with his children, and gifts to charity… these were the signatures he left. He left her the gifts money can’t buy: love, faith, a good work-ethic, respect, and joy.
If our parents live their lives in love and faith, generosity and joy. If our parents pass those gifts on to us, We have the received the most important gifts of all. They don’t owe us a rich monetary inheritance.
If our parents demonstrate a good work-ethic, and teach us to do likewise, If our parents help us learn to read and compute, pray and serve, and get a good education, then they have equipped us to do as they might:
“Being of sound mind, I spent it all or gave it away.“
Go and do likewise! Have a great Thursday.
I’m headed to a Happy 70th Birthday party! See ya tomorrow. Live in peace with EVERYBODY, my friends! Hugs, JanBeek
In her Annika Perry’s Writing Blog today, Annika posted this wonderful song:
Annika wrote, “The specially organised show in the Netherlands entitled ‘Eurovision: Europe Shine a Light’ was inspired by the song ‘Love Shine a Light’ by Katrina and the Waves which won in 1997 for the UK.
The pièce de résistance was the incredible finale; singing alone at home, the performers as a whole sung ‘Shine a Light’. There was not a dry eye in the house as the full impact of the One joining forces to create a unity shone out across Europe!”
There is no way my Monday morning “be like” this poor little pug, when I can “Pull Up a Pew” next to Annika and be inspired by her “images giving a hint of [her family’s] new lives.”
Check out Annika’s delightful blog and leave a comment. Tell her JanBeek sent you!
Blogs like hers are such a gift… …just as your visit to JanBeek and your comments are a gift to me!
Many thanks to Janice Salois and Daily Word from Unity Publications for this lovely poem.
Other Writers are Gifts
As I spend time reading my Bible and devotionals and spending time checking out the recent posts of the blogs I follow, I am especially cognizant of what a gift you writers are to me! You share from your souls – some grateful, some melancholy, some inspirational, others troubled or questioning, all are snippets of life in various parts of the world.
I love visiting, praying with, and walking with Donna “thefathersfeet” every morning:
I enjoy strolling through derrickjknight‘s garden and neighborhood with him & his wife (the head gardener) each day:
Derrick & Jackie take me on a wonderful journey in Great Britain each day.
I am endebted to Cristian Mihai for his daily blogging tips and inspiration. He never fails to motivate my desire to log in to my WP site and share with you. He “walks the talk” and always practices what he preaches. His titles are often quite intriguing:
I fall in love with poetry all over again each day I log intoRoth Poetryand read what Dwight has shared today. I love, love, love her “Life is a Poem” that she posted today. Click on “Roth’s Poetry” in blue up there to read the poem:
Love shines its light on me when I go to Pat Cegan’s “Source of Inspiration ” each day and dwell in the warmth of her poetry. I don’t have to do anything but just BEE there… and I feel healing love and peace radiate from her words.
If you want to practice shining the light of love on others, try going to:
Sharing the Gift the blog Pat posted a day ago. She has love to share! I took what I needed and a little extra for you!
I always enjoy Richard at BigSkyBuckeye and the ideas he shares so freely – his own as well as others. Today he shared his granddaughter’s poem in “Monday Memories:”
This poem is a guest post from my then 11-year old granddaughter. She wrote this poem for her Language Arts class, and she has given permission to post her untouched words just as she wrote them. Enjoy the gratitude that she shares.
Check it out… and share with me some of the blogs that are your daily go-to’s. Which bloggers inspire YOU the most?
I hope my posts add light and love to your world.
Have a Wonderful Week, my friends. I am shining the Light of Love in your direction today. God Bless You!! Virtual Hugs, JanBeek
I’m watching the TV fireworks broadcasts in New York, Minneapolis, Cookesville, and Houston … big cities with great big fireworks displays all over the USA tonight.
But, the music to go with the fireworks just didn’t do it for me. San Francisco and Chicago Symphonies are wonderful, but no, sorry, I need PATRIOTIC music to go with the fireworks! Rhapsody in Blue?? Just didn’t fit!! Try this one:
Oh, maybe we are trying to avoid the subject of battles on this holiday? Wasn’t it a battle won that won our nation’s freedom from England?
Well then, how about this one:
Or how about celebrating our Independence Day by recognizing our INTERDEPENDENCE?
We need one another … We need our One God… We need to celebrate and STRIVE FOR UNITY.
Photo by Markus Spiske temporausch.com on Pexels.com
One thing that unifies us is our love for family, right? We all want the world to be a better place for our children. A modern version of “The World is One” is playing now. Ah yes, our children unite us. Did you get to spend time with your children or grandchildren today?
Sienna and Xander, my great-grandchildren brightened my day.
Isn’t that little Sienna a cutie? TazE is peeking around the corner here.
Xander is a Mickey Mouse fan!
Here is Hope, our granddaughter, and her husband, Drew – – parents of those two dear great-grandchildren – We’re so glad they came to visit today.
On my post this morning, I told you we were not going to have our Ennis 4th of July Parade this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. But, our neighbors, the Welnas, fixed that problem. They have their grandchildren visiting them, and so we had a private parade provided by the kids! (With a little help from their moms and grandparents)
We brought our chairs and a flag out to the front lawn when we heard the parade coming. TazE saw them coming… she was all ears!!
Low Budget – High Quality Best Parade Ever!!
Grandpa Welna, the parade leader
Two moms, two grandparents and three little boys… One of the boys dropped his bike and ran after TazE!
They gave their necklaces to us… such fun! And notice the other child in the parade – He’s the little one asleep in the stroller!
Here are the two moms… great sports… Helping their little ones experience their very own parade. Too much fun!
How about this patriotic grandma? Sue Welna is such a good sport! Don’t you love her antennae?
Bob & I have never enjoyed a parade more than this one!!
Oh, by the way, remember that one surviving petunia I showed you a few days ago? Look at our wheelbarrow now! The antelope don’t like that solar light… Good tip for keeping your plants safe from your neighborhood animals!
I hope you had a Happy Independence Day. You can see we did! Our Pastor Steve and his dear wife, Elaine, joined us for BBQ dinner. That was the frosting on the cake of a great day.
See ya tomorrow, my friends. Thanks for visiting JanBeek
This is a purple and yellow July 4th! Purple for all those people who are hurting on this day. Yellow for all the varied colors that make up our rich racial cultures (Asian, Native American, Black, Hispanic, etc.). Yes, Black Lives Matter. Yes, they endure untold prejudicial treatment… and so do toooo many in our world.
Do you know why purple and yellow look so nice together? Turns out they are what’s called complementary colors. They appear opposite each other on the color wheel. Other complementary colors are red and green, and blue and orange.
Interestingly, complementary colors are one primary color, and the color formed by a combination of the remaining two primary colors. Maybe you don’t find this as nifty as I do , but perhaps it explains why I like the images from “July 4th Morning in Glacier National Park” so much!
Not just red, white, and blue, but purple and brown and yellow … all the colors of the rainbow make up who we are.
Singing Sky Photography
Check out the gorgeous photography by Paul Holdorf by clicking on his name here.
As you know, July 4th is a national holiday in the USA. This year it takes on a different kind of meaning for us.
“Uncle Sam” gives us the “OK” sign… but everything is NOT OK. Too many people are dying of COVID-19 and too many people are suffering the injustices of prejudice. Too many people are not feeling “Free to Bee” (as I posted on my blog yesterday).
We’d bee “OKer” if we just “Love One Another” and respect one another and practiced the “All are Created Equal” beliefs that are part of our constitution.
My friend, Lynn Foreman, last year on this day.
A Haiku to Remember
Last year on this day Seniors served the parade crowd No parade this year
Last year on this day More than four thousand came here This year we are still
Stillness gives think time Time to ponder our blessings Figure how to share
Share the grace of God As He’s blessed you, bless others Love One Another
In this photo from last year, I can see I needed a haircut! This year I’m feeling perkier by the minute. Life is improving. Hallelujah!!
Thanks for your prayers! What are your plans for today? Let’s sing in unison and think UNITY!!
It’s a different kind of Independence Day weekend in the USA. Our little town of Ennis WILL have its annual rodeo tonight. Social distancing is easy in that outdoor venue. But we will not have the 4th of July parade. Our population of 1,000 grows on that day to about 6,000 typically – and the sidewalks are wall-to-wall people. So for public safety, it was cancelled. We are free to just BEE this year… and grateful to bee alive!
The rodeo will happen as usual, but the crowd will be greatly diminished.
We’ll miss the parade, but we’ll celebrate here at home – quietly thanking God for our freedom and renewed health.
Yesterday Bob was delighted to be able to spend a day on the Madison River with our friend, Scott. The fishing was good – and the weather was beautiful. The wildlife were out enjoying the sunshine, too.
Scott took this picture of the moose who entertained the fishermen.
He managed to get four of the five fox babies in one photo. He said they were quite entertaining!
Yesterday while Bob was out fishing and I was recuperating from my surgery, a couple of my girlfriends and a dear couple from our church made sure I was well taken care of. Terry (on the left) made bran muffins for my breakfast and gave me a darling, soft and cuddly angel blanket. Elaine (on the right) brought lunch and we shared it as we visited for a couple of hours. Then later in the day other friends brought us a delicious dinner of ham and scalloped potatoes, salad, and cookies for dessert. Yum!!!
Today is Terry’s birthday! Happy Birthday to my sweet, beautiful friend.<3
I know I am super blessed to have such wonderful friends. I hope you are equally gifted.
On another topic, you may have noticed that yesterday’s blog “Learn to Say NO,” with a series of Haiku was all in capital letters. I was not intending to shout at you. I was just trying to enlarge this font that WordPress suddenly has decided to use as a default. I found out how to enlarge the first letter in each new text entry. That’s fun, but do you have advice for how I can default back to a larger text for the body of my posts?
I hope you’re having a fun-filled weekend… even if it’s not the typical Independence Day celebration.
Happy 4th of July weekend!
Celebrate your FREEDOM to BEE! See ya tomorrow. Love from JanBeek
Yup, June was bustin’ out all over… and I’m glad it is behind us! My hernia is gone. I’m on the road to recovery. I appreciate all your prayers and good wishes.
The surgery that was scheduled for 12:45 yesterday ended up not happening until 4:30, so they kept me overnight. I was so glad they did! The nurses and assistants at Deaconess Hospital in Bozeman were so kind and efficient. I really needed that extra time of TLC before returning home… and Bob needed a good night’s sleep before driving that hour up and hour back to get me.
June’s Behind Us
Now that June is behind us – and I am on the way to healing, let’s pray that our world can put the last 4 or 5 months behind it, too… and we ALL can heal. Find a vaccine for COVID-19, learn to love one another unconditionally, appreciate our uniqueness, live each day with a prayer and a song, and put the One God back into the center of our being!
June was a Bust!
Yup, June was quite the month… June was not “a love song sweetly sung” as this Rogers and Hammerstein suggested. It was a BUST from my perspective! But I tried to keep my attitude positive anyway. Upbeat music like this was one way to do it. Another way to stay positive in the midst of turmoil was to be sure to go up to my sanctuary every morning, spend time reading my Bible and devotionals, and listen for God’s voice to tell me how best to spend each day.
Focus on the Positive
If you have followed my blog for a while, you know I read and am inspired by a book with spirit-lifting devotionals, Daily Guideposts, every day. Each day the devotional starts out with a scripture. Then one of about 50 writers is assigned to write a reflection on it and then end with a prayer. I meditate on the message and write a “Take Away” on the page. It’s a thought I carry with me that day. I record them at the end of each month’s pages where there are two pages with a blank line for each day.
Here are my June pages. Read the Take Aways and see one of the sources for my ability to remain positive in the midst of this pandemic, this social unrest, protests, riots, and my anticipated surgery. These are the thoughts I carried around each day:
Be Grateful
Wherever you are, you have reasons to be grateful. Just look around you. You can see! Breathe deeply. You’re alive! Soak in the beauty. You can feel! Relax and sing. You have a voice! Grab a snack. You have food! Thank God.
The view from my hospital bed
Look Around You
I had the prettiest room in the hospital! A corner room with a view of the sunset last night and the sunrise this morning. No need to concentrate on the pain when I can concentrate on the view instead, right?
Bob came and got me at 10: this morning. I was grateful for my expedited release. There was a major storm predicted, and we had a one hour drive to get home. We were safely inside before the rain came down and the thunder clapped. And now, the sun is out again!
Look carefully at the horizon. Those are not more clouds. That’s snow on the Tobacco Root Range. Yup, snow… July 1st!
So, as this day comes to a close, I want to thank you again for your love and prayers. I will take it easy for a while and let Bob and our friends and neighbors pamper me. I hope you feel my love being returned to you. Thank you for being my friend here on WordPress. You mean a lot to me.
Have a great rest of your week. If you’re in the USA, you know this weekend is our Independence Day. We usually have parades and barbecues and family here to celebrate with us. Not this year. This has been a different year, hasn’t it?
Keep your spirits up. Maybe you can use one of those “Take Aways” each day to help you.
Thanks for visiting. See ya tomorrow. Love, JanBeek
30 Days of Healing as we seek to be instruments of peace and change “Discovering God’s Vision for Your Life”
Discover “God’s Vision for Your Life” by wearing a mask… and Listen, Look, Smile as we grow in Love, Health & Healing
Dr. Jimmy said in his article, “… listening can inform us, guide us, as we grow and as we learn.”
My daughter DeAna, and her husband, Andre’ (pictured above and below here) are celebrating their 33rd anniversary today. It has been an interesting journey for them. They married when she was not quite 20 and he was 24. Young and naive, coming from a world apart – she a California girl and he a fun-loving guy who’d been working as a chef in Switzerland.
De & Andre’s wedding at UOP Chapel 1987
DeAna wore my dress and Andre’ wore Bob’s red bow tie and cummerbund as they were married in the same University of the Pacific chapel where Bob & I were wed 25 years earlier.
They remained in California four more years while De finished college, but eventually, they moved back to Andre’s hometown in Sierre, Switzerland. He missed his mountains, his family, his culture. I don’t blame him!!! De was pregnant with our first grandchild when they left. Talk about a difficult good-bye! But hey… Switzerland…. what a beautiful place to HAVE TO visit, huh?
Life was beautiful – but, oh so different – there.
Listening to Andre’s mom, Denise, was an important part of their marital success. As the years went by, DeAna and Andre’ grew in their ability to share their minds, let their dreams be known, and listen to one another.
Today as they anticipate the opening of their new restaurant, they are happier than ever.
Bob & I have been married 58 years, and we, too, are busy still learning to be better listeners. It’s a life-long process. But the effort is worth it. We, too, are happier now than ever.
Psalm 37:10-11 (MSG)
“The deeper your love, the higher it goes; every cloud is a flag to your faithfulness. Soar high in the skies, O God! Cover the whole earth with Your glory!”
Today the skies revealed a slight rainbow arching the skies … look carefully:
As I stood on the porch after the rain, listening to the thunder in the hills, the robins chirped from their nest nearby and the doves flew back onto the roof to coo at one another. Listen! The earth is alive with God’s symphonies.
The rain returned – just light sprinkles, but the birds continued their songs.
Bob came out on the porch and said, “What’s for lunch?” I responded with a shrug, “I don’t have anything planned.” “How about a hamburger and huckleberry milkshake?” he asked. Believe me, I listened, I heard, and … We were in the car in a jiffy.
That’s a happy smirk!
The sign over Bob’s shoulder says, “Without ICE CREAM, Life is Darkness and Chaos.”
Without good listening, Without open sharing of dreams, You’ll miss out on lots of hamburgers and milkshakes!
Back in the mid-1800’s, the land for this church was deeded to the Methodist- Episcopal Church of Madison County. Sometime in the 1860s, around the time of the Montana Gold Rush, this wonderful church was built on the property.
McAllister, Montana
History of the Church
“Brother Van” served as a traveling preacher/minister and had people from miles around come to worship here in the 1850s through to early 1900s.
Sometime in the mid-1900s, the Methodist Church and the Presbyterian Church traded properties from the Ruby Valley to the Madison Valley. As the story goes, there were not enough folks in each valley to support both a Presbyterian and a Methodist church in such close proximity to one another. (These denominations are so close in theology and worship practices!) So, this church building joined the Presbyterian family while the Ruby Valley Presbyterian Church became a Methodist worship center.
Use of the Church Today
The church has no running water, but it does have electricity. Once a year, in early September, the Madison Valley Presbyterian Church in Ennis holds services out there in the McAllister Church. Porta-potties are brought in. And it is a challenge to provide coffee and goodies for fellowship in this waterless place! But, the service always is a memorable experience.
Looking at the front of the worship center
Looking toward the back (Bob in doorway)
On the side wall… notice the picture; here’s a close-up of it:
Precious picture!
When we first came here about 15 years ago, this pump organ actually worked. I wonder what it would take to get it operational again?
Isn’t this a grand old stove? It’s in the kitchen behind the pulpit area. I wonder how they cooked here with no water? Must have had a well outside, you think?
There is a place out this back door where it looks like a well once was.
Future of the Church
Last week we had wind gusts up to 62 mph here in the Madison Valley. A few of the roof pieces blew off in the storm. So, we were out here yesterday with a roofer, getting a bid on what it would cost to repair or replace it.
Seeing the trucks on the property, several neighbors, new to the area, came to check it out. It’s a curiosity for those who have never been inside, and they were glad to be invited in.
This dear gentleman, new to Montana, even offered to help with the roofing project. We hope he retires soon from his home in California and moves with his family to our “Paradise on Earth” full time so we can become better acquainted – and take him up on the offer to help.
Donnie – my new friend!
Meeting New people
Do you enjoy meeting new people as much as I do? Donnie is a firefighter in California. He and his wife have built a home in those mountains you see behind him there. Welcome to Montana, Donnie! Nice meeting you!
I hope Donnie and his wife, Cheryl, will come and visit us… you, too, my friends. We have an “open door” policy. Come and enjoy this “Big Sky Country” with us.
Birthday and Anniversary
And by the way, Happy Birthday today to my dear son-in-law in Switzerland, Andre’ Solioz… and De & Andre’s anniversary is tomorrow. Wish we could be there to help them celebrate!
That’s me kissing Andre’ !!
Happy Anniversary tomorrow to my dear daughter, DeDe, and her fun-loving hubby!
Have a wonderful Saturday.
I hope YOU have a lovey-dovey day, too… Enjoy it, wherever you are!!
Hope you enjoyed those photos of our wonderful old church. Do you have old buildings in your area that are worthy of preservation? I bet some of you have places that make an 1800s church look like it’s NEW!!
This is Bob’s brother, Bill, with his wife Marge. The wonderful vehicle is one that Bob & Bill bought back in the early ’50s. Look at how wonderfully Bill has maintained and restored it! It is in great running condition, too – and is obviously well loved.
Aren’t those wheels magnificent?
Old Cars Haiku
Look at some old cars Forlorn – dilapidated While some others thrive
This one rusts away In a distant field of weeds It needs more than love
It’s like some of us Feeling secluded – rusty Needing more than love
But love is enough To shine up a human soul Try it on someone!
