This post is dedicated to my #1 Grandson.
He recently graduated from college,
received his well-earned diploma,
and has a couple of part-time jobs,
equaling 100% employment.
It was not an easy road,
but he has tenacity…
He stuck with it.
He did it!
I am so proud of him!
Happiness is living life true
In a way that allows you
To be all God made you to be
And doing it on a path of integrity.
No one says it will be easy.
Sometimes it’s light and breezy,
But mostly it’s just hard work
And determination not to shirk.
So, run the race of life with grit.
Set your goal and stick to it.
When times are tough, keep going –
You crossed the finish line knowing
You Have the Power!
Congratulations, Mike!
Did you, or do you have a person in your life who used their grit and tenacity to achieve a goal in spite of all odds? This post is for you!
And if you are in the midst of a struggle – wondering if the blood, sweat, tears, and heartache, setbacks and discouragements are worth it. Believe in your goals. Believe in yourself. Stick with it.
Visit
Yellowstone National Park
with my cousin Sofia and Me
Sofia at Firehole Falls
Me at Firehole Falls
Aqua Steam pool
I love the turpuoise, green, and orange.
It was a day of mild temperatures, blue sky with beautiful puffy clouds.
Old Faithful blew about 15 minutes early.
We were glad to be there to see it.
There is no site in Yellowstone that I enjoy more than Artist’s Point.
Sofia was impressed with its beauty, too.
It’s called the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. Pictures don’t do it justice!
You can see here the yellow stone that caused the park’s name.
Then we headed for Lamar Valley where the buffalo roam.
It was a pain to get in a half an hour of stop-and-go traffic where the bison were crossing the road in Lamar Valley, but when we had to stop for one to pass right smack in front of our car, that was quite an experience – quite worth the wait!
They are impressive animals.
On the way home, we stopped at Palisades for a rest stop…
and enjoyed the gorgeous scenery there.
It was a great day.
Thanks for traveling vicariously with us!
Do you think Sofia had a good time?
Tomorrow is our Ennis Arts Festival. Come visit the art and artists there with me. I love entertaining visitors. Be my virtual guest!
Well, my dictionary says prodigious
is an adjective that means “huge or enormous.”
Some synonyms are:
colossal
fantastic
immense
tremendous
monumental
wonderful
marvelous
What can I do today that would fit one of those descriptions?
Test Yourself
At the end of the day, how will I answer these questions?
What are your plans?
I plan to go to Bozeman-Yellowstone Airport (it’s an hour away) and pick up my second cousin once removed, Sofia, who is flying here from California. She just graduated from high school this June, is headed for college next month, and will spend a week with Bob & me here in Montana.
Going to get her and hosting her is not a prodigious act! But, it could be a prodigious experience for us all.
Anytime you bring someone into your home for an overnight – whether just one night or a week or a month or a year – fantastic, wonderful, marvelous things can happen.
Live with Expectations of Grandeur
I expect our week with Sofia to be filled with prodigius moments! I have a hand ready to help, an ear ready to hear and a heart full of love – ready to pour itself out on this delightul young lady.
Bob is a wonderful conversationalist who will ask a million questions. You can count on it! We hope to learn a lot from Sofia’s eighteen-year-old perspective as we share a piece of our lives with her as well.
Stay tuned. I’ll share our prodigious experiences with you, my friends.
And Happy 57th Anniversary (58 in February) to Bob & me – as we enjoy this 80th year of our lives – and celebrate our togetherness – and thank God for our health
Jan & Bob – How’d ya do it?
How do couple stay together so long?
That’s a question Bill & Marge were asked at our granddaughter, Faith’s wedding when the 4 Beekman couples were the last ones left on the dance floor after the disk jockey (DJ) said, “All couples married less than 55 years sit down.”
Wow! Here we were… eight old farts still standing, still dancing, still together.
Marge Beekman’s answer was, “Never go to bed mad at each other.”
Bill Beekman was asked for his answer. He said, “I agree with Marge.“
The DJ said, “Did you see that? Did you hear that? He let her answer first and then he just agreed with her. There’s the secret to a long married life!”
Are There Other Secrets?
Well, if he had asked me, “How have you stayed together for 57 years?” I would have answered with not just one, but TEN ideas! (He would have had to cut me off!)
These ideas have worked for us in our long marriage – and have contributed to my ability to tell you, “We’re not just still together, but I love him more today than I did the day we married.”
What Are the Tips for Longevity in Relationships?
Pray together – make the Lord central in your relationship – ask Him to guide your days and help you with every decision. Listen for His Holy Spirit to speak to you and help you as you walk daily in His Will to the best of your abilities.
Give each other space – you are a couple, but you are also people with your own ideas, your own needs, and your own agendas. Allow each other the right to make individual decisions and keep your own identities bright and alive. We even have separate checking accounts. As long as the household needs are met, I don’t have to account to him for every penny of my retirement money that I spend… and likewise, his retirement play money is his to play with as he chooses. Give each other individual freedoms!!
Listen to one another – really hear! Care about what the other thinks and find out why he/she really believes that. Never stop learning from one another.
Go to church together – find a worship community and cultivate their friendships. We are Christians – and we want you to be able to see that in our love for one another and our love for YOU. “They will know we are Christians by our love ❤ ” is not just a song we love to sing, but a life we strive to live. Our Christian friends are our support system, our help in time of need, our prayer partners. There is no friend like the long-term friends you make under the cross of Jesus!
Play together – you may each have your own idea of what “fun” is (He fishes, I don’t. I love movies & popcorn, he doesn’t. He skis, I don’t. I go to Writer’s Group each Friday, he doesn’t. He loves yard work … or at least does it masterfully, I don’t. I love to volunteer at the Sr. Center, the Medical Center, help seniors in need, he doesn’t.) You get the idea. But we love to go riding on the Montana mountain trails with friends in our ATV – and we love entertaining friends in our home, hosting over-nighters for a week or a month or even a year in our home. We love going out to Dave’s Sushi or enjoying a BBQed dinner with fine wine at home. The idea is, find your areas of commonality and play happily together!
Treasure and Appreciate One Another – Bob’s nickname for me (he has many, but my favorite ) is “Precious.” I appreciate his expressions of love and affection and his readiness to show appreciation. He often comments on things like, “My, you look pretty today!” or “I like the way you added that spice to the ______ (fill in the blank) for dinner tonight.” In return I try not to take for granted his beautiful yard work or the delicious waffles he makes for breakfast or his warm and plentiful hugs. Thank you is such an important word in any relationship!
Love One Another – even when you don’t Like each other! None of us is perfect. We often do things to “piss each other off!” It could be something as simple as leaving the toilet seat up or not putting the lid back on the toothpaste. Or it could be a major thing like staying out late without saying you were going to do so – and not calling to say where you are. Showing LOVE for one another is treating your partner the way you want to be treated and expressing yourself clearly without anger (if possible) when your expectations are not met. Loving is compromising and not always expecting things to go your way. Love is forgiving and trying NOT to be the annoying one in the relationship!
Be Kind and Compassionate – Yes, we all make mistakes. We do stupid things. We say things we wish we could take back. When we are at our worst, that’s when we need kindness most. It’s when our partner is at his/her worst that we find it most difficult to be kind in return. But harshness begets hatred and ugliness begets violence. Our response is crucial. Of course, there are caustic relationships that are unhealthy and are not meant to be sustained. No one is called to be a doormat. My heart goes out to those who are in relationships with those who inflict mental or physical abuse. Especially when help is offered, but refused. Sometimes leaving is the most loving option. Kindness/Compassion is a two-way street!
Trust! – Without mutual trust, the relationship is doomed! My husband, Bob’s ski buddy is Nancy. She is a 50-something dynamo who is a ball of energy and fun. She’s a fantastic skier and loves to do those double diamond runs – just like Bob does. If I didn’t trust Bob, I could be jealous of the time they spend together on the slopes and I could conjure up all sorts of images of what I think might or might not be happening. But, Bob & I always have lived with mutual trust – and so instead of worrying, I treasure Nancy’s friendship, too. I love getting together whenever we can with her and her fun-loving husband, Dan. In fact, she’s the one I told you about a few days ago when I said I wanted to adopt a Daughter #4. You gotta trust – and in that confidence enjoy a multitude of friendships and a plethora of opportunities you might miss otherwise!
Respect! – It’s the bottom line. Without mutual respect, you may as well call it a day NOW. I have been around couples where one of them is so disrespectful to his/her partner that it smells up the room. The air is so caustic, you don’t want to be within ten miles of ’em. You want to shake ’em and wake ’em up to what they are doing to one another – or what one is doing to the other. But, rarely does intervention help. You sigh, shake your head, and vow not to ever do that to YOUR loved one. That’s a vow worth keeping if your relationship is worth having! ALWAYS show respect to your partner… and while you’re at it, respect yourself. God don’t make no junk … you’re a treasure!
