When God starts your day with this kind of a blessing,
how can your day go wrong?
TRUST in His blessings!
This is the day that the Lord has made,
I will reJOYce and be glad in it!
How have you felt God’s blessings in your life this day?
See ya in my prayers…
Love, JanBeek
I just needed a diversion today
away from politics and religion
and anything serious.
So, I decided puppies
were a great way
to get my head cleared
and put a smile on my face.
Don’t you agree?
A little dab of puppy
does it!
Today at d’Verse, De Jackson, asked us to write a Quadrille poem (exactly 44 words) with the word dab in it.
How about you?
Do you have a favorite pup picture to cheer me?
Or a favorite puppy story?
Time to share!!
Thanks for visiting JanBeek
See ya tomorrow.
Teachers aren’t supposed to have favorites.
Right?
See that young man on the left up there?
His name is Ty.
He is my favorite!
(Well, in honesty… don’t be dismayed
if you’re one of my students….
I have lots of favorites, OK?
But Ty… well, read on!)
Ty was my kindergarten student in 1962-3.
Every day when he stepped off the school bus,
the girls all stopped what they were doing.
“Hi Ty!” they would swoon.
Yes, even kindergarten girls
recognize a sweetheart when they see one!
And every day when it was time to go home,
the girls all waved to Ty,
“Bye, Ty!”
they would swoon.
I was a newlywed.
It was my second year of teaching.
I decided if I had a boy someday,
I would name him Ty.
And I did!
Ah yes, my Ty is a sweetheart, just like his namesake!
Yesterday I heard the devastating news
that my favorite student, Ty,
has been diagnosed
with Stage 4 cancer.
It has metastasized.
He needs our prayers.
My heart is heavy,
but I am a believer…
and HOPE
is what believers do,
right?
Day before yesterday I posted this scripture:
Jeremiah 20:11
“For I know the plans I have for you,”
declares the Lord,
“Plans to prosper you
and not to harm you.
Plans to give you hope
and a future.”
I know God has Ty tucked into the palm of His hand,
just as He holds our world in His hand.
I know God is watching over Ty and his treatment process.
But, won’t you add your prayers to mine?
“Dear Lord, please give healing to Ty.”
I wrote about Ty when he came to visit us
here in Montana a couple of years ago.
Here is the blog link:
https://janbeek.blog/2019/05/25/gift-from-the-heart/
After Ty & Roxanne left, they sent us a thank you gift for our hospitality. He created this cross for us. It hangs on my dining room wall as a constant reminder of my special student, Ty Stiles.
“May the God of Hope
fill you with all joy and peace
as you trust in Him.”
Romans 15:13
The reign of Christ,
both present and in the future,
is our foundation of Hope.
“And in despair I bowed my head
‘There is no peace on earth,’ I said
For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will toward men.
Then peeled the bells more loud and deep –
God is not dead, nor doeth He sleep.
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail –
With peace on earth, good will toward men.”
Embrace Peace.
Embrace Love.
Embrace Joy.
Embrace Prayer.
Embrace Hope.
Thanks for visiting
and praying with
JanBeek
Yesterday it was Ray …
the guy with Bob
and that gorgeous trout.
Catch,
pose,
take photo,
release!
Happy Birthday, dear BobbyBee.
Today you are 82, but you don’t look it.
You don’t feel it most days either!
Thank God for your refreshed health!
But… we are blessed to be right here
in beautiful south-west Montana
and a trip to Big Sky will be
a wonderful birthday celebration.
Let’s go!
Happy Birthday, Bob!
I am grateful for you, dear WordPress friends.
I pray your day was blessed indeed.
Merry Christmas!
Did you get to actually be with your family? Or did you ZOOM with them as we did? The picture above is Christmas Eve morning. Bob & I had the opportunity to see and talk with (left to right) our son, Ty, [then that’s us], group shot of our grandson and granddaughter with our son’s in-laws, then my niece, Jodie & her husband, Bill and son, Liam, from their home in PA, our daughter #2 Laina in the Baltimore area, and our daughter-in-law, Monika, in CA. We had a wonderful hour-long conversation. Next best thing to being together in person! Thank you, ZOOM!!
What are the gifts that brightened your day today?
I hope you are feeling as blessed as we are.
Bob & I are using our relatively new smoker to smoke a standing rib roast for our Christmas dinner. Like technology, things like smokers and cell phones require a learning curve. We’re on the uphill side of that curve!
We called our neighbor/friend, Whooter, for help this morning when we were trying to figure out how to do this. Dear Whooter texted us back, sent us a photo that made our day, and gave us the advice we needed. Love that guy!!
Whooter gave us a great recipe for a rub to put on the meat, and meat thermometers to help us know we are headed in the right direction in the smoking process. God bless him! Do you have neighbors who are life-savers for you at times like this?
As we prepare for our Christmas dinner, we are listening to the horrible news about the bombing in Nashville this morning. So sad that there are such sick people out there! How could someone intentionally do something so devastating?
Our prayers go out for those who were injured and prayers of gratitude that there are no known fatalities. We have friends who live in Nashville- not far from this blast. And I have a cousin who lives there. My heart goes out to all those in Harm’s Way. We all are affected by such atrocities. It makes us all feel vulnerable. It saddens my heart.
God be with those firefighters who were injured.
May they recover fully and be home with their families soon.
Thank God for each minute you are given to share
the love, joy, and peace that are Jesus Christ’s gifts to us.
Have a very Merry Christmas, my friends.
Our standing rib roast WILL be done soon.
I am counting on it.
Sigh…
The smoker keeps shutting off.
We may have to call Whooter again!
(That’s just an internet photo!!)
Merry Christmas, my friends.
What did you do today?
Hugs from JanBeek, Bob & TazE!
On this day in the year 1937, Walt Disney’s animated movie, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, was introduced to a delighted American public. My sister was one day old. I was born a year and a half later.
Yesterday I posted a poem about God whistling through the trees – and added some other whistlers to the post. Here’s one of my favorite tunes to whistle:
The drawings that created the animation for the movie were mostly done by Bill Peet. I met Bill Peet in the late 1960’s at a California Teachers’ Association Reading Conference. What a delightful man! Bill worked for Walt Disney as an artist most of his career. In his early 50’s, he retired from Walt Disney Studios and began publishing children’s picture books. This was one published in 1967, the year my daughter, DeAna, was born.
Have you ever heard of him? Are you familiar with any of his books? I think many of the more than 30 books he wrote and published for children are available today on Amazon Books… especially in the Used Books section. I don’t think any are still being printed. But, I should research that. His home page lets you see this creative author/illustrator: http://www.billpeet.net/
Many of my Bill Peet books were autographed. I bought them at the CTA conferences and had the author personalize them to me and put his signature on them. I have given most of those to my daughter-in-law, Monika, who home-schooled our four California grandchildren.
Looking at that list, I remember hearing Bill read to us “The Wingdingdilly.” I remember his infectious laugh. That”s such a cute story! Here are a couple of his books that I still have. All his books have a wonderful moral to them. Many of them are written in poetic rhyme. His wonderful sense of humor comes through, just as it did when he produced the drawings for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
Another of Bill Peet’s books that I still have is Fly Homer, Fly – copyrighted in 1969, its pages’ edges are mouse chewed – don’t know how that happened – but not so bad it ate into any of the words! Homer is a simple farm pigeon who lives in an abandoned barn. Homer befriended a bedraggled sparrow who was blown by a storm into the barn. The adventures begin when Sparky, the Sparrow, convinced Homer to fly off to Mammoth City with him in search of Pigeon Park where every day was supposed to be a feast day.
You just gotta try to find Fly Homer Fly… The pigeon & sparrow adventures reminded me of my youngest grandson, Chris, who arrived today in Colombia from Switzerland.
Yesterday Chris flew via Geneva – Madrid – Miami. And then he realized he had forgotten his American passport. He could not fly on from Miami to his next scheduled stop. So he had to go back to Geneva and have his brothers drive there from Sierre (a two-hour trip) to deliver his USA passport to him… and 52 hours later he finally got to his destination. Whew!! Can you imagine?? Might even beat Homer’s adventures!
I introduced you to our grandson, Chris, back in November of 2018 when he came to live with us for awhile and joined the Job Corps in Anaconda, Montana. Then COVID-19 hit and the government threatened to close the Job Corps centers that were run by the Forest Service. Anaconda was one of them. That was right about when Chrissy’s parents were here visiting. So, he decided to go back to Switzerland. He’s now studying to be a nurse. He met Natalia on-line… and I told you about their romance back in early 2019. Refresh your memory:
https://janbeek.blog/2020/02/23/love-on-the-internet/
Our grandson will remember this day forever… and someday he will laugh about it with his grandkids, just the way his grandparents are enjoying the story today. It was a surprise to us that Chris made this trip! I hope you are enjoying the story, too… and like us, I hope you are saying a prayer for those crazy kids who choose to fly across the world in this COVID environment. Ah, love knows no barriers! God bless them!
And God bless us all.
Bee safe this Christmas week, my friends.
Do yourself a favor and go check out Bill Peet!
See ya tomorrow.
Keep your sense of humor alive.
It’s vital!
Hugs, GrammyJanBeek
I have told my WP friends this story before, but it was a while back… and since then, many of you are new to JanBeek, so it bears repeating:
My friend, Bob Jorgenson, born with Cerebral Palsy, was bright as a tack. His parents brought him every Sunday to church in his wheel chair. They sat mid-way up in the sanctuary with him. They stayed after church for fellowship. They helped people understand what Bob had to say – because Bob’s speech was compromised – but he had so much to say!
Homer and Ruth knew their son would not live a long life, but they packed ten life-times into Bob’s 35 years. They took him to Europe, to Disneyland, to Asia, to the Holy Land. They built a train track and a miniature train in a circle around their wooded property, and fixed up the engine so that Bob could run the train and give train rides to various groups of kids who came to experience the wonder of it.
When Bob was on his last breaths, lying helpless and speechless in his hospital bed, Homer sat with him. He had Bob’s favorite hymnal. As he turned the pages, Homer asked Bob to blink when he came to a song Bob wanted to hear.
Homer was singing “It is Well With My Soul” to his son when Bob breathed his last.
I never hear this song without welling up inside. My heart smiles.
I hope your soul smiles as you hear it, too.
Merry Christmas!
This is Vissoie, Switzerland.
Our daughter and son-in-law have a restaurant here.
Isn’t it beautiful?
We missed our visit with them this year. We are not even able to go to California to celebrate Christmas with our son and his family there. I bet we are not alone. Many of you are missing your visits with your family this Christmas, too.
What are you missing?
Like this sad looking dog, we can sit around and look all mopey.
We can focus on what we’re missing.
Or we can go to Ann Kaplow’s blog this morning,
try focusing on the positive,
and answer her question,
“Can you find something to celebrate in today’s images?”
Ann KoplowThe Year(s) of Living Non-Judgmentally
Celebrate the fact that even though we feel the darkness of this Coronavirus and the isolation caused by this pandemic, we also can experience the LIGHT! The Light still shines – and we can reflect it!
Let us not focus
On the things we are missing
But on our blessings
Basic needs are met
And we have great resources
Enough to share them
When your needs are met
Leave the reptilian brain
And share your great smile
Food, clothing, shelter –
Not all people are so blessed.
Take these for granted?
No! Let’s treasure them.
Now we can go beyond them –
Reach out to others.
You have love to give
You have compassion to give
And you have kindness
Focus on giving
Blessings are overflowing
Share them with others
As long as you give
Know your cup will be refilled
You can’t out-give God!
In this weary world
People long for what you have
Share your love – give faith!
Have a little faith
Not in the things of this world
But in the True Light
Take the LOVE He gives
And let that love shine through you
Give a little FAITH!
Thanks for visiting JanBeek today.
Have a blessed Thursday.
Count your blessings!
See ya tomorrow.
It is well… with my soul.
You may know the song, but do you know the story behind it?
It is well worth your time to listen to this wonderful explanation
and to hear the gorgeous Mormon Tabernacle Choir.
When peace like a river attendeth my way
When sorrows like sea billows roll
Whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say
It is well, it is well, with my soul
It is well
With my soul
It is well, it is well with my soul
Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come
Let this blest assurance control
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate
And hath shed His own blood for my soul
It is well (it is well)
With my soul (with my soul)
It is well, it is well with my soul
My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, o my soul!
It is well (it is well)
With my soul (with my soul)
It is well, it is well with my soul
It is well (it is well)
With my soul (with my soul)
It is well, it is well with my soul.
Source: MusixmatchSongwriters: Bliss Philip P / Spafford Horatio / Langley Leanne
It is well with my soul.
May it be well with your soul, too.
God bless you!
Have a wonderful week.
Thanks for visiting JanBeek.
See ya tomorrow.
In my journal yesterday, I created a six stanza Haiku. It’s where I’m comin’ from on this day when I delivered Bob (my sweet husband of 58 years) into the hands of a surgeon. It’s a relatively straight-forward procedure… an angiogram to determine any heart issues that were not detected with the x-rays and EKGs. Bob is in good hands… and I am here in the hotel room relaxing:
What is Heaven like?
I can only imagine.
I see glimpses here.
The help of a friend
The love of dear family
Colors of sunrise
The pureness of snow
Unconditional pet love
Hidden surprises
Gorgeous scenery
Flower pedals opening
Precious solitude
Whiskers of kittens
Soft and abundant kisses
Marvelous sunset
Magnificent Son
The warmth of welcoming arms
And eternal rest
Thank you to Curtis Wallace for his gift of photography.
Such joy in flower petals opening – and sunflowers seeking the sun
Thank you, God, for soft and abundant kisses.
Kisses know no age
Kisses reach into our hearts
Gratefully receive
Magnificent Son
Thank you for your sacrifice
So freely given
… and eternal rest –
That’s where my daddy is now.
What is heaven like?
I can only imagine!
Just got a call from the hospital.
Bob is out of surgery.
Heart looks good.
No blockages.
No stents needed.
Thank you, God,
for hearing and answering prayer.
Thanks for visiting JanBeek
and praying with me!
You’re the best!
See ya tomorrow.
Hugs to You !!
Inspire to Love
Let the SonShine!
You inspire me to respond
Learning to Live; Living to Learn; Learning to Love; Living in Love
