Spreading love, joy, peace, faith & unity

Archive for the ‘children’ Category

Leisure Luxury

Today’s prompt on JetPack was:
“What do you enjoy doing most in your leisure time?

Visiting family and friends is my obvious answer! Today we met our dear friends, Bill & Marcia, for brunch in Bozeman before Bob’s ENT appointment.

It’s such a joy to meet up with and stay in touch with loved ones.

Bob & Bill

Fun!

Marcia & me

So dear!! But, oh my goodness, I need a haircut!! We’ve been gone 34 days – vacationing in California. I think I posted a couple times on our trip, didn’t I? That’s leisure time … nearly a dozen different beds in 34 days! Time with dear family/friends. God bless ‘em!!

Great-granddaughter Cosette, daughter-in-law Monika, great grandson Christian 1 month new, granddaughter Faith, and great-granddaughter Mable

What a blessing to be with these dear ones!

My former 1st/2nd grade student, Eva Lear (Stanislaus Co. Teacher of the Year)

Another favorite spare time activity: touching bases with former students and wallowing in their successes!!

Darrell & Ruthie Payne, our son’s in-laws,
part of “Mi Familia!!”

Four lovely days with that dear couple – can’t be beat! Went with them to dinner at Fisherman’s in San Clemente- and for scrumptious Italian in Pasadena. Deeeelicious! Such gracious hosts!

Diane, Ruthie & me

Prior to that stay, we were wined & dined in Paso Robles by my “soul sister” Terry & her wonderful hubby, Jim.

Jim & Terry with us at Sculpterra Winery

Time with my dear cousin, Adrian, and his wife, Laura, is hard to beat. Did I tell you earlier about them? They deserve a blog post of their own (coming soon).

Bob with cousinAdrian & his sweet wife, Laura

We also got to spend time with my high school sweetheart, Jerry & his darling wife, Carolyn, and Bob’s former Sunday School buddy, Monica, and his former girlfriend, Sally ( my song girl classmate) and her terrific hubby, Bob Phillips.

The latter two were not able to join us for lunch, but we stayed a night at their house. Do you get back together again with those dear to you from 60 years ago??

Jerry, Bob, Monica, me & Carolyn.

Before that gathering in Turlock, CA, we were in Carmel/Pacific Grove/Pebble Beach with Bob’s two brothers and their wives – and with our long-time friends, the Tillions. Did I post earlier about that 85th birthday of Bob and that New Years Eve experience?

It’s been quite a memorable month!!!

Bob, me, brother Bruce, Ann,
Marge, and brother Bill.
Me, Ingrid, Bob & Alan

Our “leisure time” activities included a lot of dining out in terrific places. This was Big Sur, CA. Such a pretty day! It was 47 degrees, sunshine & feeling warm while back in Montana there was an Arctic storm and the temp was -47! That’s 100 degrees difference!

Suppose we were happy to be spending our leisure time with family & friends? You bet!!

Bob, Ty, me & Monika

Our last evening in CA we took our son & his wife out to dinner. Merry Christmas! Happy New Year! And thank you for loaning us your Lexus so we could travel the state in style for a month!!! What a gift!

Home Sweet Home

Time to unpack, do laundry, sort the mail, pay bills, and take down Christmas decorations! Happy 2024, my friends!

What’s YOUR favorite leisure time activity?

Last night we celebrated our friend, Julie’s birthday. The love of time with family and friends goes on…

Love to you and yours,

JanBeek ❤️

Category:

blessings, children, Family, friendship, happiness, Love, relationships, Serving One Another, Travel

Tagged with:

It’s Never Too Late

If you could make your family and friends understand one thing, what would it be?

The prompt asked about making a pet understand. Well, we don’t have a pet right now. So, I substituted “family and friends.”

I want you all to know, “It’s never too late.”

“Too late for what?” you ask.

Well, you fill in the blank!

As a life-long Christian, I have often heard the pastor say, “Remember your baptism” on various occasions. I can’t. Or I should say, “I couldn’t!”

Not until yesterday!

My mom & sister often told me,”Yes,” when I asked, “Was I baptized?” But there are no pictures. (Mom was an avid picture taker all the time!) And there is no certificate or other written record. I find that strange.

I tried to contact the little white Methodist/Presbyterian church in California’s Central Valley where it supposedly happened, but it burned to the ground years ago … and all records with it.

So, I decided to”It’s never too late. I want to have a baptism I can remember!” At 84, you think you wanna be dunked? You bet … by my son (who recently was ordained as a minister at his church here in CA, where we are visiting this week before we head home from our month’s reprieve from Montana’s ccccold Arctic blast).

Did it take courage and commitment? Was it a hard decision? You bet! But was it important for my spiritual health!? Definitely. I wanted to be able to “remember my baptism” – feel the obedience to the Christian command, “Go, and be baptized!”

It’s never too late!

Do you remember your baptism?

It’s never too late!

Love, JanBeek

My son, Ty, with me and 2 of my great-grandchildren- See my wet head? Yup, I remember being dunked!!

Category:

Belief, Bible Lessons, blessings, children, Faith, Family, God, happiness, Living in Christ's Family, Love, Memories, relationships

Tagged with:

More Than a Job

Today’s prompt was:
What’s your dream job?

My career as an educator was more than a job. More than a “dream job.” It was a beautiful calling. It was a gift. I was a teacher. I loved my students, my teaching colleagues, the joy of making a positive difference in someone’s life.

Today I had the wonderful privilege of reconnecting with a student who was in my first and then second grade classrooms back around 1969-70. Today she is a teacher – and has been honored by being selected as the Turlock School District and Stanislaus County “Teacher of the Year.” Congratulations to Eva Marquez Lear!! Thank you for expressing your gratitude and recounting your love and reaching out to tell me I was one main reason you decided to become a teacher. It’s more than our “dream job” … it’s our calling, our gift … pass it on. God bless you!!

Eva & me today

What’s YOUR dream job?

Love, JanBeek

Category:

blessings, children, friendship, Gratitude, happiness, Love, optimism, relationships, Serving One Another, work

Tagged with:

Good Leaders

Today’s prompt on JetPack/WordPress is: What makes a good leader?

Our son, Ty

Our son, Ty, is a good leader. He is:

  • Compassionate
  • Bright
  • A good listener
  • Christ-like
  • Willing to work with you
  • Fun to be around
  • Conscientious
  • Thoughtful
  • Sincere
  • Articulate
  • Gregarious
Loving & tender-hearted

Aren’t we blessed!? To have a son with these leadership attributes is definitely a gift from God! Do you know a leader who exhibits those qualities?

Sending love your way …

Thanks for visiting JanBeek ❤️

Category:

blessings, children, Family, God, Love, relationships

Tagged with:

Just for Fun

Today’s prompt was, “What was the last thing you did for play or fun?”

The last thing I did for fun was to hold my newest great-grandchild, Christian Beekman (born yesterday) and revel in his tiny hand holding my finger. Life doesn’t get more fun – more special – more blessed than this!!

What joy to welcome this little boy into our Beekman family!

Here’s our son (Grandpa Ty) and our daughter-in-law (Grandma Monika) with their newest grandchild. They have six now!! that makes six great-grandchildren for us. Can you believe it??

Doesn’t that look like fun to you?

Here are Christian’s mom & dad (our grandson, Jordan with his wife, Josniah). God bless them! And God bless Christian’s big sister, Cosette. She’s gonna love having a baby brother … and has to learn he’s not a dolly she can toss around!!

What have you done for fun this week?

Sending love your way. Merry Christmas!

Hugs, JanBeek

Category:

blessings, children, Family, God, Love, relationships

Tagged with:

Lessons Learned

Yesterday’s prompt was:
What skills or lessons have you learned recently?

My answer:
“It took four accidents
in a three month period,
but I finally got the message,
I think:

SLOW DOWN

AND

LOOK

WHERE YOU’re WALKING!!”

It’ll take a lot of divine guidance,
but I think I can slow down and watch!
Avoid any further falls!!

How about you?
What lesson have you learned recently?

Today the sermon topic was based on the Bible story of Zechariah and Elizabeth’s awe-inspiring birth of baby John (later known as John the Baptist). Zechariah learned not to doubt God’s messenger who told him that he & Elizabeth would at last have a child (they were in their later years of life… maybe as old as their 90’s).

When Zechariah doubted, he was struck dumb… unable to speak for the 9 months of Elizabeth’s pregnancy. But, even though Elizabeth questioned, she accepted and believed. So, she learned that great lesson, “With God all things are possible.”

Do you suppose she was awe-struck? How could she NOT be??

I would have painted them with gray hair… but nevertheless, I love this painting of Zechariah & Elizabeth. I can only imagine how awe-struck they must have been!

What causes you to be in awe these days? Have you learned to slow down and let awe envelop you?

(If you’ve followed JanBeek for awhile, you know I love taking notes in poetry as I listen to the sermon each week). So, on that awesome topic, here’s today’s encouraging sermon delivered by Rev. Mary Grace Reynolds at our Madison Valley Presbyterian Church.

I love the size & sound & the creatures in the ocean
I love climbing over the sand dunes to the beach
It is sitting on the grassy knoll by the shore
Knowing the salty water and waves are within reach

I love oogling at sunsets and standing in the river
The world gives me reason for wonder and awe
Everywhere I look, I see evidence of God’s wondrous creation
Regular bouts of awe are mine – they drop my jaw!

Elizabeth’s healthy baby boy brought awe
To all who saw Zechariah write and confirm “John”
Entering into the world of awe raises us up
Out of night’s darkness, into day’s dawn

Awe can be found every day from sunrise on
If we slow down and take time to really see
So don’t drown in the tedious mundane of life
Intentionally seek the awe – here for you and me

Let no day go by unmarveled at
Appreciate the luxury of every single day
We are so blessed to be here - alive
Let awe and amazement be yours today

Be the #1 Marvelor today!
Love and be loved – feel the pull
That helps you notice all in awe
Change awful to awe-full!!

Awe-men?

It may have been awful to be unable to speak for nine months. But, I’ll bet Zechariah learned new lessons every day as he watched Elizabeth grow large with child …. and as he marvelled at how amazing this turn of unbelievable events was!

Find something to marvel at today!
Learn something new.

Tell me about it.

Hugs,
JanBeek

No more falls!!

Category:

Aging Gracefully, Belief, Bible Lessons, blessings, children, Faith, God, happiness, Life's Challenges, Living in Christ's Family, Love, optimism, Poetry, sermon notes, writing

Tagged with:

Recommended Books

Today’s prompt was:
What book are you reading right now?

Haha!! No, I’m not isolated…
And no, I didn’t color three books…
Only two!!

person coloring art with crayons
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

No, seriously,
The question should have been “What bookS…”
I can never limit myself to just one at a time!
I love reading!

So, what bookS am I currently reading?
Let me list a few:

  1. The Bible (always … daily)
  2. Devotionals that help me understand better and apply the Bible lessons to my life:
    a. In Touch by Charles Stanley
    b. Ever Faithful by David Jeremiah
    c. Mornings with Jesus and Walking in Grace and Strength & Grace by Guideposts
    d. Today in the Word by Moody Bible Institute
    e. These Days by Presbyterian Publishing Corp.
  3. The Last Caretaker: A Novel by Jessica Strawser

I have Jessica Strawser’s book on my Kindle reader. I prefer having a paperback or better yet, the hardcover book, but Kindle books are so affordable – – – and I can enlarge the print to make deciphering easier. So I am getting used to reading from my laptop. The Last CareTaker is a gripping story about a lady who agrees to be the caretaker at a remote nature preserve, but finds herself in the throes of a secretive shelter for battered, abused, and at-risk women. I’m enjoying it.

How about you? What bookS are you reading right now?

Bye for now…
I’m off to read some more.

(Oh, and by the way,
Happy Birthday to my mom.
11-15-15
Elizabeth (Betty)Totten DeAngeles
She would have been 108 today!)

Here we are when I was about 2 or 3.
Quite the hairdo, huh?
Sweet!

Love,
JanBeek

Category:

Bible Lessons, books, children, Family, learning, Love, relationships, Sharing

Tagged with:

Lost: Triumphant Scars

One should not lose sleep over lost blogs, right?
But here I am … sleepless in Montana … feeling very disgruntled.
I wrote this blog titled “Triumphant Scars” and posted it, but then I received a notice that the draft was not posted. I knew I had finished and posted it… and many of you dear readers left lovely comments.
So, I deleted the unfinished draft. Figured I didn’t need it.

Well, my friends, if you have both JetPack and WordPress, BEWARE!!

JetPack did not acknowledge the completed post, and when I erased the draft, I lost the post.
Does that make sense? No!!
Below is all that is left of my carefully crafted post about Eli and his “Triumphant Scars.“

…He showed them [scars on] His hands and sides.
Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.”

John 20:20

X

X

X

Those x’s are what I put in to save room for text when I went from my phone (where I started the post because that’s where the pictures were) to my laptop where I completed the entry. I used lovely illustrations of why Eli’s scars (and yours and mine, too) are triumphant by quoting a very thoughtful and inspiring commentary in Guideposts “Mornings With Jesus.”

The bottom line: Jesus’ scars on his hands, feet and sides are proof of healing. His death and resurrection allows us, His followers, to be healed of our sins and look forward to eternity. Our scars, both the visible and the invisible ones, are proof of our healing, too. They are Triumphant Scars. That was the message.

Alas, I discovered when I deleted the draft in JetPack, I also deleted my finished post and the only thing I could retrieve in “Trash” was what you see above, the scripture, the photos and the x’s. Do any of you dear readers have any advice for me? I am so disgruntled that I’ve taken a break from blogging since then. Did you miss me? I need to get out of this funk.

Th good news is: Eli is home and recuperating from his surgery. His mom & dad and three sisters are in my daily prayers along with his grandma, Donna (whose blog, “The Father’s Feet” is where I met Eli). I hope you are continuing to pray for Eli, too.

This has been a miserable way to learn “Do Not Delete it when JetPack says your published WordPress post is still in draft form.” I’ve gotta get outta this funk and back to my positive self spreading love, joy, peace, faith and unity on JanBeek. And I’ve gotta get some sleep. This is no way to live.

Grrrrr!

I’ll be OK.

Hugs,
JanBeek

Category:

Bible Lessons, blogging, children, Jesus, Life's Challenges, Living in Christ's Family, Love, writing

Tagged with:

Valued Trait

Today’s prompt on WordPress was:
What’s the trait you value most about yourself?

Each of us is given special gifts.
The trick is to recognize yours.
When you find it, then
make it your favorite trait.

And use it to the fullest!

This scripture is one of my favorites…
and it reveals a trait I cherish:

Hebrews 13:2

“Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers,
for by this some have entertained angels
without knowing it.”

My special gift is hospitality.
I love having family and friends
come to spend time with us.
Here is our dear 1980-81 AFS son,
Christian Zufferey (ZuZu), from Switzerland.
No, he’s no stranger to us!!

(Our DeAna married his first cousin!!
What a love story that is!)

This week DeAna, and her hubby, Andre’
surprised us by arriving with ZuZu
and his wife, Celia, for a four day stay.
Here they are this morning… leaving us (boo-hoo!)

But, we were blessed to have them
come and spend those days
(just not nearly long enough) –
and to have Chef Andre’ prepare great meals!

How wonderful it was also
to have our grandson, Mike,
and his wife, Tania, with us for a week
this month. They were so helpful!!

Now this hospitality business
would have a full opportunity
to be put into practice IF our son
Ty & his wife, Monika, would come!

The good news is that Peter,
one of Bob’s wrestling students
from back in the 1970’s in CA,
will be joining us in October for awhile.
Yay!

Why don’t you consider
Letting me use my favorite trait,
HOSPITALITY,
On you one of these days?

What’s your special gift – your favorite trait?

Love to you,
JanBeek

Category:

Bible Lessons, blessings, children, Faith, Family, friendship, Giving, Living in Harmony, Love, relationships, Serving One Another, Spiritual Gifts

Tagged with:

What’s in a Name?

Daily writing prompt
Where did your name come from?
View all responses

Names are funny things
They help to define us
Our parents named us
Without a lot of fuss

Did they realize
When they made their choice
That the name they chose
Would give us a life-long voice?

My parents chose Janet
She was an actress superb
First female Academy Award Winner
My name is indeed a verb

Janet is a lady of action
The name means “God’s Gift”
It comes with a lotta ham
“Jan” is quite an audacious lift!

So, what’s in YOUR name?
Did your parents tell you why
They gave you the handle they did?
Does it make you bold or shy?

Mine gave me permission
To climb up on the stage
Janet Gaynor was her name
She was quite the rage!

(Back in 1939 that is! Hah!)

Tell me your name’s story.
Thanks for checking out
JanBeek today
Give your name’s sake a shout!!

Category:

children, Family, Love, Memories, Poetry, relationships

Tagged with: