Spreading love, joy, peace, faith & unity

Archive for the ‘relationships’ Category

Open Hands

If your hands are full of “stuff” –
God can’t fill them anew.
Open your hands, my friends,
And let God renew you!

No need to decorate them
Or worry about their size
Just turn ’em over and
Ask for something wise

“Get wisdom;
get insight;
do not forget,
and do not turn away
from the words of my mouth… “
– Proverbs 4:5 

It is an understatement to say
that wisdom is a worthwhile pursuit.

woman wearing red hat and sunglasses
Photo by Nashua Volquez-Young on Pexels.com
We’re never too old to learn
A thing or two each day
Open your hands and receive
God’s message – It won’t lead you astray
person holding opened book
Photo by Eduardo Braga on Pexels.com

In his book, Ever Faithful,
David Jeremiah was inspired
by Psalm 145:16
when He wrote
about hand gestures:

“Hand gestures can communicate
our innermost thoughts and emotions.
Clenched fists reveal anger.
White knuckles and trembling
are usually the result of fear and nervousness.
We close our hands around things
we want to hold on to
and open them to receive and give gifts.”

My friends, Ed and Maria, open their hands to receive each others love and close them around each other to hang on to the one they love. Bob & I do the same!

David Jeremiah went on in his devotional to say,
God’s generosity is described in Psalm 145:15

You open Your hand
and satisfy the desire
of every living thing.”

It might be the prayer
For a miracle to receive
Or could be something simple
You just have to believe

Believe that when you open
Your hands to receive gifts
God will fill them with wonders –
With gifts that your heart lifts

Open hands are a symbol
Of giving – giving our all
And knowing in the process
We’ll be standing tall

As a humble giver,
Know what you give comes back
And God knows your needs
He will fill your every lack

David Jeremiah went on to remind us,
“If we overlook God’s generosity,
or find ourselves in the midst
of a painful season,
it’s easy for a mindset
of scarcity to take over.
We become afraid of losing
what we have, and
our hearts’ stance becomes one of
grasping as we seek to control
our circumstances.”

Grasp all the love you can get
Then open your hands to give
It all away – every single bit
Because it’s refillable as long as you live

Bob’s hands are open to receive his “just desserts”!!
Are yours open, too?

I pray for your hands to be filled
Filled to overflowing
Filled with love to give away
Love that’s alive and showing!

God Bless you!
Have a “Open Handed Day!”
Will you?

Love,
JanBeek

Plans to Prosper You

Who has plans to prosper you?
You do??
Who else?

white paper with note
Photo by Bich Tran on Pexels.com

Jeremiah 29:11

11 “For I know the thoughts
that I think toward you,”
saith the Lord,
“thoughts of peace,
and not of evil,
to give you an expected end.”

God promises to give us hope and a future.
Grace gives me a chance to clean up today’s messes and try again.
Be ready for that prosperous, expected end!

“Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt,
so that you may know how to answer everyone.”
Colossians 4:6 (NIV)

Sprinkle the salt of peace.
Express
the joy of happiness.
Smile
and
let the love of
the One who wants only
to prosper you
shine forth!

three wooden signage in a tree close up photography
Photo by Maria Gulyaeva on Pexels.com

Guidepost’s Mornings With Jesus
challenged its readers yesterday to
“Thank Jesus for seasoning you
with His grace”
– and
“Write down specific ways
He has prospered you so
you can be salt and light
in the world today.”

sunflowers and a card
Photo by RDNE Stock project on Pexels.com

What blessings come to mind for you today?

God provided blue skies.
He sent rain to clear the haze.
The grass is greening
and the flowers are blooming.

I can’t make these things happen…
Only God can control the seasons.
He sends the sun by day
and the moon by night.
These are blessings
I don’t take for granted.

What are some of the specific ways
God has prospered you recently?

I am blessed by your visit here today.
Thank you for following
JanBeek.

I am gratified by the
new followers who have joined us recently.

I send my love & hugs your way.

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!

Duh!

What public figure do you disagree with the most?

From my Christian perspective, this prompt is a no brainer for anyone in the USA with a moral bone in his/her body. But I have good Christian friends who disagree with me, so why open the gap and create more divisiveness?

Let Justice reign!

Can we disagree and still love one another?

Let peace and unity be our goal.

Amen? Hugs to you from … JanBeek ❤️🙏🏽🥰

Love Lifted Me

These happy singers lift me up … Do you feel the love?

Nay-Sayers

Share a wisp of love
In a world of nay-sayers
Let love lift you up

Our nay-sayer world
Filled with hate and divisions
Needs the love you share

Do not be afraid
To be a Pollyanna
Look on the bright side

Every issue has
A rotten and a dark side
Flip over the coin

Look on the bright side
The Truth is in the BS
A pony’s in there

landscape sunset field dust
Photo by Vladimir Srajber on Pexels.com

Beneath all the crap
Lives the Word and the actions
We should emulate

Let hope lift you up
Take shovel and start digging
Find the love in there

Fertilize your life
With sincerity and grace
Uncover the love

This song was recorded in 1961, the year Bob & I were engaged, the year I graduated from college. Love indeed made the world go round. We were married in 1962 and I left the west coast of the USA for the first time and moved to Germany with Bob (who was stationed in the army there). My world became bigger… filled with new love!

Let love uplift you
Let love make your world sweeter
Eliminate crap!

Uncover pony
Rest in God’s peaceful pasture
Send nay-sayers out

John 10:9  

“I am the door.
If anyone enters by me,
he will be saved
and
will go in
and out
and
find pasture.”

Love lifted me up!
I heard His voice and heeded
You can do that, too

Share a wisp of love
In a world of nay-sayers
Let love lift you up




Be a Yes-Sayer – share your love!
Happy Cinco de Mayo!
Come on over for some chicken enchiladas!

Don’t these personify love?

See ya tomorrow.

Hugs,
JanBeek

Peace Thru Prayer, Music, & Service

I LOVE the Jehovah Shalom Acapella sextet. They are phenomenal. Their musicianship, range, uplifting song selections, tone, and delightful facial expressions give me a smile and a sense of peace that lasts all day! I pray for all of them… and their ability to continue to bless us with their music. Do you know them?

I have a smile, a kind word, and a poem of encouragement to share with you. I shared it with the Madison Valley Woman’s Club today. I hope it inspired many to also “Find Peace.”

May this poem, this music, and my prayers for you bring you a sense of inner peace that allows to you to let His light shine brightly through you!

I Can Find Peace

I can find peace
It’s here in my heart
Living in trust
Is a good place to start

I can find peace
In stillness and prayer
Don’t need to go far
Peacefulness is there

Find peace in the world
Find oneness with all
Find joy and contentment
No need for a wall

Peace in relationships
Peace from above
Just radiate inner peace
And reach out in love

Jan Beekman – poet
woman meditating on rock
Photo by Felipe Borges on Pexels.com

Among the poems that my mom collected and saved each week in 1938-1940 from Newman, California’s “West Side Index” was this lovely poem to reinforce the way we each can find peace and pass it on:

Little Things

Somebody did a kindly deed,
It helped you all the day.
Do it again, for somebody else,
Who, needy, passes your way.

Somebody said a kindly word;
Say it again, for you
May brighten somebody else’s load
By the word that brightened you.

Somebody smiled a cheerful smile;
It made the day seem bright.
It was only a little thing you say,
But those little things have might.

Those little things – are they little things?
Just think how the whole long day
An unkind word or slighting tone
Has hidden the sun away.


Margaret Kinsella – poet

smiling women in old fashioned clothing looking at gift in park
Photo by Ron Lach on Pexels.com

At our Madison Valley Woman’s Club meeting today, the ladies shared plants of basil and rosemary, gifts of one sort and other, with one another. New officers were installed. A budget for the coming year was adopted. The organization owns and operates the Nearly New here in Ennis. It is a non-profit, volunteer organization that earns “big bucks” by selling “Twice in the Closet” clothing, books, kitchen ware, jewelry, etc. Hats off to all those who donate their goods and services to the Nearly New! The second-hand shop is run totally by volunteer labor. The majority of their profits are given back to the community in the form of scholarships to graduating high school seniors, monthly monetary support to the local library, and countless other worthy community organizations (such as the nursing home, the community pre-school, senior and youth services, etc.). They budgeted $163,000 to be given away in the coming fiscal year.

There is an enormous sense of peace & community pride that comes with the collaborative efforts of the club’s more than 150 members working together all year to make these kinds of profits possible. Our town of Ennis, MT has a population of just a little over 1,000 residents. So, you can just imagine what a gift this club is not just to Ennis, but to the entire Madison County and to the state. Hats off to all those dedicated volunteers!

Luke 6:38

“Give, and it will be given to you.
Good measure,
pressed down,
shaken together,
running over,
will be put into your lap.
For with the measure you use
it will be measured back to you.”

Give the best you got!
May the peace of Christ be with you and your loved ones
as you give generously of your time, talents, and resources.

Remember, your cup is not
half full or half empty,
It is overflowing…
and it is refillable!

God bless you this day and every day!
Hugs,
JanBeek

See ya tomorrow!
Have a great weekend.

Talk to Me!

Today’s JetPack prompt asks what I like to talk about.

What topics do you like to discuss?


Can you guess?

Sienna, Xander, Charlotte and GG

Yup, GG – Great-Grammy, that’s me!
And below is my granddaughter, Hope,
with three of my five great-grandchildren.

Tonight Bob & I met Charlotte
(11 days new)
for the first time!

Here’s Hope with her 3
Psalm 127:3-5 
ESV 

Behold,
children are a heritage from the Lord,
the fruit of the womb a reward.
Like arrows in the hand of a warrior
are the children of one’s youth.
Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them!

Behold, I fill my quiver with them!

Holding this contented little “Peanut” was such a thrill!
We cooed with one another.
What do you think she had to say?
That’s a topic to discuss!

As some of you know,
Charlotte had a scary beginning
as she was transported by ambulance
back to the hospital
when she was just two days new.

Thank God she’s ok now.
Thank you again for your prayers.

Ask me about my 7 grandchildren.
Ask me about my 5 great-grandchildren.
What do you want to know?
Do you have an hour or two?

My sweatshirt says,
“Kids Make the Day Brighter!”

Here’s another great-granddaughter,
one-year-old Mable Iris.
She makes days brighter, too.

Her chair is our gift for her first birthday.
I think she likes it, don’t you?

Check out the place where
you can get personalized gifts
for children of all ages,
9 minutes to 90 years!
My former student, friend, Leslie,
will cater to your personalized wishes.

http://www.KidoodlesInc.com

The owner of that business
is Leslie, a clever young lady
who was my kindergarten student
in 1972!

Yes, do go and give her your business!
You’ll love exploring her inventory.
(That’s another topic I love to discuss:
my former students and what they do today!)

… But nothing beats grands and great-grands!!

Here is Cosette,
another adorable great-granddaughter
who lives in California.

Isn’t she beautiful?

How about you?
What’s a topic you love to discuss?

apartment architecture chairs comfort
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Let’s sit and chat awhile!!

Thanks for visiting
JanBeek
today.

Tell me what you like to talk about.

See ya tomorrow.

Let’s have some Happy Talk!!

Risky Business!

Today’s Prompt was:

“Describe a risk you took that you do not regret.”

I had children.

Giving birth is risky business.
Raising children is risky business.
They’re expensive!
They’re trouble.

Do I regret deciding to raise two children?
No!
They are a gift from God!

Here’s that spunky boy in today’s world:

Our son and his wife also took the risk.
They decided to raise a family.
But they were not able to have biological children.
So, they took the risk of adopting…
Not just one, but four children!
Adopting is risky business!!
God bless them!

Do they regret it?
You’ll have to ask them!

But, I know that decision of theirs
impacted our whole extended family!

When our granddaughter, Hope, was 18,
she decided she was grown up enough
to make her own decisions,
so she took a risk and left home.
She decided to live with a girlfriend.
(That’s her in stripes in that photo,
and the two little ones are hers: Xander & Sienna.)

Well, that living arrangement didn’t last.
Moving out is risky business.
In just a few months,
Hope was homeless,
couch-hopping, and in trouble.
We took the risk and invited her
to come to live with us in Montana.
It’s a risk we “do not regret.”

That little baby you prayed for this week
is Hope’s #3 … Charlotte.
Thank you, Hope, for taking the risk
of raising a family.
As David Jeremiah wrote in “Ever Faithful”
this week:

Life Takes Time

“Be patient with yourself and with others.
Put down roots.
Stay in one place.
And remember…
nothing takes the place of
God’s work over time.”

Yesterday I texted Hope:

“Hope, how are you and Charlotte doing?”
“We are doing good!!! She’s eating and sleeping well!”
“How are Xander and Sienna?”
“Ok! They’re doing good!
I’m recovering well!
And the kids, too.
They love her!

Yes, life is risky business.
Raising kids is risky business.
And we never stop parenting
as long as we and our children are alive.

Yesterday that little girl in Santa’s lap
up in that 1968 photo
was driving to a lunch date
in Switzerland (where she lives)
when a car dashed out into her path.

Oh my! Learning to drive is a risk.
Do you ever regret teaching your kids to drive?

Now, I need you to pray for DeAna and her transportation, OK?

And don’t forget to praise God.
She’s OK, even if the car is not!

See ya tomorrow.
Love,
JanBeek

No, I don’t regret having children.
Yes, Ty & De are God’s gifts.
But, every day’s a risk, isn’t it?

Life is risky business!!

God bless you all…

To Do or Not to Do

Today’s JetPack on WordPress prompt was:

Write about a time
when you didn’t take action
but wish you had.

What would you do differently?

“Everything in our house has a story to tell.
I believe a house
feels more like a home
when it’s full of stories.”


– Diana Matthews

Yes, everything in my house has a story.
But the biggest story of all
(if the wood could talk),
would be the wood floors.

They are 100 year old boards
from an old silo in Malta, Montana.
The silo was sold to a carpenter
who took it apart floor by floor
and repurposed the nail-pocked boards
in the homes or cabins
of crazy folks like us!

There is Paul, the carpenter,
on top of the silo.
As he was removing the wood
to use it on top of the soft, scarred fir
that was already on our floors,
he fell…

He could have killed himself,
but miraculously,
he only broke a few ribs.
That delayed our replaced floors
by a few more months
than healing ribs would have taken.

Why?

black and white picture of a man
Photo by cottonbro studio on Pexels.com

Paul was having massive headaches
during his rib-healing-process.
The doctors examined all parts of him
and discovered a brain tumor!
If he had not fallen and broken his ribs,
perhaps the tumor might not have been
discovered until much later.
I say it was a “God thing!”

But what does this have to do with
“when you didn’t take action
but wish you had”??

We saw those lovely floors in
some friends’ cabin
and Bob fell in love with them.
The colors, the character,
the nail holes, the story behind them.
He just had to have floors like that.
As I said earlier, our soft fir floors
were badly scarred and needed
to be refinished.

I spoke up and told Bob
I thought we should just refinish
what we already had.
Especially since the floor has
radiant floor heating!!

But I did not persevere.
After Paul’s tumor was successfully removed,
and he was on the road to full recovery,
the work began.
He put that 5/8″ of extra wood
on top of our old floors.

Yes, it brightened up the room
with its lighter color.
Yes, it has a story
and great character.
But, what a lot of work!
And what a lot of money!
And the radiant floor heating
is not as effective
over that extra layer!

In marriage partnerships,
we have to pick our battles.
Some things are worth fighting over.
Others are not.
Discernment is the key!

I decided this was not a battle
I should undertake.
So, I “didn’t take action.”
The result is lovely,
the story is memorable,
the wood talks,
but
“What would you do differently?”

I’d insist we refinish the old floors!
God gave me time to make my case
with diplomacy and insistence
while Paul healed.

Why didn’t I?


Welllll… a picture’s worth a thousand words…

What would you have done?


Does your home have stories to tell?

See ya tomorrow.
Have a peace-filled day~
Love conquers all!

Hugs,
JanBeek

Music Changed Lives

Today’s JetPack prompt was:
Describe something you learned in high school.

Here’s my answer:

When I was in high school,
I sang in the choir
and I played clarinet in the band and orchestra.
I learned a lot about music.

During the summers of my junior & senior years,
my parents made it possible for me
to attend Music Camp at the College of the Pacific.

I learned there that the accordion was not considered a real instrument.

(Hah! “Welcome to heaven, here’s your harp.
Welcome to hell, here’s your accordion.”
My friends always shared jokes about it.)

I had to learn to play the piano!
That was so hard.
(My hands are small
and my fingers
don’t reach an octave!)

I also learned that a choir or band/orchestra conductor
could be very humble and quiet
and still demand and receive respect.

During my senior year,
I viewed those conductors
in my high school
with a new set of eyes and ears
after singing and playing under the guidance
of folks like Jester Harrison,
Dr. Bodley,
and Curt Herbert Adler
during summer camp.

And because I was exposed
each summer to music therapy at C.O.P.,
I listened to music and internalized it
with a whole new set of ears.

This video is an experience with music
that my Swiss family shared.

Different kinds of music
creates different responses.
You can blow it off.
You can dance to it,
or you can join in!
Hah!
That music makes me hyper!
That’s our DeDe and her hubby, Andre’ in there!!

Music from a cello
or other soothing stringed instrument
sets my mind and body at ease.
Piano music can be very soothing.
Depends on the choice, of course.

This is my choice for soothing music.
If you have some time and want to just listen for a while,
see how this music relaxes you!
In contrast, ask “Alexa, shuffle music by Fluffy Machine.”
That’s my grandson, Nicky’s band. Oh my, it’ll jazz you up!

What’s one way I used “Music Therapy”
in my classroom?
It’s based on the Iso Principle.
Match the mood of the music
to the person’s mood;
Change the mood of the music,
and the person’s mood changes with it.


When my students came in from recess,
they were all hyper.
I played hyper music on my accordion
to match their mood
and gradually changed it to
calmer sounds.
Then we sang a song,

“It’s math time, math time,
Time to have some fun.
Please get out your books now,
Turn to page ___,
Be ready.
OK, we’ve begun.”

black click pen on white paper
Photo by Lum3n on Pexels.com

It worked!
They were all on the right page
and ready to begin!

Parade Magazine once had an article about music.
In it, the author wrote,
“Can you imagine your life without music?
It’s almost impossible.
Whether we are cruising in the car
headed to the beach on a hot summer day
or listening to muzak at a doctor’s office,
we are constantly surrounded by song.
Makeups, breakups, parties, hanging out with friends,
singing along with our kids, or caroling a Christmas tune
music stamps nearly every aspect of our life.
Much in the way a killer soundtrack accompanies a movie,
most of us have songs that accent each phase of our lives,
melodies that instantly bring us back
to specific moments or memories
when we hear them even years later.”

Is there a song or a piece of music that impacted your life?
Here is one of my favorites.

You can go to YouTube to hear this music
or you can ask “Alexa” or “Siri” to play this song by Susan Boyle.
It is the Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi.
I love it… and I want to be exactly that.

Let music change your life – every day!
Thank you, JetPack, for this prompt.
Thank you, dear blogging friends, for visiting.

See ya tomorrow.
Love,
JanBeek

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