I CAN enjoy Fun Times with family … and I DID!! It’s been quite a week Here I am with our “bonus daughter,” Laina, who lives in Maryland, our grandson, Nick, and his mom, our daughter, DeDe, both of whom flew here from Switzerland.
Our smiles tell you what fun we were having!
DeDe & Laina have been best buddies since their freshman year in high school. Do you have people with whom you have remained friends for 40 years or more?
Laina, my hubby Bob, & Nick enjoyed time together at Wasabi’s in Bozeman, Montana this weekend. Yes, DeDe and I were there, too. It’s a fun place!
Nick entered a “run” on Saturday in Bozeman. Can you believe he ran (or walked when necessary) for a total of 17 miles? Amazing!
No, he didn’t finish in the #1 spot, but what fun he had eating the chocolate from the 1st place medallion that Elaina bought for him!! Gotta keep movin’ to stay fit! Fun times indeed!!
What do you do to stay fit?
When not busy running or dining out, “the kids” found other happy things to do – like a day in Virginia City and a trip to Yellowstone.
Every day we were on the go! Here is Nick at our favorite brunch spot in Bozeman: Jam! If you’re ever in our area, you gotta be sure to make this one of your stops!
We knew how to wait happily for our brunch table!
Back home, you can see that our family time was enhanced by “the pup!” Kenny has loved all the company … extra playmates!
They leave to return to their homes tomorrow. We are certainly going to miss them!
Who have you hosted in your home this summer/fall? I hope you had as much fun with family as we did!
Off to bed now. See ya tomorrow – We’re going to the airport bright and early. Good night!
I have had a break from my blog for awhile. Why? Spending time with visiting friends and family this summer and early autumn has taken precedence. Also, for the last 300+ consecutive days I have been doing a daily French lesson on Duolingo. Can I speak French now? No… But I can read and understand some. Time to move on. So, I’m exchanging that focus for now. I’m returning to my daily blog posts. I hope you’ll join me.
Today, I reread a response from a friend who wrote to me back in 2021 with this comment:
“You lit a candle in my mind and heart this morning when I read your blog post … Thank you for spreading love, joy, peace, faith & unity through your blog…”
I kept a copy of that blog response in my journal titled, “I Can and I Will, Watch Me!” The entry that day in 2021 was, “I CAN Be an Inspiration.” That is my mission… and I have been neglecting it here on WordPress. But, I’m back!
My journal has 124 entries, each starting with “I Can…” As the “Inspirational Leader” I read one a month last year to my friends at Madison Valley Women’s Club. They responded very favorably to the inspirations. For the next few months, let me share one a day with you, okay? Hopefully you will follow along, and “I Will” be an inspiration to you, too. “Watch Me!”
I CAN Inspire!
I’m not in retirement I’m in re-inspirement Each day a new opportunity To inspire and To be an inspiration grabs me!
What is the secret to being an inspiration?
Love people and Try to understand them.
Reach out in love today.
Sincerely tell at least three people today, “I Love You.”
“Take genuine interest in other people… turn to the person next to you in the grocery store and ask what the highlight of their day has been… Your question … will probably be the highlight of their day.”
That quote is from Bob Goff’s Catching Whimsy, 365 Days of Possibility.
He challenges us with today’s action step:
“Engage the people around you with love and inexplicable curiosity today.”
Time with Saskia & Laszlo is so precious!
I need to be sure and practice “With-ness” with them. God sent them to us so we could really BE with one another.
Who are you going to really be with today? Bob Goff uses Galatians 6:10 to remind us of Jesus’ words to the people: “So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone.”
Let them know you are 100% with them … and curious about how life is going with them.
How is life going with you!?
My life is quite lovely. Kenny’s is, too. I hope yours is, also.
A friend forwarded this to me. She said it was too good not to pass on. I agree👍🏽 So, I’m passing it on, too. It’s from Butler Bass from The Cottage<dianabutlerbass@substack.com>
It’s long and it’s political. I don’t usually post political viewpoints on my blog. But, I’m feeling the pain of what’s happening in the USA right now. And I feel like I need to do something. At least speak out. So here it is:
Everything is worse than expected. Hearts are breaking; many are confused and afraid. A late night reflection.
I hope you didn’t watch the news today.
Because today is one of those sorts of Trumpy Fridays — tariff insanity, stock market decline, a dismal jobs report, firing the director of the bureau who produced honest unemployment numbers, moving a convicted human trafficker to a cushy prison (most likely to pardon her), continuing crisis around the Epstein scandal, threatening Russia with nuclear submarines, $10 a pound ground beef, the dismantling of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, altering history, extortion of universities, and innocent people arrested and detained for no reason at all (except that they speak Spanish).
Welcome to America.
Here in the United States, we’ve just passed through the first six months of the second Trump term. If you are a reader who lives in a different nation, it is probably difficult to understand how difficult it has become here.
In May and June, I spent nearly a month in Europe. It was lovely being in places where people were laughing in the streets, who enjoyed being together and were not consumed with politics. Speech wasn’t guarded; no one cast furtive glances to see if ICE might suddenly appear.
When I returned home, it felt as if I’d been dropped off in a toxic waste dump. The air itself seemed poisoned in comparison to the month I’d just experienced. I couldn’t sleep. I was shaking. It was hard being here.
Shortly after my return, I was out to lunch with a friend. With her eyes downcast, she told me that she was having terrible nightmares, felt overwhelmed with sadness, and struggling with intense grief. “I can’t stand it anymore,” she confided. “Every story about immigrants being snatched by ICE, the cruelty of it all….” Her voice trailed off. “Am I going crazy?”
“I don’t know about that,” I replied. “Not sleeping, crying over the suffering of others? That seems pretty normal in these abnormal circumstances. You’ve got a soul.”
She lifted her gaze. “I’m serious,” I said, “if you weren’t sleepless and depressed, I’d think something was really wrong with you. All you’ve described only proves you are a moral human being.”
“But I can’t live this way,” she protested. I nodded, “I know. I feel the same way.” Then she asked, “What should I do? I can’t do anything. I don’t know what to do.” She seemed a bit lost, maybe somewhat guilty or perhaps even shamed by not knowing.
Although I didn’t say this to her, I remembered that before Trump was elected, one of the authors of Project 2025 bragged about how, if Trump won, their initial goal was to put Americans into trauma. He gleefully talked about wanting to traumatize federal workers and their families. But, even then, it seemed obvious that there were even more human targets for purposeful trauma. Millions of traumatized Americans, unable to function or respond in any meaningful way, would give them a clear pathway to execute their plans.
There are many ways to traumatize others — violence, abuse, witnessing or participating in harm to others, psychological manipulation. We’ve seen them all in these six months. These days, I’m less focused on those enacting all this evil than I am on the rest of us.
The victims of such behavior often suffer moral injury, a real condition, often associated with PTSD. The Veteran’s Affairs department defines moral injury: “In traumatic or unusually stressful circumstances, people may perpetrate, fail to prevent, or witness events that contradict deeply held moral beliefs and expectations.”
Moral injury is just that — trauma that violates one’s core ethical beliefs.
And that’s what we’ve been suffering for the last half year. A government that is purposefully, cruelly, and maliciously creating trauma to make millions of us transgress or shift our own moral boundaries — to inure us to their destruction of democracy and the harm being done to our neighbors.
If you feel bad, it means you haven’t yet been broken. It means you still have a soul. Your moral core has not been breached.
Six months of Trumpism and you have a beating heart. It is, however, probably suffering from moral injury. But you are still the beautiful, compassionate, empathetic human being you have been.
I didn’t say all of that to my friend. I may recognize the outlines of this mass trauma event and the impact it is having on all of us. But I’m not a therapist — and I certainly can’t help others process this moral heartbreak in any kind of professional way.
Instead, I shared a simple practice that is helping me right now.
“Do you know the Serenity Prayer?” I asked her.
“The AA prayer? That’s your suggestion?”
“Yes,” I replied, laughing a little, “I’m not in AA! But it is a really good prayer: ‘God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.’”
She looked at me quizzically. I explained, “I think I’m a bit ‘addicted’ to fixing things. But it is too much, too fast, too overwhelming. I can’t fix it. I can’t fix anything. These are powerful people and they are purposefully destroying things — including our hope. The first part reminds me that I can’t fix the economy, starvation in Gaza, all the lying and chaos, the blatant racism and misogyny…the list is long. I can’t send Trump or Stephen Miller or Russell Vought or Hegseth to therapy — or jail. I can’t remove any of them from office. I can’t change these things.”
I took a breath. “Accepting the things I cannot change doesn’t mean being passive or complicit. It means recognizing that I’m not God, I’m not that powerful, I’m just one limited human being.”
“I get that,” she said.
“But,” I continued, “there are things I can change. Those things that I am called to do, relationships in my part of the world. I can give, volunteer, write, be generous and kind, stay informed, tend to my soul and my own fears and griefs. I can even take some risks. I can still vote. I can speak out. I can do my work well. I can love. I can do good, even when it seems too little. I can’t change everything. I can change some things. And that’s where wisdom comes in.”
She said, “I hadn’t thought about that prayer as a guide for now. Yeah, I can’t do everything. But I can do those things right in front of me.”
I like the Serenity Prayer. But I also think it should be called the Serenity-Courage-Wisdom Prayer, because it doesn’t ask for one thing. It asks for three! The trio of dispositions work in concert to shift our own perspectives and attitudes. It isn’t about fixing anything. Instead, it opens a path of resilience and appropriate action that we may be transformed.
The prayer is attributed to Reinhold Niebuhr, the great twentieth century American theologian. Niebuhr’s theology, richly imbued with irony and humility, emphasized the tensions and contradictions of human sinfulness and the necessity of social justice, communal ethics, and the practice of love. You sense that in this prayer — the recognition of our limits and the summons to genuine courage. But the paradox of serenity and courage must work tandem with wisdom, the ability to both accept and act in difficult and emotionally trying circumstances.
Niebuhr’s daughter thought that her father’s 1943 version of the prayer was his best — and is closest to his intention. It is notable that this version is a communal invocation, not an individual petition:
God, give us grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed, courage to change the things that should be changed, and the wisdom to distinguish the one from the other.
And that’s what I’m wondering. Of course, the prayer is a good guide for these hard days. It helps me. I think it is helping my friend.
But what of us? Can we pray the prayer together? In community, sharing our restless fear and relentless sorrow?
Give us grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed. Like there’s no real going back. We can’t live in some nostalgic America. We’re going to have technology and AI. We’re going to be living with the consequences of climate change. We can’t change the past mistakes and sins of our ancestors. We need an honest assessment of reality. We will shed many more tears over what cannot be changed.
What must we learn to accept?
Give us courage to change the things that should be changed. Not what we can change. But what should be changed. We might feel we can’t do big things. But there is so much that should be changed — for future generations to thrive, for the planet to flourish, for humanity to live justly and in peace. What should be changed? Do we even have the courage to ask the question?
What should be changed?
Give us wisdom to distinguish what cannot be changed from what should be changed. Only in that tension, the deep irony of the human condition, between the realism of what is and the dream of what should be, will our nightmares cease and our love increase. Wisdom, oh wisdom, we need you.
How would knowing the difference shift our lives and communities?
If enough of us embrace serenity, courage, and wisdom, things will change. But not because a some Golden Age is dawning or a political savior will save us. There’s only the long, hard work of being human — of striving toward love and justice, accompanied by the tender compassion of grace.
Nothing that is worth doing can be achieved in our lifetime; therefore we must be saved by hope.
Nothing which is true or beautiful or good makes complete sense in any immediate context of history; therefore we must be saved by faith.
Nothing we do, however virtuous, can be accomplished alone; therefore we must be saved by love.
No virtuous act is quite as virtuous from the standpoint of our friend or foe as it is from our standpoint. Therefore we must be saved by the final form of love which is forgiveness.
― Reinhold Niebuhr, The Irony of American History
INSPIRATION
If you are one who has practice meeting the pain of the world, we need you. Right now we need you to teach us it is possible to swallow what is weighty and still be able to rise. We need you to remind us we can be furious and scared and near feral over injustice and still thrill at the taste of a strawberry, ripe and sweet, can still meet a stranger and shake their hand, believing in their humanness. We need you to show us how we, too, can fall into the darkest, unplumbed pit and learn there a courage and beauty we could never learn from the light. If you have drowned in sorrow and still have somehow found a way to breathe, please, lead us. You are the one with the crumbs we need, the ones we will use to find our way back to the home of our hearts. — Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer, “Please”
The topic of the sermon at church this morning was Mary & Martha… Luke 10:38-42
At the Home of Martha and Mary
38 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39 She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. 40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”
41 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but few things are needed—or indeed only one.[a] Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
Join me with the sermon notes I took in church this morning.
Our church has a new paint color
Here’s the old paint color
That’s our Madison Valley Presbyterian Church in Ennis, MT. I love the new paint color. What do you think? I like to think of it as “Green and Growing.”
The mint green is soothing, don’t you think?
Today’s sermon examined Mary & Martha’s story. Mary’s soothing choice compared to Martha’s busyness. Which choice do you relate to?
Our interim pastor, Brian Conklin, shed interesting light on the age-old story. Here are my sermon notes from this lovely Sunday morning.
Martha is active and faithful She’s committed and frustrated We’ve been in her shoes Sometimes we’re annoyed, too
Jesus, in gentleness, corrected Martha, telling her that Mary Is doing what is right for her But He doesn’t rebuke Martha
Martha’s resentment is clear And it’s easy to understand She’s worried and distracted We are like her all too often
In our culture we celebrate Productivity, and forget to be Present to the importance of today Our stress pulls us apart
Our presence is what’s needed Be present for each other Be fully present in God’s presence Listen to Jesus. Sit at His feet
The posture of your heart: sitting, listening, being attentive Is worship… Stillness reduces stress Christ tells us to pause. Peace! Be still!
Sit in His presence Luke 12:25 reminds us “Don’t worry!” TRUST God is with you. God bless you
Turn your anxiety into prayer Find rest for your soul Anchor your heart at Jesus’ feet Be present with Christ.
Amen?
My peace I give to you.
But Jesus didn’t scold Martha or tell her what she was doing is wrong. Someone has to prepare if you’re going to share a meal, right?
Who do you relate to? Mary or Martha? Why?
My birthday’s this Thursday. No one mentioned it in church this morning. No one sang to me. I want to be Mary, sitting with Jesus. He would sing to me! It’s my week.
Jesus would say, “…few things are needed—or indeed only one…”
And He would probably scold me. “Get your mind off of yourself. Reach out to others. Did you remember to wish Debbie & Steve a Happy Anniversary? It’s their week, too!”
Ah, my friends, Life is Good! Count your blessings… and remember, “…Mary has chosen what is better…” Be still… and listen!
1 Cor. 12:7 “Each person is given something to do that shows who God is: Everyone gets in on it, everyone benefits.“
What were you given? Wouldn’t it be fun to have your family and friends tell you what gifts they see working in you? I had that unique experience yesterday at a meeting of our church’s elder board (The Session).
The “gift” I most align myself with is: “Intercessor.” My daily prayer time and the lists of people I pray for daily are an integral part of my life. I am grateful God gave me the gift of praying for others.
In today’s devotional by Bob Goff, he dealt with this subject. Quoting 1Cor. 12:7, he went on to say,
” God has created us ro come together and form a beautiful community that highlights what we each have been given and can contribute.”
Using the familiar story of Stone Soup, Bob Goff wrote, “You know where this story ends already: the soup becomes a delicious simmering pot made up of everyone’s contributions… We all need to throw in what we’ve got and it will be enough.”
What other gift attributes did my friends identify for me? writing bedrock firecracker cooking music (and as mentioned:) prayer warrior
Of course, the one that surprised me the most was “Firecracker.” Is that a gift? Should I associate that with being explosive or being a sparkler? There are many ways to define our gifts, aren’t there? What’s yours? Ask a friend. Bob Goff ended his devotional in “Catching Whimsy” with this faith step:
Ask the people around you. “What are you good at? What lights you up and makes you spring out of bed?”
Here are the gifts my friends identified in each of my fellow church elders’ lives. For privacy’s sake, I will identify them only by their initials
PC patience, music, steadiness, kindness, calmness, humor
CD steadfastness, empathy, compassion, devotion, humor, determination
SH faithfulness, dependability, devotion. willingness, generosity, commitment, obedience
We began our Session meeting in prayer with this scripture as our guiding principle: 1 Cor. 12:1 paraphrased “Don’t be ignorant friends. A variety of gifts are given- We all are made to drink in One Spirit.”
We can (or can we?) control how others see us. Would I have liked others to see in me dependability, thoughtfulness, initiative, wisdom? Of course! Those weren’t mentioned. What can I do about it?
Live mindfully. Love outlandishly. Purpose my life to “Show who God is.”
Are you with me? Throw your gifts in the pot, and let’s make Stone Soup into God’s Love Soup.
Family sends love out and…… we hug love in. We follow along for a lifetime!
See that cute little boy up there with his loving mom & dad? Well, look at him now!
That’s Liam, our grand-nephew, who just graduated from high school. We are overjoyed that we were able to travel to Pittsburgh, PA to help Liam celebrate. While there, we got to attend a couple of Liam’s hockey matches.
My niece, Jodie (Liam’s mom) and her hubby, Bill, have a gorgeous 1790’s BarN. They held a graduation party for Liam there. About 200 attended!!
Uncle Bob & I are mighty proud of this successful young man!
While in PA we also got to visit the National Aviary. What a beautiful, elegant collection of birds!
Wow!
Meantime back at home, our pup, Kenny, enjoyed playmates and our son, Ty in CA, counted down days til retirement.
Kenny’s happy we’re home!Ty’s ready for the next chapter in his life. I pray that Ty & his wife, Monika, can find a way to go visit his sister in Switzerland. DeAna would love it!Hey, Bro, come visit us! Put it on your 2026 calendar!
Let Love In!!!
Hugs await you wherever you go!
I hope your June started out as beautifully as ours!
Enjoy!
Let Love In!
Hugs,
JanBeek
Thank you, Jodie & Bill, for your love and generosity.
Share a story about someone who had a positive impact on your life.
Kenny came and filled all the empty places in our home and hearts! Dogs do that!Neighbors/friends step up and fill our lives with loveBonus daughters reach out and help make each day brighterSweet daughter, De, makes each day happierTerrific Ty, super son, positively impacts us and countless others Our pastor and our God keep us grounded in loveThese and countless others are daily gifts that impact my life. How can I choose just one?Like the flowers in my garden, each loved one impacts my life daily by adding beauty and support.
Who or what impacts your life … or has left a permanent impression? I know you also feel blessed. Life is a gift… and so are you!
Montana Poet Laureate Chris La Tray at the Elling House Arts and Humanities Center in Virginia City tonight, Saturday, April 27th at 7:00 PM. I will not be able to attend, but I will be with him in spirit. He is a gifted man. I love his poetry.
La Tray, the Montana Poet Laureate since 2023, is a Métis storyteller and a member of the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians. He’s the author of ‘One-Sentence Journal: Short Poems and Essays from the World at Large’ and‘Becoming Little Shell’. Why don’t you Google those books… or find ’em on Amazon. You’ll love ’em just as I do!
Chris sees poetry like the spiritual life of an Anishinaabe person: if you live an Anishinaabe life, focusing on the seven guiding principles of the Seven Grandfather teachings – Humility, Courage, Honesty, Wisdom, Truth, Respect, and Love – then every step you take becomes a prayer.
If you approach poetry in a similar way, seeing that everything that happens can be seen as a poem, and that every moment in life is an experience worth paying close attention to, then every step you take becomes a poem. Whether you write it down or share it with others, poetry becomes another way to tell and share stories. La Tray’s programs remind people that their stories matter, that they’re the only ones who can tell them right, and that poetry, no matter how you define it, is a beautiful way to do so.
Chris La Tray encourages us to focus on Humility, Courage, Honesty, Wisdom, Truth, Respect, and Love.
Let’s do!
Humility sits in humble silence While courage asks us to stand And honesty demands We approach life with wisdom
Truth is hard to find In a world that lacks respect The only way to discover it Is with love, I suspect.
Reach out in love Tell others how you feel We know the world needs More love. Make it real!
It was true in 1966 when Dionne sang this song… And it’s even more true today. Sing along with Dionne… … and then go out and spread some love.
