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Archive for the ‘Memories’ Category

October Memories

Happy October to you, my friends!
May this month of changing colors
Find you healthy, happy, and looking forward
To the joy this season brings your way.

I decided today to look back at
Some of past October’s joys.
Fun to reminisce and search memories;
Don’t you agree? Those colors add noise!

Trees of green turn and shout out red,
Spreading their joy to all.
May we, likewise, determine
To spread our joy this fall.

These trees are near our home;
Every fall they decorate the course
Where golfers enjoy the coolness
And we celebrate nature’s Source.

We may not be able this year
To follow our friends up on trails
Where the fall colors blaze;
But we’ll follow along on all their details.

We’ll remember fondly our rides
With friends who also had pups –
Like our TazE (who’s in heaven now) –
Their love filled our cups.

The plant outside my window
Is reminding me daily of the cold
That is right around the corner…
The colorful changes never seem old.

Galatians 4:10

“You observe days and months and seasons and years.”

Observe the blessings
of the changing season
Knowing every change
Is for a very good reason.

Everywhere we look these days
We see the signs of the changing season.
It is a beautiful time of year –
And we welcome it to breeze in!

We’d welcome you to breeze in, too.
Come visit the 2Beeks in Montana state…
Even on the coldest of days, we enjoy
Sharing ice cream with you; It’s never too late!

Happy Autumn Hugs
from
JanBeek
(and the ice cream loving Beekster)

What’s in a Name?

Daily writing prompt
Where did your name come from?

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!!

Alacrity

Do you know this word?
Alacrity!

happy sportspeople of different ages preparing to run in forest
Photo by Gustavo Fring on Pexels.com

Alacrity = cheerful readiness

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

When I chose my word for 2023, “Ready”
back on January 1, 2023,
I did not know what I needed to be ready for.
But I told myself, “Whatever comes my way,
I will be cheerfully ready!”

This past week, we had the privilege
of hosting my niece,
her husband and 16-year-old son,
and her bff from Utah, Melissa.
And mid-way through their visit,
our son and his wife came for
3 days and 4 nights.
A house full!
Was I ready?

Yes! When your guests are happy, helpful, and relaxed, it’s easy to be cheerfully ready for them!

A day in Yellowstone was a highlight. We all were ready for the bubbling geysers and pools, bison and other animals. Old Faithful always was a hit!

Are you ready to visit Yellowstone? Are you ready to ooh and aaah?

That photo captured only about 1/4 of the herd. It was the largest group of bison mamas and their calves that I’ve ever seen!

We were ready to see the elk and deer 🦌 So, yes, they did not disappoint us! We even saw a black bear. Rare!

My grand-nephew, Liam and I were ready to have our memories of “Artist’s Point” captured by a kind tourist. It’s my favorite Yellowstone spot!

And the guys were more than pleasantly waiting with alacrity for their day of fishing on the Madison. Each of them caught at least one fish … some caught three. No, we didn’t have a fish fry! The Madison River has a “catch & release” policy.

What are you ready for today? I hope you’re anticipating it with alacrity!

Have a Marvelous Monday!

Live, laugh, love ❤️ JanBeek

He is the One!

Robert E’s the One🥰

Oh, he stole my heart away ♥️

I’m so very blessed 😇

Happy Father’s Day 🥳

I thank God for who you are 😀

For your precious love ❤️

Bob & I met in the summer of 1958 at a hometown dance.
We had many mutual friends because
he came from his little town of Hughson, CA
in to the bigger town of Turlock (about 15 miles)
to church every Sunday.
I didn’t go to that same church,
so I didn’t meet him while I was in high school.

That summer after my freshman year in college,
I returned home to Turlock
and attended a dance at the War Memorial building.
It seems like all our mutual friends
decided it was time for us to meet.

“Fine to meetcha!”
he would say each time we were introduced.
“What did you say your name is?”

It took two weeks after that introductory dance
for him to call and ask me out.
And it was three and a half years later
when I was graduated and teaching,
and he was stationed at an army base in Germany,
that we married and I went to Wurzburg to join him.

Here’s the guy I fell in love with in 1959

I don’t have a photo here of us in Germany, but it was a magical 9 months. I got a job teaching on the army base … a darling first grade. And when we returned to the states, I resumed my teaching career and Bob finished college.

His job at Shell Oil in San Francisco lasted only a year or so. Then he went back to college and earned his teaching credential. Bob taught at Hillsdale High in San Mateo for nine wonderful years. During that time our children, Ty & DeAna were born.

Bob with De (3) and Ty (5)

We moved back to the Turlock area in 1969 and our kids attended school in Modesto while I taught in Ceres & Hughson and Bob returned to his roots: beekeeping. The rest is history!

I just want you to know that I thank God every day for the love Bob & I have shared these 60+ years – and the gift of family God has given us.

Our “children” – Ty & DeAna

I pray that you other moms & dads out there can look back as I do, and feel enormous gratitude for the person God gave you to be co-creators… may your children honor you this day, dads.

Thank you, Dear Lord, for telling me,

“He’s the One!”

He certainly is! God bless you, Bob!

Thanks for being such a great father!

Happy Father’s Day!

Love ❤️ JanBeek

Favorite Moment

Today’s writing prompt was:

Describe one of your favorite moments.

The dreary, cloudy, Saturday in February of 1962 that we chose to be married made the stained glass window in the University of the Pacific’s chapel rather dull in color. But the moment the UOP choir blessed our vows with “The Lord Bless You and Keep You” – at the top of the three fold amen (or was it a seven-fold? You need to listen!) ~ the sun came out!

That is my “Favorite Moment.”
It was definitely a
memorable,
beautiful,
defining moment
when God smiled down on us
and blessed our marriage.

God has certainly blessed this union!

Then, 25 yers later, out daughter, DeAna,
wore my wedding dress
and married her sweetheart, Andre’
in the same chapel.

Happy Father’s Day, Andre’ – – –
you and De produced
three delightful boys.
We are so blessed!

And our son, Ty married
his sweetheart, Monika,
a year later.
What a beautiful union that is!
They have given us four more grandchildren!

Happy Father’s Day to our son, Ty, too!

What is your most
“Favorite Moment”
????
Is it related to your wedding day
or an experience as a parent?

a man reading a book to his baby
Photo by nappy on Pexels.com

Tell me about it!
Have a Happy Father’s Day!

Love,
JanBeek

What Jobs?

Today’s JetPack prompt was:

What jobs have you had?

Teacher – 24 years – loved every minute!
1961, Stockton, CA – 1st grade
1962, Germany, Wurzburg Army Base – 1st grade
1963-64, Turlock, Cunningham School – kindergarten
1964-67, Daly City, CA – K, 4th, 7th-8th
1968- 79, Hillsborough, CA – 7th/8th, K, 4th, K-6 summer school
1979-81, Hughson, CA – 1st grade & GATE classes
1982- 99, Ceres, CA – 4th grade, principal (K-8), then…

This is Lorei with me.
She was my first grade student in 1961
when I first started teaching in Stockton
before Bob & I were married.

Like so many of the students
who came after her,
my life is richer because
she has stayed connected all these years.

Teaching is not just a job.
It is a life choice, a passion, a joy!

Some of these dear kindergarteners are my Facebook friends today.
Reach out Ortners, Leslie, Pamela Pon (where are you?), Sean, Kurt, Karen…
You’re all in my heart!


… then, yes, after years in the classroom,
I spent 9 years as a Principal – – – had wonderful colleagues —

The Ceres Unified School District
was a delightful place to work.
I have so many fond memories!

This was a great staff!!

I was invited to try my hand at
working as a mentor to new principals
and as the coordinator for various programs
such as art, new teacher training,
federal and state programs, etc.
So, I went to the district office
as a curriculum coordinator.
It was too far away from the children!
I returned to my first love: the classroom.

I had these little second graders
I picture below here for two years
(as 1st & 2nd graders)…
it was a wonderful way to end a delightful career.

Recognition for a job well done
came in many forms,
but the best is knowing
I made a difference
in the lives of a few children
and maybe helped some of my colleagues
along the way, too.

I enjoyed my life as an educator immensely.
I retired in 1999, but didn’t stop working.
I supervised student teachers for a few years
at Stanislaus State College
before volunteering
for a couple of years
to teach illiterate adults how to read.
Loved doing that! So rewarding!!

But the most important of my “jobs” in my lifetime was:

… wife, mom, homemaker, sister, friend …
Never underestimate the impact
& importance of those jobs!
Take them seriously.
Some people say that there –
-on the home front-
there lies the most important
job of all!!

That photo is the whole Beekman clan
at Bob’s parents’ 50th wedding anniversary.
I love this photo …
our daughter, DeAna, and her “Swisster” Sylviane,
and our son, Ty, are on the right of this picture next to us.
So, this had to have been around 1984…

And now, volunteering is part of my life …
and those jobs I choose,
like the Senior Center
or the Food Bank,
the Manor (our local nursing home)
or church fellowship hour,
those “jobs”
are what continue to give me
a sense of purpose.

We never stop having jobs – right?

John 6:27

27 Do not work for food that spoils,
but for food that endures to eternal life,
which the Son of Man will give you.
For on him God the Father
has placed his seal of approval.”

What jobs have you had?

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

Are You So-Called Normal?

“You will find enough of the abnormal
in the so-called normal to meet your needs,”
Mrs Wilhelmina Harbert said to me.

A Country Living quote shared by Sue Newell
prompted me to remember that advice from my college counselor.
I was majoring in music therapy.
It was my junior year.
I was having sleepless nights.

Music Therapy jobs were few and far between.
Most were in State Hospitals where severely disturbed patients were.
The thorns in my dear music therapy patients at the Stockton State Hospital
where I was interning kept me from seeing their beauty.
I only saw their distress.
And I cared too much.
I couldn’t leave the thorns behind
when I left. I carried them with me.

Mrs. Harbert wisely suggested I switch my major to regular education.
“You love people. You care about them.
Our public school classrooms need people like you.”
So, in my senior year, I began the work of obtaining
my regular elementary education teaching credential.

Smartest move I could have made!

Sure enough- there’s a lot of crazy in each of us! Sometimes it’s our most lovable part!

I used my music 🎶 as therapy every day in the classroom
with countless so-called normal kids.
It helped calm the abnormal in them.
I helped them appreciate their uniqueness.
(I’ll write more about how music therapy worked
in another blog later that week.)

Music helped my students
appreciate the fun
in those outside the norm
parts of us.

I hope you appreciate the parts of you
that are outside the norm, too.
They make you special.
Do you know what some of them are?

Tell me!

It’s fun to know I have a lot of the abnormal
in my so-called “Normal” self!

See ya tomorrow.
Thanks for visiting
JanBeek

Born Singing

When you were five, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I was born singing – well, I sneezed first before I cried. Then I cooed – a humming song! By the time I was five, I wanted to be in an all girls’ choir and tour the world!

No, I didn’t end up doing that. I’m not in that choir! But, you can understand why I was so enamored by the unique sounds of this girls’ choir, Jitro (Daybreak) from the Czech Republic! What a privilege to hear them! And they ARE touring the world!!

I posted a couple of short videos from the second half of their concert this week. Here are a couple from the first half. Listening to them will cause you and all who hear to want to ask “Alexa” to play some of their music for you! I did that. They are recorded on Spotify.

One of the girls told us during the fellowship time after the concert that she’d been singing all her life, too. And she joined the choir when she was four! See, I could have lived my five-year-old dream!

When you were five, what did you want to grow up to be?

What do you think you were born to be?

Thanks for joining me at JanBeek today. Have a lovely 🥰 rest of your Friday – and enjoy your weekend!

Hugs and happy music to you!

Porcelain Dancers

Porcelain dancers –
Gift from Mom:
“You’re
forever
these!”

She gifted me
On my fortieth.

The Septolet is a poem consisting of seven lines containing fourteen words with a break anywhere in between the two parts. Both parts deal with the same thought and create a picture.

My porcelain girls are a 1979 gift from my mom for my 40th birthday. Created by German artist, Lorenz Hutschenreut, they are called “Ring Around the Rosie” – This 3 Girls May Day dance figurine is priceless to me!

Mom knitted my sweater,
fixed my hair,
arranged for the photographer,
captured our love
forever in this photo.

But, the real capture of love for me
was more than just in my childhood…
She continued to gift me
with her strength,
her optimism, and
her encouragement
for the rest of her life.

When I take out my dancing girls
and decorate the vase with flowers,
I am taken back to my fortieth,
back to my childhood,
back to time with Mom.

What a treasure!

Here Mom is with my sis, Sally, and me – – –
and my daughter, DeDe.
I like to think that
we three are the “Dancing Girls.”

Ah, such sweet memories!

Do you have a special item of some sort
that brings you back to your childhood?

Something that’s priceless to you
because of the memories packed into it?

Tell me about it.
Maybe try your hand at a septolet!

Hugs,
JanBeek

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