Time with family is memorable, indeed We’re grateful for the ones who embrace the holiday mood We’re blessed to have them open their home And share their love and delicious food.
Our daughter, De, in Switzerland shared photos of their beautiful meal Imagine how plates like these enchant your guests (think how they feel)!
The family in far-off Europe included our grandsons with our De I’m grateful for the internet and the pictures she shared with me.
Nick, De, Mike & Chris
Here in California Eleven of us gathered round – add two big, rambunctious dogs and laugh as kids and animals clowned.
Christmas Day was a time for fun with love and gifts exchanged Friends shared photos of their day Our family did, too … we got arranged!
Thank you, Ty & Monika for your gracious hospitality – we’re blessed to have our son & spouse share their life & love with Bob & me.
I pray your day was blessed and you celebrated Christ’s birth with those you love gathered round – good food, warm hugs, and lots of mirth!
A note for this day-after-Christmas-morning: Faith (our granddaughter) and Kyle were headed home to S.Lake Tahoe last night and about 3 hours later had to turn around and come back to Placerville. The road ahead was closed due to heavy snow and lots of accidents ahead. The good news is that they were not involved in one of them… and we’re all safe and sound… feeling blessed!
Merry Christmas! Bee 🐝 well! Bee blessed!
Keep the Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love in your heart year-round! May Jesus remain alive in you!
If my mom were alive today, she’d be celebrating her 106th birthday. Born 11-15-1915, she was an Scorpio, through and through.
Do you put any stock in the Zodiac signs? Here’s what the internet reveals about people born October 23 to Nov. 21:
Scorpio
Scorpio is one of the most misunderstood signs of the zodiac. Because of its incredible passion and power, Scorpio is often mistaken for a fire sign. In fact, Scorpio is a water sign that derives its strength from the psychic, emotional realm. Like fellow water signs, Cancer and Pisces, Scorpio is extremely clairvoyant and intuitive.
What makes this water sign unique is its distinctive venomous sting. Like their celestial spirit animal, the scorpion, Scorpios lie in wait and strike when least expected. Life is a game of chess for these calculating water signs, who are constantly plotting several steps ahead in order to orchestrate an eventual checkmate. This doesn’t mean their intentions are necessarily nefarious. Scorpios simply know what they want and aren’t afraid to work hard and play the long game to get it.
This is one of my favorite pictures of mom and me. She knit my sweater and sewed the skirt that went with it. She fixed my hair so meticulously! Look at the little watch on my wrist. Don’t I look loved and cared for?
My Scorpio mom was not afraid to work hard – for what she wanted and for what she wanted my sister and me to have. As I mentioned in a recent post about self-confidence, she planted in me the firm belief that I could do and be anything I set my mind to.
November 1937
That’s my mom (Elizabeth) with my dad (Salvadore) at their wedding. They met on a double date set up by mom’s younger sister, Emogene. Later known to me as “Aunt Jean,” Emogene was Sal’s date and Elizabeth was matched with Sal’s best buddy, Joe Cabral. By the end of the evening the couples had switched partners. Two months later Sal & Elizabeth (soon to be known as Betty) were married. Yes, as early as 1937, Mom was a Scorpio who knew what she wanted and managed to get it (him)!!
Long before the word “Selfie” was established, Mom knew how to take one! Here she is in front of the bathroom mirror, capturing a shot of her new hairdo. Quite striking still even well into her 80s, don’t you think? She had flawless skin… very few wrinkles! But she didn’t spend a lot of time out in the sun either – and she creamed her face with the best of products morning and night.
To demonstrate how Mom was a Scorpio who embraced “Life [as] a game of chess … constantly plotting several steps ahead in order to orchestrate an eventual checkmate,” let me tell you a story.
It was a hot California Valley summer. The temperature in the kitchen was a few degrees warmer than the triple digit figures outside. The house had no air conditioning. Betty (my mom) was in the kitchen, roasting to death as she roasted a prime rib for a special birthday dinner for her daughter (me) who was home from college to celebrate with her parents. Betty needed a cross breeze to cool off the kitchen. She had asked Sal (my dad) many times to replace the stationary window above the kitchen sink with one that would side open. He had not done so. Frustrated with his lack of follow through, she decided to force the issue. She took a hammer from the kitchen tools drawer, stood back half way across the room, and threw the hammer through the window. How she avoided getting shattered glass in the food or on her or me was a God thing! But, needless to say, she had a cross breeze – and soon after she got the window replacement she needed.
How my dad stayed married to this crazy Scorpio is beyond me! He had the patience of Job! He obviously loved her spunk and her “incredible passion.” He recognized that she was “extremely clairvoyant and intuitive” – and he gave her a lot of wriggle room! Mom was a poetry lover, a whiz at mathematics (she was Dad’s company’s bookkeeper), and she was a winner at Bridge (I never learned to play it).
She was stylish and impeccably dressed and groomed – until her last days. It was then that I knew she was not long for this world… when I picked her up at her Senior Care Nursing Home to take her one afternoon to a doctor’s appointment and noticed she had her blouse on inside-out. I called it to her attention and suggested we go back up to her room for her to fix it. Her response was, “Oh, who gives a shit?!”
Now, that was not my real mom! Dementia had stolen her from me! The scorpion lost her usual sting and Alzheimer’s replaced he “calculating water sign” with something else… something nefarious. Instead of “[using] emotional energy as fuel, cultivating powerful wisdom through both the physical and unseen realms,” she became careless and caustic. It was not a transition I was prepared for. Dementia can do that, you know.
Here is Mom with me and my sis, Sally (who also had dementia before she died last year), and my daughter DeDe… during the a celebration of my brother-in-law’s birthday. (That’s his picture posted behind us.)
Mom’s flowered, Hawaiian shirt speaks of happy times when life was full of the days when she knew how to “work hard and play the long game to get [what she wanted].”
Happy 106th Birthday, Mom!
What’s your Zodiac sign? Does its description fit who you are (most of the time? some of the time? not at all?) … Tell me about it!
I am a Leo. Born July 24th, parts of this description that fit … but I hope I have matured in my Christian life enough to let the Holy Spirit round out some of the self-centered tendencies and make me more compassionate than this would suggest: “Roll out the red carpet because Leo has arrived. Passionate, loyal, and infamously dramatic, Leo is represented by the lion and these spirited fire signs are the kings and queens of the celestial jungle. They’re delighted to embrace their royal status: Vivacious, theatrical, and fiery, Leos love to bask in the spotlight and celebrate… well, themselves.“
I was named Janet – after Janet Gaynor, the first female Academy Award winner. That’s where I get my ham! But, I am more than happy to share the spotlight… and celebrate YOU! Tell me about your sign!
Thanks for visiting. See ya tomorrow (God willing) Love ya, JanBeek
He has made me glad! This is the day the Lord has made, And I rejoice with each breath. I treasure each beautiful memory.
Memories are God’s gift to us. Activities are life’s treasures. Highlights are those that make us smile. My highlights and Bob’s are different.
Ask him about his favorite time During our three weeks away, And he will not hesitate. It’s the Swiss fighting cows!
(Actually, he corrected me: Cows are in second place… Family comes first – whew!)
Visiting Pipo, the Swiss cowboy, And seeing his award-winning cows Was a unique, memorable experience. But it was not MY favorite!
As I have shared in prior posts, It’s the people who rise to the top. It’s the people who make me glad. I will enter their pictures with thanksgiving in my heart:
First of all it’s family: Our daughter and her husband And his mom, dear Denise… How blessed we are to have them in our lives!
Do you have family far away? So far that it’s hard to see them often? So far that you missed them during the COVID crisis? But always in your heart, making you glad?
Of course, in our case, the scenery Is a huge source of gladness. DeAna married a Swiss, so we HAVE TO Go there to visit as often as possible.
Being able to see our children And spend time with our growing, And maturing grandchildren Is my greatest source of gladness.
Throw in the bonus of meeting up With my cousin, Tommy, in London And visiting with Derrick & Jackie in Downton, And you have gladness on steroids!!
You’ve met some of the folks below already. If you had a chance, and you could post A picture of the folks who make you glad, Who would they be?
These boys make my heart sing!!
Mike is our oldest. Here he is with his fiance’ Tania. Tania gave us a walking tour of Sierre – And they took us to brunch & to their apartment – Along with Mike’s middle brother, Nick.
Nicky, the middle grandson, is such a sweetheart And so is his girlfriend, Celine. He & Mike created a spreadsheet of our daily activities – And made sure we were taken care of!
Wouldn’t that make your heart glad?
Our youngest grandson, Chris, is busy – Busy with his work and his schooling, His girlfriend in Colombia, and also His school’s extra-curricular activities.
We treasured the few times he was Able to make time to be with us. Here he is with his mom, our DeDe. These two definitely make my heart glad.
Embrace gladness, dear friends. Cherish the time you have with your loved ones. Remember the days of joy and shared love; Tuck them in your heart – and thank the Lord!
Here I am with our son, Ty. He makes me glad, too. Time with him and his family is a treasure to cherish.
Take time to share your gladness. This is the day the Lord has made, So treasure it in your heart… And sing with me, “He has made me glad!”
What or who makes your heart spill over with gladness?
I have always loved Swiss chalets. How about you? I copied the picture of this one off the web at the time Bob & I were dreaming about the possibility of building a chalet of our own in California. (That was before we traveled to Montana, fell in love with the wide open spaces, the wild animals, and the Rocky Mountains – and bought our home here in Ennis).
As you know, we just returned from a trip to Switzerland because our daughter married a Swiss, has three of our grandsons there, and now has a Swiss chalet of her own! We needed to see her in her new setting.
DeAna remembers that when she was a child, we had a Swiss chalet music box. When you opened its lid, it played Edelweiss. Maybe she dreamed of one day having a real one. You think?
Ah, great it is to believe
by Edwin Markham
Ah, great it is to believe the dream As we stand in youth by the starry stream; But a greater thing is to fight life through And say at the end, the dream came true!
Yes!! It is De & Andre’s chalet Relais des Melezes Hotel and Restaurant
Here are some photos of chalets that we took on our trip to Switzerland this month. The first one of De & Andre’s! It has 4 hotel rooms above with the restaurant below. De & Andre’ live in one of those rooms and rent the other three. We stayed in one of them. Such fun!!
Which one would you dream of having for your vacation home? (I couldn’t afford to live there year-round… oh my, the cost of living is wonderful, but prohibitive unless you work there. The exchange rate for USA dollars to Swiss francs was – oh my!!)
You can see that we were very happy to be blessed to visit Switzerland, to see all those beautiful chalets and tour villages like Grimentz. W do not take this privilege for granted, believe me. God is good! We are living to see our dreams come true – and to witness our daughter’s dreams being fulfilled, too. What more can we ask?
He Had His Dream
He had his dream, and all through life,
Worked up to it through toil and strife.
Afloat fore’er before his eyes,
It colored for him all his skies:
The storm-cloud dark
Above his bark,
The calm and listless vault of blue
Took on its hopeful hue,
It tinctured every passing beam —
He had his dream.
by Paul Laurence Dunbar
How about making your dreams come true? Dreaming of a trip to Switzerland, too? Why not go stay in one of De & Andre’s rooms?
Trip Advisor says:
5.0Excellent10 reviews#1 of 2 B&Bs / Inns in Vissoie Family-owned & family-operated auberge/restaurant in the heart of the Val d’Anniviers close to the resort destinations of Grimentz, Zinal, St. Luc and Chandolin. Rooms and restaurant have recently been renovated. André and DeAna have created a cozy, warm, and friendly atmosphere to make your stay/meal in our corner of the world one to remember.
Located in Vissoie, Relais des Mélèzes has a bar, ski-to-door access, terrace, and free WiFi. This 3-star hotel offers a concierge service. The hotel features family rooms. At the hotel, the rooms are fitted with a desk, a flat-screen TV, a private bathroom, bed linen and towels. All rooms will provide guests with a wardrobe and a kettle.
We’re not prejudiced… We’re her parents!
Go have a cup of coffee with DeDe. I’ll tell her to leave the light on. You tell her we sent you!
Thanks for visiting JanBeek today. I hope I fueled your chalet dreams!
Do you have trouble asking for help? Or trouble receiving it? Or trouble knowing when you need it?
All of those are questions to which I must admit – yes! I enjoy being able to say, “I can do this!” Mom told me that two of my favorite words as a toddler were, “Me do!”
So, it should come as no surprise to you that I was reluctant to accept the help of a wheelchair when we were in Switzerland this month. Our daughter and grandsons were very wise, however. They didn’t ask. They just rented one and had it available for the loooong walks they knew would be part of our schedule. God bless ‘em!
Bob, with his congestive heart ♥️ failure – and me with my arthritic knee and ankles, needed it! And we appreciated taking turns being pushed as we toured Sierre (with Mike’s fiance’ Tania, as our gracious tour guide) and as we walked the distances required at the Sion Wine Festival. (Seeing how others see you when you’re in a wheelchair… well, that’s a topic for a future blog!)
The other help that we really treasured was our daughter, DeAna’s tech skills. She helped us find the links to the COVID-19 tests and other paperwork we needed before travel, the taxi we needed to get from airport to hotel/hotel to restaurant/ restaurant to train station, etc. Lordy, we could not have made this trip without her and all our other helpers!
Here are a few more photos of the phenomenal experiences we had:
The train took us from Derrick’s in Downton to London. We had a wait at Waterloo Station before the next train to the airport, so we took the opportunity to relax and grab a bite to eat. (Yes, food always is a highlight of foreign travel!)
The travel in London is very easy if you have someone helping you find the right direction, the right train or taxi. On the train, each stop is well labeled. Away we went… headed for Heathrow Airport and on to Geneva.
De’s husband, André, picked us up at the airport… another helper whose gracious assistance we accepted willingly. It was a drizzly, gray day, but that weather only lasted two days. The rest of our two weeks in Switzerland were gorgeous blue skies!
This is our view on morning #1 from Denise’s balcony in Sierre.
That first Swiss week, we were at André’s mom, Denise’s in Sierre. And of course, more food … and delicious wine. That’s our DeDe getting ready to serve the wine. Our grandsons, Nick & Mike, provided the cheese fondue. More evidence of generous helpers… doing the cooking and serving!
The fondue is always one of our favorite Swiss meals. As you know, Switzerland is noted for its cheese, chocolates, and watches… oh, and banking! It is an amazing, clean, technically advanced, beautiful country!
In advance of our arrival, our grandsons created a spreadsheet of activities they planned for us and sent it out to family, so others could choose times to be involved with our visit. Soooo sweet of them!
Thank you, Nicky, for being such a wonderful, loving helper! We look forward to your visit here to Montana this Thanksgiving with your sweetheart, Celine.
Thank you, Mike & Tania, for taking such good care of us and showing us so many beautiful sites! We look forward to returning to Switzerland next September for your wedding!
Back Home
In today’s sermon at our Madison Valley Presbyterian Church, our pastor, Mary Grace Reynold’s sermon fit right into this theme of “Embrace Helpers.” Using Mark 10:46-52 as her springboard, she shared the helping nature of Jesus. The story of the blind man who asked for Jesus’ help pointed clearly to need for us all to set aside our “Me do” childish attitude and ask for help when we need it. Accept help offered, and praise the Lord with all our hearts when that help comes.
Mark 10:46-52
New International Version
Blind Bartimaeus Receives His Sight
46 Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (which means “son of Timaeus”), was sitting by the roadside begging.
47 When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
48 Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 49 Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.”
So they called to the blind man, “Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.”
50 Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus.
51 “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him. The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.”
52 “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.
Mmmm …
Thank you, DeDe, for marrying Andre’ and giving us this wonderful place to “have to” visit! Thank you for all your help & love.
Dear blogging friends, I pray when you have a chance to travel and you need help seeing all you want to see, you will take a lesson from Bartimaeus and from Bob & me… Ask for help – Graciously receive it – And enjoy the journey with gratitude and joy in your heart!
Are you blessed with a daughter who is your DollyWolly? We are! Today is her 54th birthday. Happy Birthday, DeAna Laura Beekman Solioz!
Born August 29, 1967, DeAna was given her name because it was as close as we could come to having the DeAngeles (my maiden name) carried on. Just drop the tail on the g and that’s how the spelling of DeAna came to be.
Here she is with her brother Tyroneeee… at about one month of age… always sticking er tongue out!
DeAna and me when she was about 8 or 9 months What a cute little button nose, huh?
Her second Christmas… with Santa and brother Ty
I love this picture of her as a 1st or 2nd grader. Sparkly eyes… healthy new front teeth… and perky pony tails. So cute!!
This is such a precious photo of DeDe with her Grandma Beekman <3
One of my favorites – – to show DeDe’s perky smile – about 8th grade, I think. Time flies!
And before you know it, she was getting married – and would soon move to Switzerland to live her life there as DeAna Solioz.
But we were very blessed to be able to put a bottle of our favorite Runquist wine in our suitcase, hop a plane, and spend time in Switzerland with her every other year (until COVID)!
Within 6 or 7 years, De and Andre’ had three sons – and watching Mike, Nick & Chris grow up has been a wondrous opportunity… (as they came here every other year during the first decade of their lives).
DeAna has retained her best buddy from her days at Downey High in Modesto, CA (and we have claimed her as or Daughter #2)… We treasure the times De returns to the states and we are able to celebrate happy times together with De and Laina. (That picture was 2019 before COVID) .
Recently DeAna had surgery… and it was hard being a mom with a daughter so far away at a time like that. But I sent her encouragement and love – like this meme:
And she sent me pictures to reassure me that she was doing OK. Thank God for the internet, huh?
Now De and Andre’ have a new restaurant and (God willing and the Delta variant doesn’t go crazy) we are going to be able to go there in October to see them and their place in person.
Happy Birthday, DollyWolly! We are so grateful to God for giving us such a wonderful daughter!
If you have the blessing of a daughter who is a DollyWolly in your life, embrace her once for me, wouldja?
And have a good night. See ya tomorrow (God willing) Hugs, JanBeek
“The fun part of getting not one, but two black eyes, is making up some wild, harebrained event that caused them.
Sky diving accident?
Or when they turn yellow… trying out for a clown part in an adaptation of a Stephen King novel.”
I think I could pull off a clown part in a Stephen King adaptation, don’t you?
I don’t need to wait til they turn yellow… just match the magenta with my lipstick, clothing, and earrings, and (as Derrick suggested) EMBRACE THE BRUISES!!
It’s getting better – don’t you think?
If you’re just tuning in to this messed up face saga, I need you to know that I got into a wrestling match with a tiger – and I won. The tiger ran off into the woods, never to attack a human again!
And if you believe that, you need to buy my latest novel… published by Porterhouse … available on your next steak.
If you can’t embrace sunglasses and hide the damage, then ya gotta smile and bare it, right?
And while we’re at it, I have another story to tell you:
You know I’d not be likely to buy a case of beer – but good wine, now that’s another story!
Now if you think I have any flawless dance moves left in me, I have a glass of Kool-Aid to sell you. I have waaaay too many birthday stories to tell – and a whole lot of receipts for the Kool-Aid I’ve sold.
… especially the body parts around my knees and ankles!
I’ve had my right knee replaced. How about you, you got any artificial parts so they make you go through the metal scanner at the airport? Bob & I both get the fun of being frisked every time we take a trip!
But, we’ve decided flying is a better way to go instead of driving these days. Driving requires sitting next to one another and trying to talk to each other. After nearly 60 years of marriage, what’s left to talk about? On a plane, if you’re lucky, you get the center aisle – and somebody new to talk to.
Seeing better was a perk of younger years. Hearing better is a perk of aging… but it takes a set of $4000 aids to do it.
As the birthdays pile up, we have to be sure we have our bifocals and our hearing aids before we leave home.
Next it’ll be our walking stick or a walker!!
Try not to lose your glasses or your car keys – That’s one of the problems we multi-birthday folks have. But that’s not as bad a losing your memory.
Did I tell you the story about how I got these black eyes? Oh, I did? It was back on the blog called EMBRACE HARD HEADS –
Remember?
You don’t?
Oh well… That’s a story for another day.
Do you have a story to tell? Come on, be a sport… Entertain me!
This old church in McAllister, Montana is a treasure! The bell in the dome still rings, though the organ in the church no longer plays and the roof and foundation of it are compromised. It needs a lot of TLC.
Its history goes back to 1885 – when the land was gifted to the Methodist Episcopal Church. In 1887 the structure was completed. It was transferred to the Presbyterian Church (where Bob & I are members) in 1952.
We (as a congregation) love this old church, and many of our members, their friends, and their grandparents or parents or children or grandchildren have been married or baptized there.
Preserving precious old churches such as this one is an ongoing responsibility. It is costly and time-consuming. Respect for what it was and how it served its community in decades past keep us loving those old buildings.
Here are a few others that are treasures in their communities. If only they could talk!
Dilapidated Sadly abandoned old church Is God still in there?
Matthew 16:6. In many ways Matthew chapter 16 is a chapter about the church. Jesus was the first to mention the church. He only mentions the church twice, and both times are here in the book of Matthew.
In Matthew 16:18 Jesus said, “And I say unto you, That you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
This is the first time that Jesus used the word church. He used the word church only twice, so it is good to know exactly what Jesus taught about the church. It may be that the things that Jesus taught about church are the things that are the most important to know about it.
Church is a place to trust in God’s promised presence ( Matthew 18:20) as we worship Him together, out of a sense of love and obedience ( Colossians 3:16 ).
When the church is functioning biblically, it’s more active and alive when the seats are empty, and the community is filled with those seeking to activate the gospel in love for each other.
Many of these old churches were also home to the cemeteries that bear the tombstones of its deceased members.
What a shame to allow them to deteriorate and collapse. But, who has the money for restoration and maintenance?
Weekly church attendance is down in our society today. It sometimes downplayed into a legalistic ritual. According to Pewforum.org, 61% of churchgoers attend to feel closer to God, while a sizable majority of non-churchgoers state they practice their faith in other ways.
Which is the right way? Modern society may beg us to believe the choice is ours, but biblical truth is clear about going to church.
Jesus Christ seeks in earnest to meet us on a day set aside to commemorate His defeat of death, to equip us to sustain our faith until He returns.
I am so grateful for my friends who sit in the pews with me every Sunday. Indeed, they help me sustain my faith.
Old churches remind us of the value placed on weekly worship in communities gone by.
Let’s all work to keep our churches vibrant, healthy, and inviting. Don’t let it become a place of ruin!
Oh the church in the valley Is a place I know so well… Listen to Jim & Jesse sing to you about it:
Do you have a little old white church in your history?
