Loving One Another

Archive for the ‘Montana’ Category

Breathe & Create Space


I have enjoyed the teachings of Eckhart Tolle.
He was first introduced to me by Oprah Winfrey
when I took her on-line workshop
titled, “The Power of Now.”

Take Time to Breathe Slowly and Deeply

On the website, Respiratory Therapy Zone, there are some wonderful quotes that reinforce the importance of slow, deep breathing:

99 Awesome Quotes About Breathing (Respiratory Therapist Edition)

by Johnny Lung | Featured Articles

Breathing is the process of taking air into the lungs and expelling it back out into the world.

It’s important to understand what it means to breathe and to really have a deep understanding of the word.

To do that, let’s take a look at some of the absolute best quotes about breathing. Are you ready? Let’s dive in!

Best Quotes About Breathing:

1. Breathing is the greatest pleasure in life. – Giovanni Papini

2. Just breathe. – Author Unknown

3. Breathe deeply, until sweet air extinguishes the burn of fear in your lungs and every breath is a beautiful refusal to become anything less than infinite. – D. Antoinette Foy

4. Breathe. Let go. And remind yourself that this very moment is the only one you know you have for sure. – Oprah Winfrey

5. Inhale the future, exhale the past. – Author Unknown

Ed Coyle Photography
Montana sunset

I like that last one…
for it is when we can breathe out the past
that we make space for the now.

More Great Quotes

6. The trick to life is to just keep breathing. – Johnny Lung

7. Learn how to exhale, the inhale will take care of itself. – Carla Melucci Ardito

8. When the breath is unsteady, all is unsteady; when the breath is still; all is still. Control the breath carefully. Inhalation gives strength and a controlled body; retention gives steadiness of mind and longevity; exhalation purifies body and spirit. – Goraksasathakam

9. The wisest one-word sentence? Breathe. – Terri Guillemets

10. Only those who know how to breathe will survive. – Pundit Acharya

11. If you woke up breathing, congratulations! You have another chance. – Andrea Boydston

12. Pause, breathe. Repair the universe, then proceed. – Author Unknown

13. Breathe in deeply to bring your mind home to your body. – Thich Nhat Hanh

14. Without full awareness of breathing, there can be no development of meditative stability and understanding. – Thich Nhat Hanh

15. Breathe, it’s just a bad day, not a bad life. – Author Unknown

Bob & Nancy at Big Sky

It’s a good life when at 81 you still are downhill skiing and you can go with your ski buddy up to the top of Big Sky and enjoy the freshness of the Good Life. That’s where Bob & Nancy are today.

It’s not a bad life when you can look out your window at the Madison Range, Jack Creek Canyon and Fan Mountain, and breathe in the freshness of the air, and know how blessed you are!

Breathe in the fresh air
Fill it gently in your lungs
Release all tension

Breathe deeply – – – Release
Now, go out into the world
And plant a love seed

It’s a grand Tuesday!
Thanks for visiting JanBeek.
See ya tomorrow.

Category:

Aging Gracefully, blessings, friendship, Gratitude, Haiku, health, Living in Harmony, Love, mental health, Montana, mountains, nature, peace, Poetry, relationships

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Soup Exchange


Have you ever participated in a soup exchange?
I’ve been to several cookie exchanges,
but today was my first soup exchange.

With most containers of soup, a recipe was provided.

This recipe was attached to a jar of soup ingredients.
What a great idea…
we get to dump it into 7 cups of water
and make our own!

We got to take a quart of each soup home with us.
And we had a tasting party before we left.

I brought this one. No way I could begin to give you a recipe. It had clam chowder, cheddar cheese, potatoes, onions, fresh crab lumps, garlic, etc. A menagerie that turned out pretty tasty!

We didn’t get a recipe
for this “Barefoot Contessa Corn Chowder” either.
But, it was deeelicious.
It had big potato chunks
and bacon in a creamy corn broth.

Here’s a recipe for a soup that was not present. Chicken Parmesan … I don’t have one of those new-fangled slow cookers, but I bet my old crock pot would work just fine. The ingredients sound wonderful. I am going to make this as soon as we finish up all the samples I brought home.

in addition to the soup recipes, our librarian (who organized the event) put together a packet that included these tips and tricks on freezing soup.

Love One Another

You may be wondering how this post fits my blog’s theme of “Loving One Another.” (Or maybe you’re not wondering at all.) Anyway, you know that one of the ways we show our love for one another is at meal time.

“The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach,” is an age-old saying that I have found to be quite true.

Photo by Kaboompics .com on Pexels.com

And a good way to show our love to our family and friends is to invite them to a feast. It’s an age-old practice.

We like to host pot-lucks for our friends in the “hood.” Everyone brings a favorite dish and we enjoy fun, food and fellowship.

At church, potlucks are a regular occurrence. I think I am going to suggest our church host a soup exchange one of these Sundays. But, I will ask people to bring their own quart jars to fill. Today we brought our soup assortment home in zip lock plastic bags. That was a bit awkward. But it worked.

Doesn’t this sound like something you’d like to try?
Oh, BTW, this was my view of Fan Mountain on my way home.
It was a beautiful blue-sky day.

I hope you had a joyful day, too.
Tell me about it!

See ya tomorrow.

Category:

food, friendship, Giving, Living in Harmony, Love, Montana, Serving One Another, Sharing

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The Place to Be


The place to be on a snowy day

Is not out in the freezing cold

It’s snug and warm in our Senior Center

Where the food is great and we join the fold

Of senior folks who come to eat

And chat with friends they see

Monday through Friday without fail

It’s an inviting place to be.

This week’s menu
Waiting for the crowd
Biding time with a crossword puzzle
Early birds here to visit
Tune in to those conversations- you’ll keep up with all the community news!
Karen & Briana are busy creating their delicious lunch for today.
They treat themselves to coffee, tea, water, or lemonade…
Or as server, I deliver it.
Sometimes whole groups reserve a table and meals for their lunch meeting. This was the ROMEOs = Retired Old Men Eating Out!
Mary is the volunteer at the reception desk today. She collects their $5. Best deal in town!!
The Center is used for a variety of purposes. One of them is described on this poster that greets our diners.
All our workers are volunteers except for Brianna who is the main chef, menu planner, shopper, etc.

The hands above belong to today’s volunteer dishwasher. He is eating his meal early so he’s available to do his job when the dishes and pots n pans start pouring in.

But no meal’s complete without dessert, right?
And no chocolate pie is complete without whipped cream!
Never fear… if chocolate’s not your thing, we have coconut cream!
Your friendly waitress will BEE happy 🐝 to take your order.

So, that’s what I did this morning. What did you do

Category:

food, friendship, Giving, health, Living in Harmony, Love, Montana, Poetry, relationships, Serving One Another, Sharing

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Wine & Food Pairings


I promised a week or so ago that I would post pictures of the main plates at our Madison Valley Ranch “Food & Wine Pairings” dinner gathering. Zach, one of the coordinators, said he’d send his photos to me. I was so busy enjoying the meal and chatting with friends that I forgot to get my phone out of my pocket!

Zach didn’t send photos, but I recently received these from another of the event’s participants:

The steelhead entree with pea shoots – Very tasty!
I don’t remember what this was. Can you guess by looking at the menu?
Bison shortrib
I think this was the gnocchi – what do you guess?
I remember it not being shaped like my grandma used to make.
It looks like a dessert, but it wasn’t.

Anyway, a promise is a promise. I said I’d share the photos. Needless to say, they don’t do justice to the tastes and the ambience. I wonder when computers will emit food smells?

Have a Marvelous Monday.
See ya later.

Category:

food, Love, Montana, photography

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Disconnect to Reconnect


This morning’s Bayside Refuel message from James Powell was powerful and important. He suggested we need to “Disconnect to Reconnect.”

Text 563-16 to get Bayside Refuel. Look for bit.ly/devo021320

Then, after you listen to James, put down your cell phone. Log out of this computer. Go out and enjoy the sunrise…or mid-day sun… or clouds …or rain … or snow… or sunset … or stars!

It’s pretty from the inside looking out… with the icicles hanging onto the eves out my bathroom window.

It’s even prettier from the back porch looking out over the snow. But, brrrr … it’s cold out there!

So disconnect from this media and go out to meet friends. Go out to reconnect with folks you care about. Share the beauty of the day with them.

Phyllis and Shirley

It’s my friend, Phyllis’s 88th birthday today. Shirley is visiting with her. Her daughter, Avis, is there. I am on my way…

Disconnect
and
Reconnect!

See ya later!

Category:

friendship, Living in Christ's Family, Love, mental health, Montana, mountains, nature, peace, Sharing

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Some of My Favorite Montana Scenes


Some of you are new to JanBeek, and maybe you have not had a chance to peruse my blog enough to see this beautiful area around Montana’s Madison Valley where I live.

Here are some of my favorite shots of the scenery around me:

I found this one on the web and did a screen shot.
In the springtime, Bob & I take our ATV up to this outlook.
The wild flowers are magnificent
and the snow-capped mountains are breath-taking!
(God is quite an artist, isn’t He?)
I think this one was taken by my favorite photographer, Ed Coyle,
but he usually has his name on his.
So, if it’s not… and you know who took it,
please let me know.
I love it!!

Our fall colors are so beautiful and the “Big Sky” filled with wonderful cloud structures never fail to amaze me. We are so blessed to be here.

I love this one with the cattle out in the snow.

That was the scene that greeted us when we returned home late January from a 5 week vacation in California. The winter break was good, but it’s always good to be home!

My friend, Susan Phillips, took this one.

The Madison River runs through our little town of Ennis.
It’s a fly-fishing mecca!!
Can you feel the peace of the river?

My friend, Caroline Feldman, posted this one.
I think she took it on one of her ATV ventures with CG.
Go to Ed Coyle’s website, click “LOVE”…
because I guarantee you WILL love his photos!!
(Don’t use them without giving him credit, please.)
Ed Coyle Photography

You should put Ennis, Montana on your “Bucket List.” If you have never ventured to this part of the USA, make it a “Must Do!” We’ll be happy to welcome you.

Thanks for visiting JanBeek
and enjoying a few of our scenes with me.

See ya tomorrow.

Category:

art, blessings, Fishing, flowers, God, Gratitude, Love, Montana, mountains, nature, peace, photography, Travel

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Cold Inspired Prayer


The coldness of this Montana winter
inspired our Rev. Steve Hundley
to pray to our Lord using snow and ice
as metaphors that grabbed my attention
last Sunday at our church.

Photo by Engin Akyurt on Pexels.com

I asked Steve for permission to share his Pastoral Prayer with you. I think it is so poetically and beautifully written, I hope you will appreciate it as much as I do.

“We come to You, O Lord,
at a time when much of our valley
has been gripped by snow and cold –
when roads have been clogged
and winds have been strong
and some have struggled to keep warm.

Let the coldness of this season
raise the question
of our own spiritual temperatures.

  • Has our relationship to You been frozen and stiff?
  • Are the ways of our hearts clogged by snowdrifts of apathy and indifference?
  • Do the lines of communication between us sag and break beneath the iciness of neglect or doubt?

Send now a warming trend into our lives.
Let there be a melting of our hearts,
and a surrender to Your will and Your Way.
Grant that the icicles of pride and loneliness
may fall from our hearts,
and that the heat of Your love and grace
may break up the ice floes that have kept us apart.

Transform us into centers of warmth
that will radiate Your presence
into the cold-hearted world around us.
Show us how to be Your light,
like the warmth of the sun, warming the earth.

Grant peace to those who are anxious
and renewal to those who are tired.
Instill in our nation a longing
and a desire for the common good.
Let Christ come and touch us now
so that all our problems may be small ones,
dwarfed in the magnitude and beauty
of His presence.

For in Christ there is no coldness,
but eternal springtime.”

Photo by Sebastian Voortman on Pexels.com

This is a prayer that I will read each morning during these cold, winter months … and pray to our Lord that indeed He will “transform [me] into a center of warmth that … radiates [God’s] presence into the cold-hearted world around us.”

Will you join me?

Radiate His grace, warmth and LOVE!!

Thanks for visiting JanBeek.
See ya later.

Category:

Belief, Bible Lessons, Faith, Jesus, Living in Harmony, Love, Montana, mountains, peace, Poetry, prayer, Serving One Another

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