It was an extra 6 hour drive – stressful in torrential rains, but well worth it to be able to spend time at Carmel by the Sea and experience the Asilomar coast. Sooo beautiful!
Don’t know what that white is…
Don’t know what that black spot is!
God is good! Now, a safe drive to Sacramento airport early tomorrow- and I’ll see you back in Montana.
Love, JanBeek
Ps. 17:8
Keep me as the apple of your eye;
hide me in the shadow of your wings
The smiling face below belongs to our interim pastor, Brian Conklin, who delivered a beautiful sermon Sunday inspired by the prayer of David found in Psalm 17. I posted my sermon notes here and then (while messing around on WordPress on my phone), I accidentally erased the post. Some of my friends saw it before the mishap, I hope. Anyway… heeeeeere’s Brian…
1 Hear me, Lord, my plea is just;
listen to my cry.
Hear my prayer—
it does not rise from deceitful lips.
2 Let my vindication come from you;
may your eyes see what is right.
3 Though you probe my heart,
though you examine me at night and test me,
you will find that I have planned no evil;
my mouth has not transgressed.
4 Though people tried to bribe me,
I have kept myself from the ways of the violent
through what your lips have commanded.
5 My steps have held to your paths;
my feet have not stumbled.
6 I call on you, my God, for you will answer me;
turn your ear to me and hear my prayer.
7 Show me the wonders of your great love,
you who save by your right hand
those who take refuge in you from their foes.
8 Keep me as the apple of your eye;
hide me in the shadow of your wings
9 from the wicked who are out to destroy me,
from my mortal enemies who surround me.
Heaven knows, I need to be one of those protected chicks under “the shadow of your wings!”
Can’t redo what I lost… Need to get to bed.
Oh well…
See ya tomorrow. It’ll be a better day.
Love,
JanBeek
Autumn is awesome
With spectacular colors
Breathtaking beauty
Bob’s former student, Victor Salazar, treats us every week with his “Friday Fotos.”
This “Pond in Maine” was in his last batch of pictures. It’s so spectacular, I just had to share it.
Thank you, Victor.
Our brilliant bushes
Greet friends who come to visit
Soon color is gone
Winter comes too soon
When everything turns to white
Meantime dance in leaves
Love,
JanBeek
I can say goodbye
I can hug and squeeze them tight
Send them on their way
… and Hello to Autumn!
October is here.
Yes, I can say
Hello to cooler days
and colder evenings
(but we’re not ready for the snow yet!)
Seasons come and seasons go.
Company comes and company goes.
But family (ah yes, family) stays in our hearts forever
regardless of how many times we have to say goodbye!
To what are you ready to say goodbye?
And hello to what?
Tell me!!
Love,
JanBeek
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.
Today’s Prompt was:
What positive emotion do you feel most often?
My Response:
Gratitude
Thank You, God,
Thank You, Jesus!
Thank You for neighbors,
for answered prayers,
for the safety of our pup!
Whew!!
Marta Garcia did the stitching
and each of my colleagues at school
added a piece with their name
and sometimes a sentiment.
“Stitched with dreams of traveling forever,”
Marta wrote.
If you live in Ennis, Montana
with the Madison River running through it
and the spectacular Rocky Mountains as your backdrop,
and people from all over the world coming here to fish
and to just relax and enjoy the peace, the open spaces,
the wild animals, and the proximity to Yellowstone,
then you live daily with an attitude of gratitude,
and guess what?
Traveling forever is not a daily prayer.
We are grateful that you come to us!
Keep doing it!
What positive emotion do you feel most often?
Cheers from JanBeek
Independence Day in Ennis, Montana is a happening!
The Virginia City Players posted this photo on their Facebook page.
Main street was crazy today!!
There are thousands of visitors
who flock to our town for the parade and rodeo today.
As I write this, back home
after a busy, delightful morning,
it is hailing outside!
Don’t like our Montana weather?
Wait five minutes!!
Thank you, Roy & Barbara Washburn,
for hosting such a wonderful morning
filled with food and friends and treasured friendships.
Yours is the perfect yard from which to enjoy the parade!
Happy Birthday, USA!
We are so grateful to be living in this Land of the Free!
Love,
JanBeek
Sometimes we are so busy with our “To Do” lists that we forget to take a break. And when we do heed the nudgings and step away from all those tasks for a day or two, the rewards are so great that we wonder, “Why didn’t I do this sooner?”
Our interim pastor, Brian Conklin, did just that this week. The results of his “break” was a beautiful article for our July newsletter. I am delighted to share that article with you here. Enjoy!
Reflections on Psalm 8:3–5
“When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
what is mankind that you are mindful of them,
human beings that you care for them?”
—Psalm 8:3–4
I spent the first day of July winding my way up Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park—awestruck by the mountains, shaped by glaciers over hundreds of thousands of years. Honestly, the only reason I made the trip was because friends were visiting from out of state. Like many of us, I had a full list of things keeping me tethered to home in Ennis: dogs to feed, a lawn to mow, a garden to water, an overdue article to write, and a Sunday service to prepare for. A trip to Glacier felt impractical—out of the question, really.
Once again, I had placed myself at the center of my universe, absorbed in my own schedule and priorities. But I had made a promise—and so, I went.
It took less than five minutes inside the park for everything to shift. My eyes lifted from my to-do list to the towering peaks above me. With every mile we climbed, my world grew smaller. The grandeur of creation was overwhelming—humbling in the best way.
At Logan Pass, we hiked through lingering fields of snow toward Hidden Lake Overlook. Along the way, we passed a herd of bighorn sheep, spotted a grizzly below, and watched in amazement as a mother mountain goat and her newborn walked straight down the trail toward us—so close I could’ve reached out and touched them. I stood frozen, breathless with wonder.
That hike filled me with awe and clarity. It made me stop and remember the words of the psalmist:
“What is man, that you are mindful of him?”
To stand surrounded by so much beauty, so much power—wild, ancient, and untouched—and to believe that the Creator of all this is also mindful of me? It’s almost too much to comprehend. I felt small, yes—but also cherished. Insignificant and yet beloved.
My priorities? My worries? They suddenly seemed like paper boats in a vast ocean.
It’s sobering to think it takes this much grandeur to lift my head. How easily I become consumed with my own concerns and forget that the world does not revolve around me. How easily I forget who I belong to.
I’m grateful for the reminders—whether from mountain peaks or quiet whispers—that the God who shaped the stars also holds us close to His heart. When we lose sight of that, our days fill with noise and urgency. But when we remember, everything shifts into perspective.
Henri Nouwen once wrote:
“You are my Beloved, on you my favor rests…
That truth will set you free to receive the beauty of nature and culture in gratitude, as a sign of your Belovedness…
But that truth will also allow you to let go of what distracts you, confuses you and puts in jeopardy the life of the Spirit within you.”
So let us lift our eyes. Let us marvel at the works of His hands. And let us walk through this life—humbled by the majesty around us, but confident in the love that holds us fast.
Regards,
Brian Conklin
Thank you, Brian, for taking a break, and for sharing those lovely insights with us! I’m so glad you and your wife, Dawn, are a part of our church family! What a blessing!!
My WordPress friends, what “break” have you taken lately? And how did it affect you?
Love,
JanBeek
Hugs from Bob & me!
What’s the one luxury you can’t live without?
Air: an essential… treat each breath as a luxury. Never waste a minute of the breath you receive. It’s the gift of life. Every day is a luxury. Cherish it!
Here are some ways I live and share the luxuries inherent in every day:
Can’t live without the contacts with loved ones … so grateful for the luxury of their shared experiences!
God bless those loved ones in our lives who share their experiences with us, huh? Such sharing definitely is a luxury for us as receivers. Thank you for sharing yours, too🥰👌🏽!
Love,
JanBeek
Hugs to You !!
Inspire to Love
Let the SonShine!
You inspire me to respond
Learning to Live; Living to Learn; Learning to Love; Living in Love
