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Embrace Thoughtfulness


Embrace thoughtfulness.
Express appreciation.
Take none for granted.

Express thoughtfulness.
Embrace opportunities
To show gratitude.

Thank you, WordPress friends,
For being so very kind.
I love your comments!

“But I rejoice with a deep and holy joy
that now at length you have
revived your thoughtfulness for my welfare.
Indeed you have always been thoughtful for me,

But I rejoice with a deep and holy joy
that now at length you have revived
your thoughtfulness for my welfare.
Indeed you have always been thoughtful for me…”

Phil. 4:10

True Friends
express
thoughtfulness
to one another

Ba no kuuki wo yomu culture in Japan. The ability of “Sensing someone’s feelings” generates thoughtfulness in Japanese culture and “understanding the situation without words”

A Thoughtful Tenacious Man

Thoughtful is not just how you treat others, but it is how you treat yourself, too. It is how you embrace life.

Steve Jobs is a man who faced many challenges in his life – experienced enormous success – and endured failures that would have devastated a more thoughtful, tenacious man.

A while after he knew his life span was limited, he gave an address to a group of college graduates. It is labeled as “One of the Greatest Speeches Ever.” It will give you pause to be thoughtful … and to experience the rest of your life much more thoughtfully. Do take time to hear it (even if you have done so already).

Ten thoughtful take-aways from Steve’s message:

  1. Your beginnings in life do not have to define your life’s endings
  2. Being a drop-out does not have to make you a loser. Trust that it will work out OK.
  3. Tenaciously stumble into opportunities as you discover them. Grab them!
  4. Dropping out may give you a chance to drop in to something better.
  5. Find what you love and thoughtfully pursue it.
  6. Don’t be afraid to start over; enjoy the lightness of being a beginner again.
  7. Don’t lose faith.
  8. The only way to do great work is to love what you do.
  9. Live each day as if it is your last.
  10. Death clears out the old to make room for the new… your life is limited. Make the most of it.

Embrace Thoughtfulness.
Live thoughtfully!

What did you think of that Steve Jobs address?

Thanks for visiting – and thoughtfully responding.

See ya tomorrow (God willing)
Love,
JanBeek

Category:

Belief, God, Haiku, happiness, Life's Challenges, Love, mental health, optimism, Poetry

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Embrace the Night


I sit on the porch
In the quiet of the night
Embracing darkness

I sit in my chair
In the quiet of the night
Absent mosquitoes

I sit quietly
Embracing night’s coolness
Praying smoke leaves us

I stare at the sky
Wanting to see the moon shine
Longing for mountains

I know they are there
Behind the smoke and ashes
Muted by the gray

I sit on the porch
Praying for firefighters
In the smoke-filled night

I sit on the porch
In the quiet of the night
Embracing darkness

Come and sit with me!

Good night, dear WordPress friends.

See ya tomorrow (God willing)

Smell the hov’ring smoke
Hear sleepy birds chirp good night
Feel the peacefulness


I send my true love…
and hold you so tight
In the still of night
Love,
JanBeek

Category:

contentment, Haiku, Love, Memories, Montana, mountains, music, peace, Poetry, writing

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Embrace Contagious Joy!


Want to be happy?
Just embrace contagious joy.
Hang with happy folks!

Find reasons to smile.
Folks will smile back at you.
Smiles are contagious!

Bee contagious!!

Psalm 144:15

“Happy are the people whose God is the LORD.”

The Good News:

God is the true source of
happiness,
strength,
hope,
and wisdom.

Those who are in His favor
will always have these things.

Just as mopey people can pull you into the doldrums,
Happy People can lift your spirits and make you smile.
Happiness is a choice… choose it!
Beeeee Contagious!
Spread JOY!
SMILE!

See ya tomorrow (God willing)

Love,
JanBeek

Category:

Bible Lessons, children, Faith, friendship, Haiku, happiness, Living in Harmony, Love, Poetry, relationships

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Embrace Butterflies


Embrace Butterflies
Yes, it’s so easy to do!
Figuratively.

Butterflies represent emergence to me

Build a chrysalis –
Then sequester for a while.
Pop! You’re beautiful!

No longer a worm!!

We all sequestered –
We had to during COVID-
Now we’re emerging.

Coming out brilliantly

Some folks are fearful –
Thinking COVID’s not over.
Maybe it isn’t.

Is the pandemic behind us?

With the variant
Running rampant in places,
Some crawled back inside.

Tiptoe outside carefully

Some still wear their masks;
Some won’t go to restaurants –
Prefer home dining.

Depends where you live

Remaining inside
Is important for some folks –
Others spread their wings.

Unique!

Like these butterflies,
Each situation’s different.
So, to each his own!

One of the lessons I learned during this past year and a half or so is that no two people react exactly the same to the same stimulus. We hear through our own filters. We see through our own past experiences. We can’t lay our trip on someone else! We all built our own chrysalis and stayed inside as long as we felt we needed to. Some are inside still. We all will emerge more beautiful in our own sweet time, if we allow our “feelers” to engage with our own needs while respecting the needs of others.

Embrace the butterfly.
Fly when you’re ready.
See ya in Big Sky!

Love ya,
JanBeek

Category:

flowers, Haiku, Life's Challenges, Love, Poetry, relationships

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Embrace Your Pastor


Embrace Your Pastor.
He or she needs your support –
And needs your feedback!

Photo by Binyamin Mellish on Pexels.com

Your pastor plants seeds
With each sermon presented.
You fertilize them.

You add nutrients
To the soil where they’re resting
By watering them.

Water the ideas
By ruminating on them.
What was the message?

Each week I take notes.
I capture the main ideas
As they resonate.

Today’s seeds that Pastor Mary Grace Reynolds sowed were inspired by Ephesians 2:11-22 and enhanced by the experience she had Friday night and Saturday morning with a group of young bicyclists who were traveling 4000 miles for cancer research. Here are my notes that I took while listening this morning.

TENACITY

Serving 400 hours as a hospital chaplain
Was required in my seminary studies.
Why God – why? What’s the answer?
With integrity and stamina, just serve!

Ephesians 2 is not about empty connections.
It’s talking about the death of our worst instincts.
It’s talking about getting on board with Christ.
Paul believed Christ would come back yesterday!

We’re still here thousands of years later…
Wondering when that victory over death
And division will come to this earth.
The Kingdom of God didn’t come in Paul’s time.

It hasn’t come in our time, either.
Addictions, abuse, fires, death, wars continue.
Where is the world where all divisions are erased?
We’re here to put our feet on the ground and be hopeful.

Moments of hope will come to you.
The U of Austin bike riders were my moment.
Stories of lodging needs and cancer research,
Tenacity, friendship, and HOPE scenarios entered.

Hope is a screamer and fighter.
Sometimes it works out for the good.
HOPE is the reality that God is love.
Evil will not win. God’s hope will!

Say YES to what pulls on your heartstrings.
Say YES to the reality of God’s hope.
Say YES to Truth and love and reaching out.
Say YES to cancer research and to helping.

Every inch gained in the fight against cancer
Is an inch toward life and hope.
We are building the Kingdom of God here
Where violence and oppression will be foreign to us.

With tenacity, hang in there.
With tenacity listen to God’s response to
Your questioning… Why God? Why?
With tenacity and stamina and love, just serve!

Amen


Let’s just grow flowers of love.

Embrace Your Pastor.
He or she needs your support –
And needs your feedback!

Happy Sunday.
Thanks for visiting JanBeek
See ya tomorrow (God willing).

Category:

Bible Lessons, Faith, flowers, Giving, God, Haiku, happiness, Jesus, kindness, Life's Challenges, Living in Christ's Family, Love, music, Poetry, sermon notes, Serving One Another, writing

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Embrace Shared Humor


I have a good friend –
(Well, I have more than one friend)
But one makes me laugh.

She sends funny memes,
And she shares off-color jokes –
Never toooo naughty!

Some are just
“Uh-huh”
Others are
“uh-oh!”
Watch your ego!
And still others are
“Oh-no!”
I laughed out loud on this one!
Did you?
Oh ya!!
Groan!
I have another friend
who sends pictures of her sunrise,
and let’s me know she has
me in her morning prayers.
In return, I send her my sunrise…
and keep her in prayer, too.
This morning it was no laughing matter,
the smoke in our valley is hiding the sun.
And my daughter in Glen Burnie
sends morning photos of her coffee.
That’s not shared humor…
but it makes me chuckle!
And smile with reciprocated love.
Whatever you share,
whether humor,
sunrises,
prayers, or
coffee…
I love it!
And maybe that smile
will grow into a chuckle
or a belly laugh…
This is my great-granddaughter –
Sienna.
This kind of shared humor
keeps me smiling all day long!

Have a fun-filled day.

Pass along some humor!

God bless you!
Love,
JanBeek

Category:

blessings, children, Family, friendship, Haiku, happiness, humor, Love, Poetry, relationships

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Embrace Trust


Do you embrace trust?
In whom do you place your trust?
The Lord says, “Trust Me!”

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Luke 8:25

Then He said to His disciples, “Why can’t you trust Me?”

Are you facing strife?
Is life full of challenges?
Where do you place trust?

Do you have answers –
Solutions all by yourself?
Independence sucks!

Interdependence
Is what the Lord asks of us.
Put your hand in His!

Photo by mododeolhar on Pexels.com

When you reach to Him,
Count on His hand there for you.
Invest time with God.

Commit to trust Him.
Recount His great faithfulness.
Put away your doubts.

Give God something small.
Then allow yourself to trust
Him with bigger things.

Psalm 91 is a profound reminder that nothing can separate us from the love of God. It’s a strong reminder of God’s loving care and protection. It is a call to trust in God, even in the midst of danger. The Psalmist reminds us of the safest place:

Psalm 91:1

“Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the Shadow of the Almighty.”

Bob and I are facing some challenging situations these days related to his health, our own home improvements, and church property decisions. We are not alone in facing these dilemmas, but opinions of others can often be conflicting. The Bible tells us that we must put our trust in the one who stills the waters. Lay our souls bare before the Lord and listen for His mighty word… Watch for His guidance … Seek His counsel.

Photo by James Wheeler on Pexels.com

Often the road to answers has a fork in it.
Knowing which path to take requires
discernment,
openness,
and
trust.

Who do you trust?

How do you find the voice of reason?

Share your answers with me!

Sometimes you are the light
He provides!

See ya tomorrow (God willing).
Love ya,
JanBeek

Category:

Bible Lessons, Faith, Family, God, Haiku, Life's Challenges, Living in Christ's Family, Living in Harmony, Love, music, Poetry, relationships, Sharing

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Embrace Ukiah


As I strive to spread love, joy, peace, faith and unity, I often embrace haiku as a means of expression. Today I learned about a poetry form that is new to me: ukiah. It is reverse haiku. Instead of pattern of 5-7-5, it uses a 7-5-7 pattern. It is a joy to me to learn new things … and to put new ideas into practice. Do you find joy in newness?

Try applying new concepts
Making room for joy
Embrace ukiah today

Then I learned, Oh no! There’s another requirement for ukiah. It has to rhyme! All three lines? Or just two of the three?

I researched it and found the definition written by the person who invented it, Robert Ropars :

“My idea is the opposite of the haiku. I was thinking it should be a “Roparsku” but my lack of ego (and my very wise girlfriend) kept me grounded. So since I’m talking about the opposite, then reversed it would a “Ukiah.” Now searching around online I see some people have played with variations (calling this a “reverse haiku”), but only changed the syllabic construction. I think a true “reversal” would also take into account the rhyme aspect. In addition, this adds an extra level of challenge to the endeavor.

It would be composed of:
•3 lines in length
•rhyming
•lines 1 and 3 contain 7 syllables
•line 2 contains 5 syllables

Haiku example:
Winds blowing lightly
Leaves whispering in the dark
Stars twinkling above

Ukiah example:
Leaves are drifting in the night
The stars are so bright
Shivering I hold you tight

Wow… all three lines rhyme. That changes everything!
Poetry takes many forms.
This poem of Laura’s is free verse.

I took its ideas and tried to create a Ukiah using it:


You can’t see me; I hear you –
And you can’t touch – true,
But I feel you near clear through.

You do not taste my sad tears,
But I cry your fears.
Your sadness pierces like spears.

In this very empty room,
Silence is perfume:
A claustrophobic deep gloom.

I smell and feel it around.
Miss your loving sound.
Hate social distance ground!

Photo by Bekka Mongeau on Pexels.com

When ukiah is so sad,
Where’s joy to be had?
Just creating makes me glad.

Practice keeps newness churning.
Embrace the yearning.
Apply newness while learning.

7-5-7
and add rhyme…
Try it!
Embrace Ukiah!!

Be a sport!
Share your try at ukiah in the comments below.

Thanks for visiting JanBeek today.
See ya tomorrow (God willing!)

Category:

Haiku, happiness, learning, Life's Challenges, Love, Poetry, teaching, writing

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Embrace Reaching Out


Photo by Swapnil Sharma on Pexels.com

Embrace Reaching Out.
Who needs to feel your kind touch?
He or she’s not far.

Photo by mododeolhar on Pexels.com

Within easy reach
Is a person who needs you –
Send out your feelers!

I feel too often
Advice suggests self-support:
Take time for yourself.

Self is limited.
Don’t overlook reaching out.
We need each other!

Love one another.
Reach out to friends near and far.
Give – as you’ve received.

Embrace Reaching Out!
Reach further – deeper!
Reach out to the suffering.

Photo by Kat Jayne on Pexels.com

Reach to the hurting.
Find the silent, hungry ones…
Too proud to get help.

Donate to Food Banks.
Support the reliable
Organizations.

Be someone’s answer.
Your arms can find the needy.
Embrace Reaching Out!

Hands willing to help –
and arms ready to hug. you ..
I am here to help.
Photo by Anna Tarazevich on Pexels.com

I am here for you.
My heart can reach forever.
Embrace Reaching Out!

I will do my part –
Reaching is a two-way street –
You need to reach back!


I’ll be there for you
With the love to see you through.
Reach out, friends, to me!

And – as always, friends,
I encourage you to reach
Always to our God!

Your love,
Lord,
reaches to the heavens,
your faithfulness to the skies.

Psalm 36:5
God already has reached you!

God Bless You, my friends.
I am reaching out for you now…
Feel the love!

Hugs,
JanBeek

Category:

Bible Lessons, Faith, friendship, God, Haiku, kindness, Life's Challenges, Living in Christ's Family, Love, mental health, music, Poetry, relationships

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Embrace 5 Ways to Keep Long-time Friends


Bob & Victor

Victor Salazar and Bob have stayed in touch for 50 years. How has that happened?

Victor was Bob’s wrestling student when Bob coached at Hillsdale High in San Mateo, CA. back in the 1970’s. Every year at Christmas, we exchanged Christmas cards. Victor let us know where he was each year – and his career took him to over 30 different countries! What a joy to have Vic come from Alabama to reconnect with us here in Montana this week!

I have had the fun of that kind of connection with former students, too. This is Ty Stiles and his wife with Bob & me. He was my kindergarten student in 1962! I named our first child, Ty. We never let Ty Stiles out of our sphere of contact. He was in my prayers daily. He came with his wife, Roxanne, from California to visit us a few years ago. About a year after his visit, sadly, Ty left this earth for is eternal home. My memories of him and his visit warm my heart every single day as I look at the cross he welded and sent to us shortly after his visit.

There’s no greater joy
Than to reconnect with friends
From long, long ago

Look up for your purpose!
Look up to the cross
Recall its loving meaning
Embrace those friendships

5 Ways to Keep Long-time Friends

  1. Pray lovingly for them daily.
  2. Be sure to keep them in your address book and write to them often (don’t just rely on social media)
  3. Pick up the phone and talk to them, emptying yourself into them… it’s an investment. Be loyal and be confidential.
  4. Let them know how much they mean to you, but don’t force the relationship. It has to be natural. Don’t insist that the relationship is forever reciprocal. Some friendships are meant to be seasonal… and the season may last years – but maybe not. You can’t control that.
  5. Be honest and transparent with them … let them see your warts. It shows you trust them not to hurt you… and you are trustworthy in return.

Embrace Long-time Friendships
Never let those precious folks go
Keep them forever in your heart
How long we’ll be here, we can’t know

Embrace Long-time Friends
My heart’s covered with footprints.
How about your heart?

See ya tomorrow (God willing)
Love,
JanBeek

Category:

Faith, friendship, Haiku, Living in Christ's Family, Living in Harmony, Love, Memories, mental health, Poetry, prayer, relationships, Sharing, truth

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