Spreading love, joy, peace, faith & unity

Posts tagged ‘aging’

New Adventures!

We got a new truck!
Well, it’s not really brand new,
But it’s new to us.

Nolan Kemp, salesman
Did a great job at Kendall
Sold us our pickup

We named him “Charlie”
Because he’s “Charlie Blue” blue
We like Charlie lots!

Name your vehicles?
It’s a habit we started
With our ATV

We named her Lucille
Because she is red-headed
And she is a BALL!

We took Lucille up
High into Montana’s sky
Great times with our friends

We also took friends
In our lovely Clack-a-Craft
Fishing the rivers

Notice the trailer
And the help hooking things up
Those days are over

That’s why we sold them
The boat and the trailer, too
Traded the pickup

Don’t need something big
Don’t need a diesel engine
“Charlie’s” gas one’s fine

Without the boat and
Without the big pickup, too
We’ll rely on you!

When you’re heading out
To go fishing for a day
Let Bob ride along!

“Charlie” will give us
Many more years of great fun
They’ll just be different

TazE’s not with us
Crossed over the rainbow bridge
She’s gone – but not us

We’re hangin’ in there
Looking for new adventures
“Charlie” will show us!

It is a new day
Lots of opportunities
Waiting to explore

Travel in “Charlie”
Seeking out new excitement
Got some fresh ideas?

Share!

Cheers!
Love to ya,
JanBeek

Open Hands

If your hands are full of “stuff” –
God can’t fill them anew.
Open your hands, my friends,
And let God renew you!

No need to decorate them
Or worry about their size
Just turn ’em over and
Ask for something wise

“Get wisdom;
get insight;
do not forget,
and do not turn away
from the words of my mouth… “
– Proverbs 4:5 

It is an understatement to say
that wisdom is a worthwhile pursuit.

woman wearing red hat and sunglasses
Photo by Nashua Volquez-Young on Pexels.com
We’re never too old to learn
A thing or two each day
Open your hands and receive
God’s message – It won’t lead you astray
person holding opened book
Photo by Eduardo Braga on Pexels.com

In his book, Ever Faithful,
David Jeremiah was inspired
by Psalm 145:16
when He wrote
about hand gestures:

“Hand gestures can communicate
our innermost thoughts and emotions.
Clenched fists reveal anger.
White knuckles and trembling
are usually the result of fear and nervousness.
We close our hands around things
we want to hold on to
and open them to receive and give gifts.”

My friends, Ed and Maria, open their hands to receive each others love and close them around each other to hang on to the one they love. Bob & I do the same!

David Jeremiah went on in his devotional to say,
God’s generosity is described in Psalm 145:15

You open Your hand
and satisfy the desire
of every living thing.”

It might be the prayer
For a miracle to receive
Or could be something simple
You just have to believe

Believe that when you open
Your hands to receive gifts
God will fill them with wonders –
With gifts that your heart lifts

Open hands are a symbol
Of giving – giving our all
And knowing in the process
We’ll be standing tall

As a humble giver,
Know what you give comes back
And God knows your needs
He will fill your every lack

David Jeremiah went on to remind us,
“If we overlook God’s generosity,
or find ourselves in the midst
of a painful season,
it’s easy for a mindset
of scarcity to take over.
We become afraid of losing
what we have, and
our hearts’ stance becomes one of
grasping as we seek to control
our circumstances.”

Grasp all the love you can get
Then open your hands to give
It all away – every single bit
Because it’s refillable as long as you live

Bob’s hands are open to receive his “just desserts”!!
Are yours open, too?

I pray for your hands to be filled
Filled to overflowing
Filled with love to give away
Love that’s alive and showing!

God Bless you!
Have a “Open Handed Day!”
Will you?

Love,
JanBeek

Let’s Laugh!

Dr. David Jeremiah, whose “Turning Point” devotional is a favorite of mine each morning, quoted Orison Marden today, “Laughter begins in the lungs and diaphragm, setting the liver, stomach, and other internal organs into a quick, jelly-like vibration, which gives a pleasant sensation and exercise, almost equal to that of horseback riding.”[1]

Dr. Jeremiah continued his devotional, “Most of us worry more than we laugh. But remember, ‘A merry heart does good, like medicine’’ (Proverbs 17:22). In Luke 6:21, Jesus promised laughter to the weeping. We’ll enjoy many good laughs in the cheerfulness of heaven, but don’t wait until then. Cultivate a merry heart now. Instead of focusing on what might be, focus on what will be.

Dr. Jeremiah reminded us to, “Keep your mind regulated by the reality of God’s eternity. When we focus on life eternal, we diminish the worry of temporal things. Cheerfulness is knowing God has us today, and He also has tomorrow under His perfect control.”

Then he quoted a distant relative of my husband, Bob’s, Henry Ward Beecher, he was Harriet Beecher Stow’s brother:

Mirth is God’s medicine.
Everybody ought to bathe in it.
Grim care…anxiety,
all this rust of life,
ought to be scoured off
by the oil of mirth.

So, let’s laugh! Let’s adopt “Mirth” as our medicine for today. OK?

Some humor is too true to be funny, but I laugh anyway!

Lots of people found COVID reasons to keep laughing…

Doesn’t need to be Friday to smile…
We can laugh any day that ends in a “Y”
Yay!

Laughter doesn’t have an age limit.
In fact, the more you laugh
and stir up those ” internal organs into a quick,
jelly-like vibrations” the better off you’ll be
at all ages!

Dogs always are good for a laugh in my book!
Every time we have lost one of our furry friends,
Bob says he doesn’t want another dog.
Can’t go through the pain of loss again…

Yup, he’s saying that now…
No more dogs!
Hah! We’ll see…

Some jokes are too trashy to be funny.
I prefer to laugh at clean jokes like this one:

“What do newborns and seniors have in common? They’ll both nap anywhere.”

Okay, okay…
Like I said,
“Some jokes are too true to be funny!”

I see you smiling!
Come on… let it out …
Laugh!

Enough already!
Keep smiling!
It’s the best look you can have!


See ya tomorrow.

Love & Hugs,
JanBeek

Reblog #16 – Our Mortality

Fear of Death?

Are you afraid of death?

I posted this blog about 4 years ago… and that fellow in the photo below has since gone to his eternal home. We all will meet again someday if we are believers. Are you? Let’s explore this topic together this Thanksgiving week as we thank God for each day He gives us, OK?

img_5416

When I asked this friend, “Are you afraid of death? he quickly responded, “Nope!” with assurance.

2018… yesterday, I had an ultrasound. The radiologist not only took a million pictures, but then she called in her senior partner and asked for her assistance.

Oh my! What were they seeing? How many angles did the image need?

By the way, it was my kidneys and bladder areas, not something less complicated – like my hand. (By the way, this year I broke my little finger in a fall… and believe me, I have learned there is nothing simple about your hand!!)

Later in the afternoon I received a call from the medical center. It didn’t surprise me when they asked me to schedule an appointment ASAP for an MRI. They needed a more definitive picture of whatever is in there. Something that’s not supposed to be, of course.

Photo by Chris J Mitchell on Pexels.com

Would your mind do what my mind did under the circumstances?

Would the big “C” word enter your mind? And would you contemplate your own mortality?

I did – and I am!

When I go to the medical center tomorrow and they receive the MRI results, and they say, “Your days are numbered. You are full of cancer,” would I panic?

No!

Why not? Well, all our days are numbered, aren’t they? Nobody’s going to get out of here alive.

Photo by eberhard grossgasteiger on Pexels.com

But, would I like to live a healthy 100 years
and then die peacefully and unexpectedly
in my sleep one night?

You bet!!

But, what are the chances? Pretty slim!

However, in today’s world, a person who has enjoyed good health and is living a healthy life style should expect to live at least into his/her 80’s. Don’t you agree?

Photo by Flickr on Pexels.com

After all, my parents lived into their late 80s, and so did both my in-laws. Genetically and socially, I expect to do the same. Wait, though…  I’m not quite 80 yet. (That was 2018… I am 82 or 83 already… but who’s counting?)

How would I feel about an eminent death sentence?

How would YOU feel? Have you faced such a challenge and overcome it?

My husband, Bob, was diagnosed with prostate cancer about a dozen years ago.

First step: We called my older cousin who is a Prostate Cancer Survivor “Poster Child.” We received tips from him. He recommended we get on line and learn everything we could about the disease and the treatment options. Go to renowned specialists (he named two). Get a second opinion. Keep a positive outlook. Pray. Share. Ask friends and family to pray with you. Seek professional advice. Research your options. Be your own best advocate. Remain positive.”

Second step: We did all those things, and Bob chose cryotherapy – he had his prostate frozen – and he is “in remission.” Cancer free – and living the “Golden Years” with me!

If I should learn that my days are short, I would miss my loved ones here on earth, of course. But would I be afraid of dying? As my friend said when I asked him that question, I can emphatically say, “Nope!”

I know where I’m going. I know my Redeemer lives and has a place reserved for me in Heaven. And, I pray you BELIEVE, too. Then, we can be assured we will see each other in Paradise and we will enjoy eternal joy together.

See you there someday …Hopefully not too soon!

Have a very Happy Thanksgiving, my friends.
We certainly have much to be thankful for, don’t we?

Love,
JanBeek

How’re You Aging?

Some people seem to have aged like fine wine.  I aged like milk…. I got sour and chunky.

Is 82 old? I’ve spent my life and my blogging career (over a decade now) denying “old” and encouraging vim & vigor!

Now, all of a sudden, as I nurse my bruised and broken left hand, try to type with one hand, and I struggle to cut my pain meds in half so I can welcome normal bowel movements again, I am feeling sour, chunky, and sorry for myself. Ever been there?

Photo by David Garrison on Pexels.com

I have blogged only once or twice in the weeks since my careless trip over the curb and my broken and dislocated left pinky. I try to make light of it.

But I challenge you: Tie your non-dominant hand to your waist. Make it inoperable/immobile. Then leave it like that for two weeks. Try taking a shower, washing your hair, changing the sheets on your bed, slicing meat for a stir-fry, putting on socks, or pulling up your pants. How’s it working?

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Believe me, it’s worse than having a finger in a trap! The whole arm and hand are out of commission!
But… true to form, I find comfort in knowing it could be worse!

I drink a toast to the blessings! It coulda been worse! It coulda been the dominant hand or the head or a hip! It coulda been permanent damage. This, too, shall pass!!

So, after all, count your blessings, Jan; you had just gotten a manicure – and you didn’t even break a nail! Now I ask you, how lucky can you be?

Happy Cinco de Mayo came and went! Our granddaughter’s birthday came and went! Mother’s Day came and went! Neighbors and friends came and are still coming to help with meals and household chores. So, I’m smiling and grateful.

I’m aging pretty well! Don’t you think? How about you?

See ya tomorrow, God willing…
Have a Terrific Tuesday.
I send my love,
JanBeek

Guess what? Looking on the bright side and putting on a happy face is NOT the end of your generation!!

101st Birthday

(Updated from yesterday with the link I promised)

My friend in our local senior living center is in his 101st year on earth. Next week he’ll celebrate another birthday. We want to have a special party … a wheelchair parade … with balloons and horns and a lot of hoopla. But he’ll have none of that. No siree! Just celebrate it with all the other April birthdays … don’t make no big deal about it.

But it IS a big deal! Don’t you agree?

Do you know how many sunrises and sunsets that is? More than I care to count! However, God bless him, my friend can count them all. His mind is still sharp as a rack. How does he do that?

I need to go ask my friend, Anita. She’s about ready to celebrate her 100th, and she’s sharp as a tack, too! Stay tuned. I’ll get the secrets from both of them … and I’ll share it here. I wanna get to be 100 and still have all my marbles in place, too.

I already know one of Anita’s secrets. Keep busy doin’ for others! She was a member of our Montana’s Senior Companion Program well into her 90s! Always out there “helping the old folks” by taking them to their doctor appointments, helping them get their groceries, shoveling their walks, you name it! What an inspiration!

Another senior friend of mine, Carol Orr, was in her 90s when this picture of her and me was taken. Like Anita, she kept her marbles polished and in place.

I asked Carol a few years after this photo
to share with me some of her life lessons –
and I posted a blog about that about a decade ago.
I’ll find it and give you a link tomorrow.

As promised, here is that link to Carol’s Life Lessons.
Hah! Time flies… it wasn’t a decade.
This link says it was only 3 years ago
– on Carol’s 95th birthday:
https://janbeek.blog/2019/07/28/95-years-of-life-lessons/

Meantime, I want you to ponder that 101 birthday coming up. S’pose he should have a parade just for him? Maybe not, if he doesn’t want it. But, shouldn’t we do SOMEthing special?

Paul Soren made a suggestion below. I like his idea. Don’t you?

Have a Happy Day, my friends.
It’s a beautiful, blue sky springtime day here in Ennis, MT.
Time to go plant some iris
in honor of our new great-granddaughter,
Mable Iris McSparron.

What are you planning to do today?

See ya later – alligator!!

Love, JanBeek

Staying Young

Staying young while growing older begins with a mind-set.

Peace and partying
Satisfaction and smiles
in all circumstances
at all ages

Notice I did not say, “Growing OLD.”
Growing OLDER is not the same as growing old.
I’m not OLD; at 82, I am simply
in my advanced years –
growing in wisdom and grace –
with God’s blessings!

In the Natural Living newsletter,
Dr. Z and Mama Z write the following:

“God will carry us through,
even into our advanced years.
Our Creator has had a plan for us
since before we were born.
He had our days numbered
since the beginning of time
and it is up to us to make wise decisions
to help our bodies
live a more vibrant and full life
and to impart our wisdom
to those placed in our lives.”

“Those who are older should speak, for wisdom comes with age.”

~ Job 32:7

Photo by Ivan Bertolazzi on Pexels.com

I DO think about things differently… especially THINGS.
Yes, I have my “treasures,” – those things I am reluctant to part with –
but as time goes by, I realize the wisdom of knowing
“I can’t take it with me.”
And God don’t allow no U-Hauls in Heaven!!

Skip that store on your way outta town!

In my daily devotions today,
Charles Stanley wrote in his In Touch entry,
“Our culture is obsessed with youth…
But… Unless death intervenes, growing old is inevitable.”

See that’s where I differ with him.
But it is only a matter of semantics, I’m sure.
He must have meant “growing older.”
Because he went on to say,
“We can be young in soul and spirit,
regardless of our chronological age.”

Magnificence comes with age…
Yes, the root word is “magnify”
and that’s what age does for us.
It magnifies our failures (if we let it) –
It magnifies our faults (if we let it) –
It requires magnification to see clearly!

Photo by Wallace Chuck on Pexels.com

The question we need to ask ourselves is,
“What am I magnifying as I age?”

Charles Stanley’s devotional today reminded us,
“Never stop listening to the Father
and learning from His Word.
Allow godly thinking to shape your attitude.
Be thankful, never stop laughing,
and rejoice in the Lord.
Above all, keep believing
and loving Him with all your heart.”

Making the most of the dash
means we have to stop dashing!
We’re not created to be honeybees,
dashing from one bit of pollen to another!

“Gray hair is a crown of glory;
it is obtained by following a righteous path.”

~ Proverbs 16:31


We are created in the image of God,
designed to glorify Him each day
by following the righteous path…
stopping along the way
and taking time
to pour out the honey of forgiveness,
dish out the power of experience,
and spray the gladness of grace
on all we meet.

Ps. 119:103

The way Eugene Peterson
paraphrased that verse in his study Bible,
The Message, is this:

“Your words are so choice, so tasty;
I prefer them to the best home cooking.”

Photo by mentatdgt on Pexels.com

So, let’s return to the original premise here:
“Staying young while growing older begins with a mind-set.”

Recognize those two?
A younger Bob & Jan?
60 years later…
Still young at heart!

What is your mind-set today?

Are you young at heart?
Are you pouring out the honey of forgiveness?
Are you dishing out the power of experience?
Are you spraying the gladness of grace?

Here’s a spray bottle
to help you out!

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

Fearfully/Wonderfully Made

Photo by Paul Seling on Pexels.com

In the book of Psalms,
David writes in chapter 139 verses 13 and 14:

“for it was You who created my inward parts;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I will praise You because
I have been fearfully and wonderfully made”.

What does it mean to be fearfully and wonderfully made?

Fearfully
when translated from the Hebrew means
with great reverence,
heart-felt interest,
and
with respect.

Wonderfully
when translated from the Hebrew
means
unique
and
set apart.

Do you know you are
unique and set apart?
Do you feel the enormous amount of

reverence,
heart,
and
respect
that went into your making?

Or do you relate to this meme?

My body no longer looks like this:

Photo by Loe Moshkovska on Pexels.com

Okay, OK, ok, I hear you…
I never did look quite like that!!

BUT,
read more of that scripture in Psalm 139:

Psalm 139:13-16

“For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.”

And realize/internalize this message”

Genesis 1:26-27

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

When we badmouth our bodies, we are insulting God, don’t you think?

Last week when our Presbyterian Women met, the Bible lesson we studied was the story of Bathsheba. It pointed out the secular take on who Bathsheba was may be flawed. Instead of a gorgeous seductress, she may have been the victim. Hollywood’s version of her is the perfectly gorgeous Rita Hayward.

Is that how you see Bathsheba?

The artists who have painted her have a different version:

I much prefer this one! A little bit of a double chin, a poochy stomach, and hefty thighs. Yes, I can relate! Now don’t you think she was fearfully and wonderfully made?

We’re all different in our body type – and yet God says we all are beautiful, lovable, and created in His image. Do you believe that about yourself? Even if you’re not perfect?

Matthew 22:37-39

And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Did you hear that?
“… as yourself.”

Yes, you are fearfully and wonderfully made.
Accept God’s love.
Love yourself …
and then
You can love others!

Don’t let you body stiffen,
and don’t let your mind stiffen either!

There are bodies of all shapes and sizes –
All are made in God’s image –
All are fearfully and wonderfully made!

And – hey guys,
You don’t have to have a six-pack
to be considered handsome!

Those old Charles Atlas ads
are outdated –
and those muscles
don’t make the man!

That guy on the left is my Bob
at the time we met – – –
and his brother, Bill, on the right.
They don’t look like that today,
but they still are fearfully and wonderfully made –
and their bodies have lasted into their mid-80’s!

Hah! Here’s Bob celebrating his 80th a few years ago with his younger brother, Bruce, and his brother-in-law, Stan. When asked, “What makes the man?”

Bob answered, “Character! A man who says what he’ll do and does what he says. A man of his word.”

Being fearfully and wonderfully made
in the image of God means
you are made a hero
because you are made
with the characteristics of heroism.

12 Characteristics of Heroism

  • Brave
  • Filled with Conviction
  • Courage
  • Determination
  • Helpful
  • Honest
  • Inspirational
  • Exhibiting Moral integrity

And that’s not just for you guys out there.
Those are the qualities of a woman made in God’s image, too!

Add faithful to that list…
It’s a part of honesty
and being inspirational
and moral integrity.

It’s faith that gives you that character Bob was talking about!

May God bless you today –
Your mind and your body –
Know for sure, my friends,
you are fearfully and wonderfully made!

Believe it!!

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

Love from Bob & Jan

What Makes You Laugh?

Bloganuary#7 Prompt asked,
“What Makes You Laugh?”

If we can laugh at ourselves
We’ll always have something to laugh about.
If we can chuckle at our idiosyncrasies,
We’ll be happier, no doubt!

We can overcome difficulties faster
If we look at them through lenses
That are tinted with lots of humor.
Laughter is a medicine that cleanses!

Photo by Flickr on Pexels.com
JOY is in ReJOYce!


The Bible has several examples of laughter.
Here are three:
1. Sarah laughed in unbelief.
2. Abraham laughed in wonder.
3. Then they both laughed in joy!

I find it interesting that I find no scripture of Jesus laughing. Do you know of any?

I agree with these illustrations.
Surely He laughed when He was with the children!

Besides laughing at yourself, what else makes you laugh?

A good meme?
A funny grandkid?
We can’t help laughing.
It’s better than complaining or crying!
Laughter is a blessing.

Honey, it’s you!
And it’s OK!!

What makes YOU laugh?

See ya tomorrow (God willing)
Love,
JanBeek

These examples of laughter make me laugh in wonder
because they sound more like my respiratory virus cough
than they do real laughter! Come on, you can do better than this.
Give me a laugh!!

Embrace Great-Grandkids

Oh, the joy of being great-grandparents is a joy many never live long enough to experience. We do not take this for granted. An afternoon with our granddaughter, Hope, and her two children, Xander and Sienna, reinforced for us why God gives children to the young!!

In Genesis 17,
when God

himself appears to Abraham
and tells him that Sarah will bear a son,
Abraham falls on his face laughing
and exclaims,
“Can a child be born to a man
who is a hundred years old?
Can Sarah, who is ninety years old,
bear a child?”
(Genesis 17:17).

(Genesis 18:13-14)
After Sarah laughs,
God turns to Abraham, asking,
“Why did Sarah laugh, and say,
‘Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old? ‘
Is anything too wonderful for the Lord?”
Sarah has been caught
in the act of her private
laughter and mocking commentary,
a response which catches God off-guard.

We understand why when God granted Sarah the child she longed for all her life (she was in her 90s – so it was quite a miracle), she laughed (not believing God could really do that) and then she gave Isaac to the church. The priests there raised him!

Oh sure…. she gave her child to God in gratitude for God’s generosity. Suuure!!

I’ll bet she didn’t have the stamina to care for that lively little guy!

Hah! We loved visiting with our great grandkids, but we’re sure grateful it’s Hope who took them home – not us! Embrace those great-grandchildren… and then kiss ’em good-bye. You bet!!

I’m headed to bed. I’m exhausted!
See ya tomorrow (God willing)
Love, JanBeek

I couldn’t lift her!!
Her mama had to help me
get her in my lap!

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