Wrdless Wednesday
Posts tagged ‘Animals’
Embrace Wonder
Do you ever wonder what’s real and what’s not?
Do you wonder what’s truth and what’s fiction?
Do you wonder why certain things happen?
Do you wonder what tomorrow will bring?
What if you grew up with a dad
Who was a Special Effects Artist?
What would the world seem like
To you if this was your daily reality?
Ever wonder what life would be like
If you had not met the person who
Is front and center in your life now?
Who would be with you instead?
Watch out noses!!
Ever wonder how God created
The beauty of a rainbow or sunset?
The colors of the variety of birds?
Or every zebra’s stripes unique?
Double rainbows – no less!!
No two are alike!!
Ever wonder how He could make
Each snowflake different?
Each eye unique – unlike any other?
Each voice to sound like no other?
No two are alike… amazing!!
No two are the same.
Amazing!!
Did you ever wonder if our eyes grow over our lifetime? When we’re born, our eyes are about two-thirds smaller than they’ll be when we reach adulthood. People’s eyes stop growing in length by the age of 20-21, when they reach about 24 millimeters. But the weight of the eyes’ lenses continue to increase over time. Isn’t that a wonder?
Ever wonder how I knew that? Used to be we had a huge set of encyclopedia that we bought from a door-to-door salesman. Encyclopedia Britannica. Outdated by the time it was published. Ask Siri today. Ask Alexa. Carry your encyclopedia in your pocket. Ever wonder how our kids could survive without their cell phones?… And about those voices:
Ever wonder what life would be like
If the only thing we bothered to talk about
Was the good that we see in others?
This is a poem my mom had memorized:
Wouldn’t this old world be better
If the folks we meet would say
“I know something good about you,”
And then treat us just that way?
Wouldn’t it be fine and dandy
If each handclasp warm and true
Carried with it this assurance,
“I know something good about you”?
Wouldn’t life be lots more happy
If the good that’s in us all
Were the only thing about us
That folks bothered to recall?
Wouldn’t life be lots more happy
If we praised the good we see?
For there’s such a lot of goodness
In the worst of you and me.
Wouldn’t it be nice to practice
That fine way of thinking, too?
You know something good about me!
I know something good about you.
(Louis C. Shimon)
Mom posted that poem along with many others on a cardboard that she had hanging inside her kitchen cabinet door. She gathered the poems as a new bride in 1937. They were cut from the weekly newspaper. I have that cardboard posted inside my kitchen cabinet door here in Montana. It’s fading fast and becoming harder and harder to read… but I have most of them memorized now, too!
Ever wonder what your life would be like
If you were born to a different mother?
You wouldn’t be you, would you?
What if your mother had different attributes?
My mother loved poetry (obviously) –
And so that love of words well spoken
Rubbed off on me – and I wonder
What would life be like without poetry?
when there is no more COVID-19.
Laura Sullivan is a musical artist
Whose poetry and piano expertise
I shared with you in a previous blog:
https://janbeek.blog/2020/12/15/shared-poetry-music/
Ever wonder what this world would be like
Without the wonder of music?
The streams would have to stop and
The wind would have to cease.
Ever wonder how one could live happily
Without having a sense of wonder?
What do you wonder about, my friend?
What gives you a sense of awe and wonder?
(By the way, that “Nature Sounds” video will play for 10 hours.
Do you think the image or sound will change after a while?
Ever wonder how they did that?)
Sending my love and hugs.
Thanks for visiting JanBeek.
Wonder which of your friends
would like a link to this post?
at breakfast
on our 59th anniversary
yesterday.
Thank you for all your positive comments and good wishes.
I wonder what blogging would be like if I didn’t have YOU in it?
Not a pretty thought!
EMBRACE WONDER!!
Come back tomorrow.
Embrace Prayer
In today’s Daily Guideposts 2021, the writer, Amy Eddings, wrote about a time when she prayed relentlessly for guidance and courage – and felt her prayers were going unanswered. Have you ever felt that you were praying relentlessly for something and your request(s) seemed to be falling on deaf ears?
I remember last year when Australia was on fire and so many animals were dying and losing their habitats. I prayed along with the rest of our world for rain… but the fires raged on.
I have recently been praying incessantly for our Pastor Nominating Committee at our church. If you have followed my blog for awhile, you have read my sermon notes on Sunday from our Madison Valley Presbyterian Church. You know our pastor of 32 years died a year ago and we have a wonderful temporary pulpit fill who came out of retirement to help us. Rev. Hundley needs to be able to re-retire. So, we are searching for a solo pastor and I am praying hard. I believe in the power of prayer – and I believe in God’s perfect timing. Don’t you?
So, will you add my prayer request to your prayer list?
“Lord, help the Madison Valley Presbyterian Church
Pastor Nominating Committee
find the person God already has in mind for us.
Help them find the right new pastor
to lead the congregation into renewed spiritual growth in 2021.”
My husband, Bob, has been praying incessantly, too.
He is on our church’s leadership board
and as such is the “elder” in charge of Buildings and Grounds.
Our church owns an old church that is about 10 miles out of Ennis
in a tiny little village called McAllister.
The church was built in the 1880’s.
MVPC uses it once a year to maintain its
tax-free status as a “place of worship.”
It is in a serene country setting on a little over an acre of land.
It has electricity, but no water or septic system.
The church is for sale. We’re praying for the right buyer.
Please add this to your prayer list, too, will you?
“Lord, send the right buyer to Rikki at Berkshire-Hathaway in Ennis, MT
– a person who will treasure this historic building
and use it for wholesome purposes.”
McAllister Church
When we EMBRACE PRAYER
and pray with a right spirit,
God hears, God cares, God answers.
Philippians 4:6,7: Pray about everything
“Do not be anxious about anything,
but in everything,
by prayer and petition,
with thanksgiving,
present your request to God.”
1 John 5:14: God always hears
“This is the confidence we have in approaching God:
that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.”
EMBRACE PRAYER
GOD BLESS YOU
and keep you safe and healthy.
That’s my prayer for you today.
Thanks for visiting JanBeek.
Have a blessed Monday.
See ya tomorrow.
This is my favorite prayer… and I pray it fervently.
It spells out my purpose in life … to be an instrument of God’s peace…
TO SPREAD LOVE, FORGIVENESS, FAITH, HOPE, LIGHT AND JOY…
Sing along … and be blessed!
EMBRACE PRAYER
Celebrate Uniqueness
How dull it would be
If the whole world was beige.
The idea of a melting pot
Needs to turn a different page.
Turn to the page of color
Where each one is celebrated.
The idea of a salad bowl
Needs to be integrated.
Don’t try to make us all
Of one color and creed.
Honor and appreciate the joy
In each unique, beautiful seed.
Sow seeds of understanding.
Sow seeds of faith and love.
Sow seeds of joy and unity.
We’re all one from God above.
You color my world!
May your world dazzle with color!
Love ya…
and really appreciate your prayers
for those fighting this pandemic.
Thank you!
See ya tomorrow.
JanBeek
Welcome October!
T’is a month of pumpkins and spice
A month for Halloween candy
A month to plan your costume
When sheets are mighty handy
T’is a month when ghosts and goblins
And weird imaginations
Concoct front porch scenes
With spiders and smoky stations
Just as people try to create
Wonders strange and unique ,
Look at what our Creator did –
Come and take a peak!
No one should begin to suggest
These were formed accidentally.
No, it took a God with humor –
To do this so creatively!
Look at its funny beard:
take a look at this split-colored lobster!!
Our Creator’s imagination is beyond imagination!
Have you ever seen a curly-haired horse?
The coat on a poodle is a lot like this, don’t you think?
When I was a kid, Halloween was one of my favorite holidays. We planned for months what our costumes would be. One year I was two things… from the front I was a princess and when I turned around, I was a cave man. How my mom created that, I have no idea. Halloween used to be safe and fun and creative. People made popcorn/caramel balls and cupcakes and candied apples – and no one was afraid to eat what you received. No one was afraid to go alone as a bunch of kids after dark!
Connection and Wholeness
Yes, we are necessary to one another! If we are going to return to the safety of connection and wholeness, we need to seek to return to the people God made us to be.
We are more unique than an ant, a lobster, or a transparent fish! We are more intelligent and exceptional than a curly-haired horse. Our memories are better than theirs, too.
We need to remember what it felt like before COVID-19. Remember our connectivity. Remember when the world was a safe place for kids to Trick-or-Treat alone after dark. Remember when people knew all their neighbors by name – and people relied on one another.
Remember how creative our Creator is. If He can make an ant with that kind of face, a lobster with those characteristics, and a fish that’s transparent and that exists as an individual and as part of a larger organism, He can help us to emerge a better people when this pandemic passes. Pray for that! Trust in His creative powers.
I need you!
We need one another!
Thanks for visiting JanBeek.
Have a safe and creative October.
See ya tomorrow.
Love, JanBeek
Relax and Enjoy Life
The first time I saw that meme I realized I needed to do all three things. How about you?
Do you need to get away to an ocean-side view to relax? Do you need to get out into the woods to truly enjoy life?
Can you find a quiet space right where you are? Can you share it with a pet or a partner and release your shoulders and your stress and enjoy life in the moment?
If where you are is not conducive to relaxation, just gather your pet (or a partner) and head for a quiet spot of your choosing!
There, we can more easily
release all tension and just relax!
So, my friends,
whatever it takes,
I invite you to
take time right now
to relax and enjoy life.
Get off the merry-go-round of life.
Step down from the carousel of cares
And unclench your jaw.
Drop the tongue from the roof of your mouth
And take a few very deep breaths.
And then,
after a nice refreshing break,
get back to work!
Or not!!
visiting
JanBeek
See ya tomorrow.
Have a relaxing Friday night!
What’re you doing this weekend to
“Relax and Enjoy Life”??
Begin with some soothing music…
Close your eyes and enjoy!
Montana Aspen in Autumn
There is no better way
To spend an autumn day
Than to take a ride with friends
Up into the Gravelly Range
We traveled along the Madison
Overlooking the Palisades
And enjoyed the river view
And the hint of what’s to come
Every mile closer to
Antelope Basin, our destination,
The scenery became more and more
breathtaking!
At the 7,000 foot level
The autumn colors amaze
The aspen are changing color
From green to gold to orange
Golden grasses and blue sky
Accented the purple mountains
And created a wonderland
For this appreciative photographer
We went in and out of twelve
Or more gates to keep cattle in
They stood at the road’s edge
Unperturbed by our noisy ATVs
When you sing of purple mountain majesty
And you wonder what that might look like,
Just come to Montana and you will
Wonder no more… you’ll just be in awe!
We stopped by Hidden Lake
To rest and have our lunch
The lake is soooo beautiful
And it really is hidden down there
Chuck and Caroline relaxed with Bob
After enjoying a picnic lunch
Penny & Rex were with us
And TazE, too, of course!
Isn’t that blue sky spectacular?
And the colors of the trees glorious?
Don’t you wish you could be
In an ATV traveling with us?
‘Tis time to return to our pickups
Load up the four-wheelers
Return down to our Madison Valley
And look forward to the next trip.
Wish you could join us!
I’ll share a couple more pics tomorrow.
Have a good night.
Thanks for traveling with me vicariously!
Hugs,
JanBeek
Smile
Smile when your heart is aching
Smile even though it’s breaking
Though there are clouds in the sky
You’ll get by – if you’ll just smile!
Do you know that song?
I’ll share it with you …
Along with some things
that made me smile today:
It’s not the current version of “Smile” by Katy Perry.
It’s the version from the 1950s when I was a kid!
Here it is. Smile!
This is one of his songs that I loved the most.
Its message is so important for us in this world today.
You’ll find that life is still worthwhile, if you’ll just smile!
Like these rainbow lorikeets
Good night, my friends.
Thanks for visiting JanBeek.
See ya tomorrow.
What Binds Us Together
What Binds Us Together?
A little of this
A little of that
A mountain of snow
A dog and a cat
A look through a window
At September snow
A beautiful fence line
Where horizons glow
A plate of raclette
To make my mouth water
A beautiful friend sharing dinner
With my lovely Swiss daughter
A look into hearts
From an angel’s swing
Helps us see one another
With the love we bring
If we can see others
Through an angel child’s eyes,
How much kinder this world
Would be… and how wise!
.
.
What binds us together
Like birds of a feather
Is not what you see
On a plate or the weather
What binds us together
Is the love that we share
So, let’s share it generously…
Spread your love everywhere!
What is it that binds you to your loved ones?
Of course, it’s the love… but it’s also shared interests.
How do you cultivate and grow those interests?
Think about it… and buy an extra bag of that fertilizer!
Thanks for visiting
JanBeek
See ya tomorrow.
For the Joy
For the joy of life
I give You thanks, O my God
Thanks for Montana
For the Joy of Life
In the beautiful outdoors
Thank You, O My Lord
We thank Thee for all
The blessings You give us, Lord.
Thank Thee for Jim Reeves!
What a voice!
What a beautiful land we live in…
Let’s take care of it, okay?
Protect the animals,
the trees and flowers, and rivers,
And let’s protect one another, too.
Bob & I are so happy that we were able to sing “Happy Birthday” to our daughter, DeAna this morning. Thank God for the internet! Today is the 53rd anniversary of her birth. She is celebrating it with her son, Chris, and her choir at a retreat in the Alps. Wish we could be there to celebrate with her!
Her tongue was always out… I thought maybe we needed to have the doctor shorten it!!!
This was when she was in second grade.
made her a slip to match her own and curled her hair.
That’s becoming a big girl!!
Such a sweet and talented kid!
Yes, we are blessed!
Celebrating her birthday in Switzerland
at a choir retreat with her son, Chris.
Oh, For Blessed JOY!!!
The joy of a child’s birthday…
Always our baby!
That’s my wedding dress from 25 years earlier…
Ah, sweet memories!
What are some of the JOYS that fill your heart today, my friends?
Is it the great outdoors, the animals, the beauty of God’s creation?
Is it family and the love of staying connected in spite of this pandemic?
Tell me!
See ya tomorrow.
Thanks for visiting!!
Hugs,
JanBeek
