He went into the army because He didn’t know what else to do. He was in two years, nine months, And three days. Does that count to you?
It was during a time of peace. No, he didn’t have to serve in a war. But that time in the army Changed him to his very core.
Today is Veteran’s Day in the USA, A time to honor our veterans’ sacrifice. Some serve now, others are retired, While many gave their very lives.
So, it’s important to recognize All the men and women who gave Of themselves to keep us free. Today flowers went on many a grave.
Whether days, years, or a lifetime Were spent in the service of country, Today we reach out to say to you, Thank you! Your sacrifice keeps us free.
God Bless Our Veterans.
Thank you, Bob!! I’m glad I got to serve those last 9 months and 3 days with you! I love Germany and the friends we made there. And I loved teaching in the school on the army base.
Thanks to all our veterans! Your sacrifice is sooo appreciated. I will never take our freedom for granted.
Thanks for visiting JanBeek today. See ya tomorrow.
Do you have a veteran in your family? If so, name them in the comments below. I want to thank them, too!
Angels are with us In every walk of our life Most have hidden wings
My angel friend, Terry, sent me this Jana Stanfield video. She said I am her angel. Truth is: she is mine!
Can it be that we serve one another As angels here on earth? Can it be that you are one, too?
Look at these darling children. Each of them is an angel here on earth. They just keep their wings hidden! (Except for the cymbalist… I think I see his wings peeking out!)
“Somewhere amongst them, or betwixt them, or gazing adoringly up at them just like you, here I am.”
That was a sentence I captured on a blog yesterday, but didn’t get the author’s name. I apologize. If you know who wrote this, please tell me in the comments below and I’ll add it. It is angelic writing, don’t you agree?
Sending God’s love to you, my friends.
I have a host of angels here on earth who bring God’s love to me on a daily basis. I bet you do, too. Think about them today. Reach out and thank them today for the joy they bring to you.
Some of my Angels
My daughter, De
Our #2 daughter Laina, and my hubby, Bob
This is Bob’s older brother, Bill, with his wife, Margie. Bob’s family members are angels in our lives.
With them is our son, Ty, and daughter-in-love, Monika. We are so blessed to have Tyroneee and Moni as angels among us.
Here is Terry (the friend who sent me Jana Stanfield’s angel song) with her husband, our friend, Jim. Can you just see what angels they are? We call Terry “SPARKLES!” She sparkles with love and compassion.
When I came home from the hospital after my recent hernia surgery, Terry sent Bob to get me at the hospital with this angel blanket that’s now draped over my bedroom chair. That’s what angel friends do: they wrap you warmly in their loving arms… and send you kisses!
This collage of photos from my sister, Sally, has several angels pictured on it. My dad to start with – bottom center – what an angel! My sis and my niece, Jodie with her son, Liam and husband, Bill. They are angels in my life, too.
And if you look closely, you can see Sally with TazE… our Boston Terrier. She was going to be named “Angel.” I had that name all picked out for her – until we met her!! TazE was a Tasmanian Devil (Taz) with E for Ears to match her bouncy personality and oversized ears. No, she was not an angel at all. But she has quieted down in her old age (she’s nine now) and maybe she qualifies as an angel in my life at this time. You think?
Chris is one of my three Swiss grandsons. He lived with us for a while last year … and was such an angel in our lives. Our seven grandchildren continue to be angels. Here is my youngest granddaughter, Faith (now 24) … Of course, she’s an angel in our lives!
I hope you have a BFF – (Best Friend Forever) – a long term angel friend – someone you can count on in all circumstances – someone like my friend, Marcie:
She just called me while I was creating this blog… just to express condolences about my cousin, Cliff. What a thoughtful, sweet, angel friend Marcie is!!
We all have angels in our lives. People we will love until the end of time… people who exude God’s love. They are compassionate and considerate. They seem to know when we need them and they are there at the most important times. God bless the angels among us!
Each of you who comes to JanBeek and bothers to read and comment is An Angel of Mine!
What you mean to me, you’ll never know…. You came at just the right time into my life- and I want to share it with you… I appreciate you so much!
In today’s sermon, Elaine told a story of A lighthouse keeper:
On a stormy night, He climbed the rocks to the light; Turned it on and fell.
He fell and he died That night on the rocky hill After doing his job.
A sailor that night Saved his passengers and crew Because of the light.
The lightkeeper died So that others might be saved From falls in darkness.
Is your light shining in the dark?
Elaine Hundley, who delivered the message in church today reminded us that, like this lighthouse keeper, Jesus died that we might live. He gave His life for us. Likewise, we are reminded to share our lives – give what we have – to brighten the lives of others.
Elaine read from Luke 12:13-21, and she reminded us – “All we have is on loan to us From the Lord, the Almighty. If we have extra, we are told To give it away; don’t hold tightly.“
These are eleven of the WordPress bloggers who provide sunshine in my life – They share the writing talents they have been given; They are my choices for the Sunshine Blogger Award :
Here’s my Sunshine Award for you! Congratulations for being such a great blogger! You shine your light on my life each time you post!
Dear Readers, you will enjoy checking out the blogs listed above. They are always inspiring. If any of these people wish to accept the award (Big Sky Buckeye already did – he sent this to me) and put it on their blog site, check back to see the rules posted yesterday on JanBeek.
Among the rules, I was asked to answer 11 questions and then create 11 questions for my Sunshine Award recipients to answer. Here are my questions:
When did you start blogging?
Why did you start blogging?
How often do you generally blog?
What’s the main topic of your blog (your “niche”)?
Is there a particular time of day when you generally blog? If so, when and why?
Who is your most faithful follower?
Do you have a tendency to post with that person in mind? Or do you have a different technique for personalizing your message?
Of all your posts, which one would you save if all were lost except one?
What’s one piece of advice you can pass on to beginning bloggers?
Where do you get most of your ideas?
If you could improve one thing about WordPress, what would it be?
If you are not with “your children” today,
you can substitute “your children” for “your spouse”
or “your neighbors” or “yourself.”
Change “they” to “you” or “s/he”…
Ponder these thoughts –
Go somewhere to worship God today –
Pray –
Enjoy your loved ones.
I’ll be singing in the choir this morning and listening carefully to the message presented by Rev. Hundley.
My TOPS Buddies
I thought I had posted this for you yesterday.
Found it in my drafts folder.
This is (left to right) – Linda,
Jeannie (in pink – the inspirational leader
I posted about earlier today),
Diane, and me. We were having a great time
at the Sip ‘n’ Dip Lounge, watching the mermaid
swimming in the aquarium behind us there.
I showed you that mermaid video, didn’t I?
I couldn’t believe her stamina!
If you ever go to Great Falls, MT,
be sure to visit the Sip ‘n’ Dip.
Our mermaid swam in that tank for nearly two hours
without a break! Must have scaly skin for sure!
My TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) friends
gave me this certificate at the convention:
How kind of them, huh?
I enjoy my time with them,
and
appreciate their help as I
attend meetings and weigh in each week
to keep my weight at a healthy level.
They say my enthusiasm helps them, too.
If I had a nice aquarium,
I bet I could get enough exercise
that I wouldn’t have to worry about
weight gain. You think??
We really do have a good time together. What did you do for fun this weekend? Tell me about it.
Some days I’m the leader;
Other days I like to follow.
But sometimes following
Is more than I can swallow.
Sometimes the folks who lead
Don’t seem to care the least
About the folks they’re leading;
They’re like this ugly beast.
The beast who tells us lies,
Who says “Do as I say,
But not as I do,” you know?
He tries to force his way.
We are not stupid sheep;
We know which way is right.
So stand your ground, my friends.
Don’t let him push his might.
The one who makes the rules,
Usually wins the game, they say.
But, some rules should be constant –
Don’t let him lead you astray.
My Inspiration
This poem was inspired by a Time Magazine article titled, “Whose standards will Democrats embrace?” by the eloquent former editor of Time Magazine, Nancy Gibbs.
This topic of leaders and followers is heavy on my heart. It’s not the simple kind of following that I wrote about years ago when I was looking at healthy parent-child relationships:
When I was a youngster, one of the popular TV programs was “Father Knows Best.” I related to that … and so did a lot of my peers. Mom and Dad talked things over. They presented a righteous front of solidarity. Sometimes Mom (in fact usually Mom) laid down the laws. Together, they enforced them. We were the “Leave it to Beaver” generation whose nuclear family lived by the universal rules spelled out in the Ten Commandments. “Do not lie” was paramount among them. “Love One Another,” was another. “Be kind to your neighbor,” right?
Appreciate one another’s differences. Know that we all are part of one body – and the head needs the hand; the leg needs the foot. We need to live in harmony.
“The simple practice of gratitude can change our lives. Sages throughout the centuries have noted: As we count our blessings, they multiply.”
A quote fromUnity.com
Gratitude is my word for Day #7 in my series of “What Makes Me Happy.”
Yes, gratitude makes me happy – but it’s not so much the thank yous from others as much as it is my own Attitude of Gratitude.
“Happiness is not having what you want, but wanting what you have.” I don’t know who first said that, but I agree. And I would add, it is all about appreciating what you have and acknowledging those gifts. Life is a gift. Thank God today for green grass, gruyere, grace and all those “G” words that make you happy.
Mine include grandkids, Guideposts devotionals, and Goff (that’s Bob Goff who wrote Love Does and founded that fantastic organization, Pure Love Does, that reaches out to help so many. Do you know him? Get his book, if you haven’t already!). Google him! (Oh, that’s another G word for which I am grateful) And guess what? As I was writing this post, i received an e-mail from Bob Goff! His new book, Love Does for Kids, was just released. TODAY! How timely, huh?
Thank you, blogging friends. I am grateful for you, too!
What an honor! Thank you, Libarah, at liba.home.blog for nominating me for this blogger recognition award.
As part of receiving and posting this award, I was asked to give a summary of how my blog started. Well, back in 2012 when I was new to Montana, I joined a local Writers’ Group. One of my fellow writers, Lilie Allen, was a WordPress blogger. I logged on to her site to enjoy her creativity between our various group meetings. She encouraged me to start a blog of my own, so I did. Thank you, Lilie.
I was also asked to give two pieces of advice for any new bloggers.
My first piece of advice is to start slowly. Like maybe once a week. Dip your big toe into this blogging pool. Test the waters. Write from your heart. Share things you have written before to see what kind of reaction you get.
Secondly, read other bloggers’ posts and respond to them. Find people like Cristian Mihai and Jordan Peters at “The Art of Blogging” who have WordPress sites full of great ideas. Glean advice from those who’ve perfected their craft and generously share their blogging tips with those of us who are working at honing our skills in this new world.
Then, hardest of all, I was asked to select at least 15 other bloggers to pass this award on to. How do I pick? How do I know their blogging addresses? I wored on this and can’t figure out how to make these names work as links for you. And it was hard to narrow it down to fifteen. There are so many good ones out there. These are some of the ones I follow and appreciate:
Cristian Mihai, The Art of Blogging
Bill, WCS Poetry
deyspublishing, dorothy’s page
Pat Cegan, Source of Inspiration
Rahul Gaur, Smoke words every day
lilie215, Tea and Toast with Kindness
Abigail Gronway, Dark Side of the Moon
Lize Bard, Haiku out of Africa
Marts, for much deliberation
Ester, Travelling around the world
Jordan Peters, The Art of Blogging
Shefali, Written Frames
Ann Koplow, The Year(s) of Living Non-Judgmentally
TheTaskGirl, thebraindump
Lana Cole, Welcome To Our Campfire
And last, I was asked to let each nominee know I’ve nominated them and give a link to my post. Here is my notification. I wonder if they’ll see it.
Thank you, again, Liba at Libarah for honoring me with your selection. Now how do I get that wonderful award to show up on the margin of my JanBeek blog?
Stats
Stats
I don’t put much stock in stats.
But every now and then I like
To take a look; especially when
WordPress announces spikes.
Day before yesterday they congratulated me.
They sent this message:
I was delighted because I remember
Back in 2012 to 2018 when
For 6 years my followers
Numbered less than 100.
I didn’t stop blogging
because my “followers number”
was stagnant.
I appreciated the readers I had.
I still do…
I appreciate YOU!!
But the stat that really has me
Singing in the shower with joy
Is the one I received yesterday:
You see, it really doesn’t matter if my followers
Number 100 or 10,000.
What matters is:
If so,
Hallelujah!
Pass it on!
Love your uniqueness and
Let the stats simply be
A source of information…
Not a fettish!
You relate?
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Awards, blogging, contentment, Gratitude, happiness, Love, Sharing, writing
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