Loving One Another

Posts tagged ‘appreciation’

Time with Friends


Time with Friends

My TOPS Buddies
I thought I had posted this for you yesterday.
Found it in my drafts folder.

Linda-Jeannie-Diane-Jan

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:

Tops-angel-certificate.jpg

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.

heart of love
See ya tomorrow.

 

Category:

friendship, health, Life's Challenges, Love, Montana, self-acceptance

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7 Steps to Happiness


7 Steps to Happiness.jpg

Happiness is easier to CREATE than it is to FIND.

CREATE it!

Just
Love One Another

photo of couple sitting on hammock

Photo by Artem Beliaikin @belart84 on Pexels.com

Love and Appreciate

It’s never too late

Listen and Learn

Find that for which you yearn

Accept and Smile

And go the extra mile

Feel and Do

Do what God has given you

Love and Appreciate

It’s never too late!

red rose

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Here’s a red rose of love for you.
Thanks for visiting JanBeek.
Tell me something or someone you
are loving right now!

I am loving YOU!!
Have a great week.

pexels-photo-887349
See ya tomorrow.

Category:

blessings, flowers, friendship, God, Gratitude, Living in Harmony, Love, Poetry

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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:

IMG_7232

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:

 

  1. 44 Likes
    On Saturday June 1, 2019, you surpassed your previous record of most likes in one day for your posts on janbeek. That’s pretty awesome, well done!
    Most Likes in One Day
    Current Record: 44
    Old Record: 43

 

You see, it really doesn’t matter if my followers
Number 100 or 10,000.
What matters is:

  • Are you visiting?
  • Are you reading?
  • Are you commenting?
  • Am I saying something that generates a response?
  • Am I fulfilling my purpose?
  • Do my words and thoughts inspire you to love yourself and one another more fully?

If so,
Hallelujah!
Pass it on!

Love your uniqueness and
Let the stats simply be
A source of information…

Not a fettish!

You relate?

 

 

Category:

Awards, blogging, contentment, Gratitude, happiness, Love, Sharing, writing

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Are You Leader or Follower?


Leader or Follower?

Some days I’m the leader;
Other days I like to follow.
But sometimes following
Is more than I can swallow.

animal beast big carnivore

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:

Follow Me

Days Gone By

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.

What has happened to our Rules to Live By??

Category:

God, life, Life's Challenges, Living in Christ's Family, Living in Harmony, Love, peace, respect, Serving One Another, truth

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G = Gratitude


“The simple practice of gratitude can change our lives. Sages throughout the centuries have noted: As we count our blessings, they multiply.”

A quote from Unity.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 are you grateful for today?

Category:

blessings, contentment, Gratitude, happiness, Love

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Blogger Award


Hello Fellow Bloggers!

Look what I received this week!

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.

  1. 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.
  2. 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?

 

Category:

Awards, Love

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Life’s a Teeter-Totter


Twenty-seven years ago I wrote the poem that’s framed in the picture above (when I still considered myself a kid). I presented it as a birthday gift to my mom. When she left this earth a few years ago, I inherited the poem and the ceramic, musical mice in the teeter-totter that accompanied it.

Yesterday a blogging friend wrote a piece about “Balance.” She asked if it gets easier to find balance in life as we get older. I recalled this poem and told her I would post it today.

Rereading it now with 27 extra birthdays under my belt, I believe the “IFs” in here still are relevant today. And without that foundation of love, I would imagine finding balance is a bigger life-long struggle than it is for those whose home, mother, family and friends provided the love and stability we all crave.

What do you think?

.

Life is Like a Teeter-Totter

.

Life is like a teeter-totter,

Full of ups and downs.

Kids learn to roll and toss with it,

To shake away the frowns,

If they have had a loving home

To lean back and reminisce on when they roam.

.

Life is like a teeter-totter,

Full of bounces and of bumps.

Kids learn to rock with a jolly jump

And shake away the lumps

If they have had a loving mother

To hug them tight and with kisses smother.

.

Life is like a teeter-totter,

It works better in pairs.

They keep each other balanced

And handle life in shares –

If they have had their mother’s arms

To guard against abuse and harms.

.

Life is like a teeter-totter,

Full of laughs and silly giggle.

Full of noise and wonderment –

Girls to squeeze and boys that wiggle –

If they have been secure in love,

Both from home’s hearth and God above.

.

Thank you, Mom, for filling my life

With love. More ups than downs, for sure.

You seemed to know my every need.

For every hurt, you had a cure.

Happy Birthday, Mother dear –

I thank God every day that you are near!

.

.

If you had a happy, loving home, with a mom who provided that sense of security and the ready help when you needed it, I bet you are able to keep life’s teeter-totter in better balance than those folks who missed that connection. How would you characterize your childhood? Did you have a mom who helped you have a greater chance for a balanced life?

Category:

blessings, Family, Gratitude, Love

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