Spreading love, joy, peace, faith & unity

Posts tagged ‘babies’

Best Laid Plans


Sometimes best laid plans
can definitely abort.
They did yesterday.

You may recall that
I was hoping to meet kids –
Yes, my great-grandkids.

And I was concerned
about my granddaughter, Hope,
at the hospital.

She came yesterday
with her hubby and two kids,
but I wasn’t there.

I ended up in
the Emergency Room…
A weird accident!

I misjudged the step
up onto the sidewalk curb.
Fell forward quickly.

My little finger
caught all of my body’s weight.
Dislocated it!

Sooooo…

I didn’t get to
hold my granddaughter’s hand –
or eat lunch with them.

Oh, what a bummer!
But my troubles are so small
compared to others.

Hope was expecting
our great-grandchild number 5.
Today she lost her.

A broken finger
pales in comparison.
My heart reaches out.

Yes, our best laid plans
can disappear in a flash –
or a careless fall.

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com

In your great despair,
keep thoughts always positive.
Let lessons teach you.

Slow down and beware!
Let your errs make you wiser.
No, never despair!

Know that Christ Jesus
is with you in your troubles.
Rely on His love.

Psalm 34:17-18

When the righteous cry for help,
the Lord hears and delivers them
out of all their troubles.
The Lord is near to the brokenhearted
and saves the crushed in spirit.

My prayers go out to Hope & Drew.

I look to the Lord
in whom my strength and healing
abides and helps me.

Pray with me today, will you?

“Dear Heavenly Father,
Be with Hope and Drew as they mourn
the loss of their unborn baby.
Help them understand Your will
and know the blessing of the two they have.
Be with me (Jan) and the finger
that needs to heal…
Provide comfort –
– and the lesson to be learned.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.”

Thanks for visiting JanBeek
and expressing your love
and concern for us.

I appreciate you.
See ya tomorrow (God willing)

Category:

Bible Lessons, children, Faith, Family, God, Haiku, health, Jesus, Life and Death, Life's Challenges, Love, music, Poetry, prayer, relationships

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She’s Here!


Yes, my new little great-granddaughter is here!
Faith & Kyle named her Mable Iris.
Don’t you love old-fashioned names?

I tried to get them to name her Janet
(that’s JanBeek’s God-given name),
but I lost out to one they chose
simply because they both “like it.”

Oh well, I tried!

Choosing names for our children
is such an important part of parenting.

The last “child” I named is this little moose who sits on my bed every day. He is named “Faithful” because he was a gift to me about 15 years ago from my granddaughter, Faith. She bought it at the Yellowstone National Park gift shop. We had just seen the geyser “Old Faithful” erupt. Then we went into the gift shop and gave her and her three siblings each some money to buy a souvenir for their visit. She bought this moose and then gave it to me as a “Thank you for taking us to Yellowstone” gift.

What a thoughtful little pre-teen she was! Each day when I make my bed, I put “Faithful the Yellowstone Moose” back on my bed with a prayer. I say:

“Dear God,
Please tuck them together in love
and watch over Faith & Kyle today.
Amen”

When we named our son Ty (I have told you this story before), it was because I had a student named Ty in my kindergarten class in 1963. He was such an adorable little boy – and I loved him as well as his name. In 1965 when our son was born, Bob agreed to use Ty’s name for our little baby.

Today when Kyle let us know that he & Faith had named their little girl Mable, I asked, “Is there a history of that name in your family? Or is it just a name you both liked?”

Kyle texted back and said they just liked the name – no family history for it.

So, I told Kyle that I have a history with that name. The only other Mable Bob & I have know is Mable Cronan. She was the dear, sweet, compassionate, loving grandmother of Ty Stiles (that kindergarten student of mine). Mable attended our church in California with Ty’s aunt, Marilyn Sena. So now – come full circle: our Ty has a granddaughter named Mable – just like Ty Stiles had a grandmother Mable. I love it when things seem to be so synchronistic, don’t you?

Ty & Roxanne Stiles
with me & Bob

When I looked up the meaning of the name Mable,
Wikipedia said,

“Lovable, dear:
Mabel is an English female given name
derived from the Latin amabilis, “lovable, dear“.

I told Faith and Kyle that Mable Cronan (Ty Stiles’ grandma) was definitely lovable and dear. I am so glad they chose that name. It will be fun to live long enough to see this great-granddaughter’s personality and values develop, and to watch God bring out the “lovable and dear” qualities that were born in her.

I saw a picture of my new great-granddaughter, Mable, today. I won’t post it here – out of respect for the privacy of her and her parents – but here is her mom, Faith, when she was a baby:

Mable has a cute little pug nose like Faith’s
( I lay claim to that feature – and told them so).

Mable has parents who love her –
and an extended family who can hardly wait
to meet her in person
and give her and her parents great big hugs!

Yes, my friends, she’s here!
It’s been a beautiful April 1st.
I pray yours was a memorable day, too.
Thank you for your prayers and positive thoughts
as we waited for this baby to arrive.

Here’s Mable’s mom & dad,
Faith & Kyle.
Aren’t they adorable?

For some reason, I am hoping this lovable new baby, Mable, will learn to play a musical instrument someday – maybe the soprano sax like Kenny G. I dedicate this album to her and hope she grows up to enjoy music someday as much as her Great-Grama (GG) Jan does!


This baby was the highlight of my day, obviously!
Tell me about a highlight of your April 1st.

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

Category:

blessings, children, Faith, Family, God, Gratitude, happiness, life, Living in Christ's Family, Living in Harmony, Love, music, relationships

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Daily Take-Aways


Do you take time each morning to read your Bible, pray, and study at least one devotional? It is such a powerful way to start each day.

Let God help you begin your day with your heart focusing on a message you receive during the time you begin with Him. I’ve been using Guideposts’ devotionals for over a decade now. I find it to be constantly spirit-lifting!



Daily Guideposts’ format includes a selected Bible verse, a reflection on that scripture, a prayer, and a couple of related scriptures in a section called Digging Deeper.

Before leaving the daily page, I write my “Take Away” on the page. It’s a message I carry with me that day – a lens through which I encounter what the day brings. Here are the daily take-aways from this month of March 2022:

Daily Take-Aways in March 2022

  1. Trust God’s Perfect Timing
  2. Wear Your Faith
  3. Enjoy a Grace-Filled Perspective
  4. Forgive Always
  5. Seek His Help First
  6. Where He Leads Me,
  7. I Will Follow
  8. Seek God’s Wisdom
  9. For Everything – A Season
  10. “Bee” Compassionate and Patient
  11. “Bee” a Servant Leader
  12. “Bee” Not Dismayed
  13. Stay the Course
  14. Pray for our Troubled World
  15. Give Cheerfully
  16. Trust His Perfect Timing
  17. Pray for World Peace
  18. Take Delight in Others
  19. Life is An Adventure
  20. Jesus Never Leaves Us
  21. Show Agape Love
  22. Believe: I Am Fearfully & Wonderfully Made
  23. Avoid Procrastination
  24. The Spirit Flies
  25. God Supplies Our Needs
  26. Focus and “Bee” Clear
  27. Adopt the Courage of the Cross
  28. He Equips Me
  29. Wake Up Eager
  30. Share Your Smiling Face
  31. Enjoy the Unexpected

If you follow my blog and have a read a few of my posts this past month, you recognize that many of those take-aways were the inspiration for JanBeek’s posts. Which of those topics resonated with you the most?

Will you consider creating a “take-away” from your Bible or devotional reading each day? Try it! See if it helps you focus in a new and different way.

Before I leave you this evening, I need to wish you a Happy April, my friends. Tomorrow’s a new day. It’s a new month. And as I write this my youngest granddaughter, Faith, is in labor – expecting my #4 great-grandchild. We are expecting a beautiful little girl. I am praying she is born quickly, as painlessly as possible, and as perfect as God creations can be. Won’t you pray with me? I’ll keep you posted.

Faith’s older sister, Hope, has given us two great-grandchildren:

Here is Xander
Great-grandchild #1
Here’s Sienna,
Great-grandchild #2

Faith’s brother, Jordan, has gifted us with great-grandchild #3 :

Here’s Cosette!
Look at the RunAway Bunny –
Too cute, huh?

I can hardly wait to meet
Great-grandchild #4.
Here is her mommy, our granddaughter,
Faith,
when she was a baby:

Aren’t I a blessed lady?

What’s your take-away today?
Happy April 1st, dear ones.
No fools among us!!

See ya later today
with my good news, OK?

Love,
JanBeek

Don’t take-away love!
Give it generously instead!
Good night!!

Category:

blessings, books, children, Faith, Family, God, Gratitude, Love, prayer, relationships

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Ever Faithful


Remaining ever faithful is a life-long endeavor.

To what or to whom do you remain “ever faithful”?

For Christmas this year
our son, Ty, and his wife, Monika,
gave me this book.

The back cover has a an explanation
of the author’s purpose.

Each day David Jeremiah,
(the author of Turning Point
another devotional
I have been following for years),
selects a scripture,
and reflects on it.

Today’s reflection was especially meaningful to me:

It is trusting the Lord’s direction
day by day in our lives together
that has allowed Bob & me
to remain ever faithful
to one another for these 60 years!

This Friday we will celebrate our 60th anniversary.

This was last year on our 59th.
Here we are 60 years ago!

Yesterday we celebrated my granddaughter, Faith’s baby girl – due April 3rd – with a virtual baby shower. It was attended by about 20 friends from all over this part of our world – from Alaska and Hawaii to NY and across to CA – and states like ours (Montana) in between.

Our daughter-in-law, Monika (Faith’s mom) did a wonderful job researching ahead of time, planning, inviting, and coordinating the event. She linked in to an app that invited her to post a baby picture of the prospective mom as a baby and the prospective dad as a baby at the same age. Then the app blended the two parents and showed what the baby might look like if she favored the mom more. Another picture showed what she’ll look like if she favors dad’s side more.

Because Faith and Kyle actually resembled one another as babies, the two renditions were quite similar. That was fun!

Another activity had all the participants answering questions about the honored couple. The running scores were exhibited and the “winners” were awarded Amazon gift certificates. I didn’t participate in that… couldn’t figure out how to access the game screen! So much for technological prowess!! But folks who engaged had a lot of fun with it.

We were able see Faith & Kyle virtually unwrap each of their gifts, as each told us a little about the gift-giver… and because we were all on a ZOOM share screen, we could see each other. I was terribly impressed with Monika who was able to put all this together and move the activities along at a good pace.

My blog yesterday, “A Virtual Baby Shower,” showed you this expectant mom & dad. Here’s another photo of them:

Faith & Kyle McSparron

I know you join me in wishing them
a happy, healthy pregnancy.
Of course, I will share pictures
of their baby girl with you
when she is born in April.

Meantime, my prayer for them
is that they remain “ever faithful”
to one another –
and are loving, devoted parents
when their new little bundle arrives.
God bless Faith & Kyle!!

Bee well my friends.
Thanks for visiting JanBeek.
I’ll see you tomorrow (God willing)
What are your Tuesday plans?

Hugs to you!

Oh, before I say good-bye,
Here’s a tribute to this
age-old tradition:
marriage!!


Bye for now!!

Category:

Bible Lessons, books, children, Faith, Family, Living in Christ's Family, Love, music, prayer, relationships

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A Virtual Baby Shower


My granddaughter, Faith, is expecting a baby girl this April. This Sunday her mom is hosting a virtual baby shower for her. It’ll be my first ZOOM baby shower. Have you ever attended one?

In preparation for the event, we were invited to go on-line and offer advice using a variety of prompts. That was a fun thing to do. Fun to read each other’s responses! Also, Faith’s mom (our daughter-in-law, Monika) will be posting pictures of all the gifts as Faith virtually opens each one. How clever, huh?

Faith and Kyle were married in July of 2020. It was a fairy tale wedding.

Such a darling couple! They met at a Young Life Christian camping activity about 2018. They both have a strong faith. They have many ideals and activities they enjoy in common. One of their mutual activities is snowboarding. This photo gives you a glimpse into their personalities:

Hah! Sweet Kyle – Sassy Faith!

I am looking forward to attending the virtual shower tomorrow. Should be a fun, unique experience. I’ll post afterward to let you know how it went.

Faithy is an old fashioned girl. Her desires are simple. This is the bassinet/carrying case she chose for her baby!!

Fun, huh?

Don’t know how many months Baby McSparron will fit in there… but should be fun while it lasts!

This is a picture of Faith when she was a baby. She was a true gift from God! I have this photo framed and displayed up in my Angel room:

Precious baby!
Ty & Monika were blessed to be able to adopt her at her birth!!

I can hardly wait to hold my newest little miracle baby when she comes. She’ll be our 4th great-grandchild. Yes, I know… we are mighty blessed.

Thanks for visiting JanBeek
See ya tomorrow(God willing)
Hugs…

Bye for now

Oh, before you go, I need to share with you a song that came to mind as I was writing this post. The Penguins went to the top of the hit parade in 1955 with this song. I was a sophomore in high school!! (Yes, I know… the dark ages!!) I loved dancing to this one … Thanks Phil & Benny – happy memories!

Category:

blessings, children, Faith, Family, Gratitude, Living in Christ's Family, Love, Memories, music, relationships

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Embrace Values


My friend, Lee, sent me a You.Tube video today. He said it was “worth your time and thoughts.” I agree!.
It was narrated by a guy with a wonderful British accent. I bet it was created several years ago.
The words in blue below are his. The red is my editorial comment about that item!

Whether you wear a $300. or a $3. watch,
they both tell the same thing.

But the whole deal is, this watch does so much more than tell time!
And it costs way more than $300. . Price tag = $539.98

Whether you carry a $300. or a $30. handbag,
the amount of money inside is still the same.

This one actually is a
$2,350. Guggi
If you buy it, you’ll certainly
have less money to put inside!
Don’t you have better things to do with your money??


Whether we drive a $150,000. car or a $30,000. car,
the road and distance are the same…
and we get to the same destination.

Photo by Pavlo Luchkovski on Pexels.com

But, the Ferrari is so much more fun!
And you can certainly go faster!
(If you survive at those speeds, that is)

Whether you drink a bottle of $300. or a $10. bottle of wine,
the hangover is the same.

But Wine Spectator Magazine says, “It’s not as if wines that cost $10. or less are going to make you feel bad, or that wines that cost over $50 are never going to give you a hangover… How much wine you consume is the biggest variable…” So, in both cases, it’s the whole bottle? Not a good idea regardless of the price!

Photo by Maria Orlova on Pexels.com

Whether the house you live in is 300 sq. ft. or a huge mansion with 30,000 sq. ft.,
loneliness is the same.

Yes, you can be lonely in a shack or you can be lonely in a castle. The size of the house has little to do with it. But, remember loneliness and alone are two different animals. Just because you’re alone doesn’t mean you have to be lonely. And just because you have a kajillion people around you doesn’t mean you feel loved. It has nothing to do with the size of your house… it’s the size of your heart!

Photo by Sheila on Pexels.com

Whether you fly first or economy class,
if the plane goes down – you go with it.

True! But aren’t some seats safer than others? An article in the Huffington Post – when asked about the safest place to sit to a plane – wrote this, “Each incident or crash is unique. Impact could come from a nosedive, a water landing, or a runway collision. As a result there is no safest seat.” The good news in that article, though, is “Air travel is the safest form of transportation in the country.” Bon Voyage!!
.
.

In that same video sent to me this morning by my friend, Lee, this interesting addition was included:

Five Undeniable Facts of Life

Photo by Pragyan Bezbaruah on Pexels.com
  1. Don’t educate your children to be rich;
    Educate them to be happy, so when they grow up,
    they will look for the VALUE of things, not the price.
Photo by Ella Olsson on Pexels.com

2. Eat your food (a balanced diet) as your medicine
otherwise you will have to eat medicine as your food.

Photo by rawpixel.com on Pexels.com

3. The ones who love you will never leave you for another
because even if there are 100 reasons to give up,
s/he will find one reason to hold on.

4. There is a big difference between a human being
and being human… Only a few really understand it.

Photo by Andreas Wohlfahrt on Pexels.com

5. You are loved when you are born.
You will be loved when you die.
In between, you have to manage.

Live
Love
Laugh

You have to manage!

May as well manage joyfully!
Embrace Values
and live the good life…

then…

When your sunset comes,
You will have no regrets!

Good night, my friends.
See ya tomorrow (God willing)

Love,
JanBeek

Category:

children, food, health, kindness, Life and Death, Living in Harmony, Love, mental health, relationships, Sharing, Travel

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Embrace Need


When you think of the word, NEED, what comes to mind?
Do you think of what YOU need or what OTHERS might need?
Have you internalized the difference between NEED and WANT?

Photo by Anna Tarazevich on Pexels.com

Often “Wanted” signs express what someone thinks is a NEED.
Photo by Daria Shevtsova on Pexels.com

Daily there are folks who think they NEED
their Starbucks coffee first thing each morning
or they can’t get through the day.
Photo by Vlada Karpovich on Pexels.com

T’was a time when folks thought they NEEDED
toilet paper stacked up in their garages.
Photo by Dziana Hasanbekava on Pexels.com

Now there’s a belief in some parts of the USA
that gas cans NEED to be filled and waiting for future use.
Because of a security breach, stations were shut down.
Folks NEEDED gas to get to their jobs or wherever…



What is on your NEEDS list?

I NEED hugs.
Physical touch is sooo important!
My husband thinks he NEEDS ice cream after dinner each night.

Learning the Difference
Between Necessity and Luxury

When our son, Ty, graduated from high school, he spent a year as an AFS (American Field Service) foreign exchange student in what was then Yugoslavia. He lived with a family who was communist. They wanted their son to learn English because the next year he intended to travel to the USA to attend college.

The family was “well off” by that country’s standards. The father was head of what we might call our EPA: “Environmental Protection Agency.” They lived in a small (less than 500 square feet) apartment in Beograd (Belgrade). The family of four had two bedrooms (one for the parents and one for their daughter), a very small kitchen, one bathroom, and a living room which converted into a bedroom at night for their son. Ty shared that space with the son.

Our son learned very quickly how very privileged he was growing up with us in California with plenty of space and a swimming pool in the back yard. He learned overnight the difference between necessity and luxury. He learned his NEEDS were much smaller than he once thought – and people could live happily with soooo much less.

We all NEED a friend-
and if you have a true friend,
you are rich, indeed!

Happiness does not NEED a big house, a fancy car, or a lotta money in the bank.
But, it does NEED at least one true friend… and a bunch of ’em is a bonus!!

Happiness does not need a room full of toys.
Children who can build their own tent,
play together in the woods,
and go home at the end of the day of play
to a loving family
and a nourishing meal
are blessed indeed!

I used to think that I NEEDED
a glass of wine and a sushi meal
every now and then…

… or a cucumber roll

But then I googled my needs and I discovered:

Hah! What do you NEED?

A pup to snuggle with?
All you NEED for Christmas
is your two front teeth?
Maybe all you need is
a blanket and a good book!
Sometimes all I NEED
is a nice warm bath!!
A baby only needs
milk, loving hugs, a clean body,
and a swaddling cloth!

And we all need a dream –
Someone who believes in us –
and encourages us –
and teaches us how
to live our dreams.

I NEED time in the wide open spaces,
time each morning in my sanctuary to pray
and to ask the Holy Spirit for guidance,
and I NEED music in my life…
because it lifts my spirits and strengthens me.

I don’t NEED a tattoo!
But, isn’t that a hoot?
I NEED laughter!

Hah!

See ya tomorrow.
Have a great rest of your day
wherever you are.

Embrace NEEDS.
See the needs of others –
and fulfill them if you can!

Thanks for visiting JanBeek.
I NEED your comments!

What are your NEEDS?

Category:

blessings, children, Family, friendship, Giving, God, happiness, Love, mental health, music, pets, prayer, relationships

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Embrace Hugs


Doesn’t it feel good to meet with your friends
Who have had both their COVID-19 vaccines
And feel comfortable hugging again?
Don’t lose sight of what hugging means:

When I hug you my squeezing says,
“I love you! I have missed our touch.”
When I hug you my body says,
I am so happy to be near you. I’ve missed you so much!

Song of Solomon 2:6

“Let his left hand be under my head
And his right hand embrace me.”

Photo by rawpixel.com on Pexels.com

Sometimes the hugs from our pets
Have to take the place of others we love –
But it’s that feeling of unconditional caring
That’s wrapped in a hug – whether human or dove.

Photo by Selegna Du00edaz on Pexels.com

Mark 10:16

And He took them in His arms and began blessing them, laying His hands on them.

Your hug is so important
Better than an alligator hug is:
… a kitty kiss!
Better than a piggy hug and kiss is:
… a real bear hug! (Or is it??)
There’s nothing quite like a threesome hug!

Genesis 33:4

Then Esau ran to meet him and embraced him,
and fell on his neck and kissed him…

Yes, when we see a cuddly little soft and sweet baby
We just want to hug and squeeze and kiss them all over!
Photo by Madeline Bassinder on Pexels.com
Photo by William Fortunato on Pexels.com
Photo by Rheza Aulia on Pexels.com


Embrace One Another
Embrace Hugs

It’s so good to be able to hug again!

Love to you,
my sweet blogging friend.

See ya tomorrow

Category:

Animals, Bible Lessons, children, friendship, happiness, Living in Harmony, Love, pets, Poetry, relationships

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Embrace Animal Photography


Magpie – A Haiku

by JanBeek

Cloudy break of day
A large, angry magpie dives
Down on peaceful dove

Photo by shravan khare on Pexels.com
Photo by Magda Ehlers on Pexels.com

Best Friends

A pup and kitty
Best friends – inseparable
Love that matching pair

Simple Love

Tucked under your chin
I feel completely secure
It’s true, simple love

Watching

Watching for a friend
Positioned so demurely
Aren’t I attractive?

Fawn is Flower

Tucked in beautifully
Fawn waits patiently for Mom
Remember Flower?

Beautiful Buck

Beside the lake’s edge
A beautiful buck listens
Are you thirsty, too?

Embrace Animal Photography

Embrace animals
And those who photograph them
They’re a happy lot

I hope my animal photographs
Most of which are taken by an anonymous photographer
Made you smile the way this darling baby and her pup are smiling
They certainly cheered me!

Thanks for visiting JanBeek today.

Have a Fabulous Friday.

See ya tomorrow (God willing)!

Category:

Animals, children, flowers, friendship, Haiku, happiness, Love, pets, photography, Poetry

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Embrace Expectation


Photo by Laura Garcia on Pexels.com

What do you expect
When you hear “Expectation”?

Category:

blogging, Faith, Love, Promises

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