Spreading love, joy, peace, faith & unity

Posts tagged ‘Beauty’

Something Good

Something wonderful
Something good
All God’s blessings
Not always understood

Keeping eyes open
For ways we are blessed
Sometimes they come to us
In difficult tests

brown and white bear plush toy
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

The blog I accidentally deleted
Explained how this teddy bear
With all its bandaged boo-boos
Hid triumphant scars under there

Something good happens
When healing of wounds is complete
I hope something good happens
Today to you and those you meet

Storm clouds may come and gather
You might anticipate a growing storm
But God will send you rainbows
And the sun to keep you warm

Photo by Jessica Lewis on Pexels.com

God will send you beauty
In the skies and on the land
Look for His surprises everywhere
Many of them really are quite grand

It’s hunting season here in Montana
So the deer and antelope are convinced
If they come here to our yard
They’re protected as if they’re fenced

Something good happened here today
The doe and the buck stuck around
I enjoyed their company – you would, too
Shhh… don’t scare them. Don’t make a sound!

They see me; they hear my steps
Off they go – but they’ll return
Good things happen here
You’re safe, my friends. Come and learn!

photo of a deer midair
Photo by Filip Nasaly on Pexels.com

What can we learn from our animals?
Go where you’re protected and free
I’ll watch out for your best interests
And I bet you’ll watch out for me

God has blessed you, I know
What’s something good
that happened to you today?
Did you thank God for it? (I knew you would!)

Love,
JanBeek


I’ve always loved the song,
“Something Beautiful.”
If you have time,
click on it here
and enjoy this beautiful music.

It’s “Something Good” for you today!!

Category:

Animals, blessings, God, Gratitude, Living in Harmony, Love, Montana, music, optimism, Poetry, relationships

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An Inviting Space

There was a space
Where weeds were growing
A promising spot
Where neglect was showing.

So the Nursing Home Auxiliary
Started a No-Show-Fundraiser
And hundreds of givers
Gave to hire the labor

Weeds were removed
And a concrete pad was poured
A pergola was built
The residents and staff were floored!

The pergola looked bare
So barn quilts were added
Flowers in the flower bed
Some benches (no, not padded)

The Lion’s Club bought the benches
For a sprinkler system the MV Woman’s Club paid
A resident’s daughters donated the flowers
Amazing improvements were made

This inviting space brought joy
To the residents and staff alike
More flowers and colors were added
It matched all the fundraising hype

This Friday there will be an Open House
A Thank You for all the kind folks
Who gave to make this possible
Come have a look and share Rootbeer Floats

clear drinking glass
That’s as close as I could come to
a rootbeer float!
sundae in shallow photo

Well, they won’t be THAT fancy!!

Ecclesiates 3:11

“He has made everything beautiful in His time.”

We are making everything beautiful in our time, too!

Come and visit our beautiful, inviting, peaceful space.
We’d love to sit a spell and chat with you!

2:00 to 4:00 PM
Friday, June 30
Madison Valley Manor
211 N Main St.
Ennis, MT 59729
madisonvalleymanor.com


Hugs,
JanBeek

Category:

flowers, food, friendship, Gratitude, kindness, Love, Montana, Poetry, Sharing

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Alacrity

Do you know this word?
Alacrity!

happy sportspeople of different ages preparing to run in forest
Photo by Gustavo Fring on Pexels.com

Alacrity = cheerful readiness

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

When I chose my word for 2023, “Ready”
back on January 1, 2023,
I did not know what I needed to be ready for.
But I told myself, “Whatever comes my way,
I will be cheerfully ready!”

This past week, we had the privilege
of hosting my niece,
her husband and 16-year-old son,
and her bff from Utah, Melissa.
And mid-way through their visit,
our son and his wife came for
3 days and 4 nights.
A house full!
Was I ready?

Yes! When your guests are happy, helpful, and relaxed, it’s easy to be cheerfully ready for them!

A day in Yellowstone was a highlight. We all were ready for the bubbling geysers and pools, bison and other animals. Old Faithful always was a hit!

Are you ready to visit Yellowstone? Are you ready to ooh and aaah?

That photo captured only about 1/4 of the herd. It was the largest group of bison mamas and their calves that I’ve ever seen!

We were ready to see the elk and deer 🦌 So, yes, they did not disappoint us! We even saw a black bear. Rare!

My grand-nephew, Liam and I were ready to have our memories of “Artist’s Point” captured by a kind tourist. It’s my favorite Yellowstone spot!

And the guys were more than pleasantly waiting with alacrity for their day of fishing on the Madison. Each of them caught at least one fish … some caught three. No, we didn’t have a fish fry! The Madison River has a “catch & release” policy.

What are you ready for today? I hope you’re anticipating it with alacrity!

Have a Marvelous Monday!

Live, laugh, love ❤️ JanBeek

Category:

Animals, Family, Fishing, friendship, learning, Love, Memories, Montana, nature, relationships, Travel

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For the Beauty

Oh, the beauty of the earth
Is astounding day by day
Don’t take it for granted
Ot it may fade away!

The Tetons – and the oh so beautiful river

Montana wildflower hike

The Hardwick’s Montana sunset

(Psalm 98:7-9) 
“Let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
the world and those who dwell in it!
Let the rivers clap their hands;
let the hills sing for joy together before the Lord,
for he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness,
and the peoples with equity.”

Have a gorgeous day
wherever you are
Enjoy this beautiful earth
The sea, the mountains,
the sun and stars…
And praise our God
Who made them all.

Amen

Love, JanBeek

Category:

Bible Lessons, flowers, Living in Harmony, Love, Montana, mountains, nature, respect

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Reblog #1 – Most Beautiful Things

Beautiful Things
Are sometimes visible things;
Most = Invisible!

This Persian’s pretty;
Her purr’s the absolute best –
And the love she gives.

These roses are grand,
But their fragrance is the best;
And their “giver” too!

This bird is gorgeous,
But its song is the greatest –
And its Creator!

This scene’s amazing;
But the peaceful feelings here
Are magnificent.

Adorable child –
She’s so beautiful to see,
Her trusting heart’s best!

The cake’s impressive,
But memories are more grand.
Beautiful moments!

(By the way that’s us: Bob & Jan… 57 3/4 years ago)

The moments, feelings,
The sweet smiles and the laughter –
That’s where beauty lives.

Life’s luxuriant
When people and places reign.
Beautiful visions!

Thank you for being
A beautiful part of my life
In my WordPress World.
You add JOY by your presence.

See you later!

Category:

blessings, blogging, children, contentment, Gratitude, Haiku, life, Living in Harmony, Love, Memories, peace, pets, photography, Poetry, Serving One Another, writing

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A Bustling End

The last two days of our marvelous three week trip to Switzerland were a bustling, busy, blessed time. Our daughter, DeDe, and her hubby, André, treated us royally with a trip to Chamonix, France on Monday and then a tour of the Gruyère Cheese Factory in Gruyère, Switzerland on Tuesday.

Up, up, up and over!

That’s the Rhone River Valley below.
We were headed through Switzerland to France.
It was a surprise gift for us
plus De’s best buddy, Laina (our daughter#2),
and her daughter, Katy.

Wow!
Look at this chalet next to ours.
We stayed in one named “Soli.”
(That’s De’s hubby’s nickname)
Enjoy the views out of every window!

See the snow covered peaks up there? We took a cog train up to that glacier!!

After settling into our beautiful chalet,
we walked to the place where the cog train (tram)
took us up to the top of the high peaks
where the glacier is.
With climate change, it is melting fast!

Here are Laina, DeDe & Katy –
taking the tram up to the glacier
that you could see from that first window view.
Bob with Laina & Katy at the glacier.
Here’s a live view of that trip up in the tram to the glacier…

That night we were treated to a phenomenal dinner.
My choice was veal with mushroom sauce. Mmmmm!
Thank you, De & Andrê.

We’re so grateful for their love of us and one another
… and their generosity!

Tuesday morning we drove back
up and over the mountains into Switzerland
to another surprise destination:
the town of Gruyere.
Gruyere is our favorite cheese.
How fun to see the place where it is made!

Wow! Look at the gruyere cellar where the rounds are aging!
De is showing us how heavy a round of gruyere is!

Tuesday night we returned to De & Andre’s chalet in Vissoie.
We packed, and prepared to go to Geneva to fly home.
Wednesday was supposed to be a smooth set of flights home.
However, with the Queen’s Procession,
our flight to London was delayed,
so we missed our connecting flight from Denver
and had to spend the night there.
This morning we finally made the flight to Bozeman
where our kind neighbor, Gary, met us and drove us home.
It’s a gray, dull, cool day …
not like the warm, blue sky days of Switzerland.
We’re spoiled!
But our hearts are filled
with the beauty and warmth
of our fabulous trip.

The rolling hills and milk-producing cows of the Gruyere area.
Here’s the fun of cheese fondue
and having our grandson, Nick, join us.
Our 3 grandsons & their sweethearts
were with us for so many fun and delicious occasions.
What a joyous three weeks we had!
Goodbye, France and Switzerland… thanks for the memories!

Thanks so much for traveling with us.
Back to reality in Montana now.
(Not a bad place to return to –
just a little smokey and cool right now)

Our house is behind those trees.


God bless you, family & friends.
We love you. 😍😘

See ya tomorrow –
Hugs, JanBeek

(of course God is willing, Laina!!)

Category:

blessings, children, Family, food, Gratitude, Living in Harmony, Love, Memories, relationships, Travel

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Fairytale Wedding

Have you missed me? We’ve had a whirlwind four days here in Switzerland. Each day from eye opening early mornings to collapsing in bed at night has been phenomenal. If you’ve been following me, you know it was the weekend of my oldest grandson’s wedding.

Let me take you to the church and two fairytale receptions. Sit back and enjoy!

The wedding was full of music, fun, smiles, tears, promises, family & friends. A choir sang, our daughter, De, and Chrissy (our youngest grandson) sang a duet with Nick ( the middle brother) accompanying on guitar. I even had a role by reading a message ( in English, thank God) that they prepared for me – a message if forever love and devotion. Then we all headed to the outdoor reception nearby where wine, hors d’oeuvres and music flowed. Mike played in his alpenhorn group.

Look carefully! I’m holding Mike’s hand. The group just played “Amazing Grace” and dedicated it to me!!!!

The second reception was a sit-down dinner after more wine, beer, and socializing in this gorgeous outdoor setting:

We woke this morning back in Vissoie. Ready to go on another adventure. See ya later! Thanks for sharing and visiting with me.

Love , JanBeek

Category:

blessings, children, Family, happiness, Love, music, relationships

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Scenes So Lovely

Seeing the falls he named in honor of his queen, David Livingstone wrote in his journal, “Scenes so lovely must have been gazed upon by angels in their flight.”

Waterfalls and all God’s natural beauty affect me the same way. This country of Switzerland is so full of those “scenes so lovely.”

Waterfalls and bridges in Switzerland amaze me!
Chalets with lovely flowers abound
This was on the way to Zinal yesterday
But De & André’s is the best!

As we venture out, the lovely scenes are amazing in every season here.

Tania at Hotel Weisshorn – photo by Mike Solioz – taken last autumn
Way back when … we climbed waaay up with DeDe.

Scenes so lovely!

Flowers are abundant in private gardens and public places.
André’s croûtes au fromage (potato or bread w cheese, etc.) is a Valaisan specialty. It’s a “scene so lovely” too!

André and De are so generous as they share their chalet, meals, transportation and their love with us and with De’s best buddy (our daughter #2 Laina) and her daughter Katy. What a grand reunion we had with them here yesterday!

Katy, Laina, me, Bob & DeDe

Hebrews 13:16 “Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.”

Last night Mike & Tania joined us for a fun evening of raclette & karaoke. Chris & Nick and their girlfriends came, too. Ah, we are so blessed with this wonderful Swiss family!

Thanks for joining me and sharing these “Scenes so Lovely” today. Wish you were here in person! Come back tomorrow, okay? See ya then (God willing).

Hugs, JanBeek

Category:

Bible Lessons, contentment, Faith, Family, flowers, food, Gratitude, Love, mountains, nature, peace, Travel

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Sweet Swiss Times

Our weekend began with a cloudy day in Sierre, Switzerland, but soon the sky cleared and the weekend was sunny and beautiful.

It was a beautiful fun-filled time with family and friends. Let me share some highlights with you. We’re having such sweet Swiss times! One highlight of our weekend was a choir festival in Véraz (near Sierre) where our daughter, DeDe, and grandson, Chris, sang with the Chippis choir.

Every day here in this beautiful country is full of the blessing of family and friends. Sweet catch-up time. I love sharing the fun with you.

Me with DeDe at the choir festival
Bob with DeDe

After the festival, we went to André’s brother’s fiancée’s place for a raclette evening. So nice to have catch-up time with Kad & Roger.

Meantime, our friends, Jim & Terry, took the bus from Vissoie up to Grimentz where they are enjoying a few days of hiking in those fabulous mountains. They’re sharing a few photos of their experiences. Have a look!

Wow! Great photo, Terry!
Terry, the hiker
Jim … the trooper
Hah! Listen to Terry’s description of their hike and Jim’s take on this!

Yes, the mountains are alive with the sounds of water and hikers and joy! Once upon a time, a dozen years ago, Bob & I took that hike. Now we are content to enjoy those high Alpine views through others’ cameras! Oh, and from the bus- of course.

Thank you for your responses to our posts. We love sharing our trip vicariously with you, dear friends. Wish you could be here in person.

See ya tomorrow (God willing)-

Love, JanBeek

Category:

blessings, Family, flowers, Love, mountains, photography, relationships, Travel

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Treasure the Journey

Life is a wonderful journey
Of ups and overs and downs
It’s filled with joy and sorrow
With more smiles (I pray) than frowns!

As I travel this road of life,
I weather the storms and bumps
I look for roses and buttercups
And try to jump over the humps

I look for butterflies and bees
And appreciate the beauty I see
I share the joy and the peace
That God daily gives to me.

Our WordPress friends
share their joy with us everyday.
For example:
Roth Poetry.com
posted about butterflies today.
He wrote:

“I just could not help myself today, when I saw these beautiful butterflies on my Zinnias. I kept shooting and shooting. and they stayed around flitting from flower to flower, poetry in motion! With my 200mm zoom, I was able to focus all the way in on them. These are some of the most beautiful butterflies I have seen!

Beauty flits lightly
from yellow to red buffet
Basking in sunshine

Check out Dwight’s gorgeous photos at:
https://wordpress.com/read/feeds/50171962/posts/4138042931

Life is a journey of beauty
Take time to allow it to sink in
Don’t let the ugliness and discord
Make your vision a stink-in!

There’s plenty of garbage out there
It’s not what God asks us to see
God says to focus on the beauty
There’s plenty of it in you and me!

Don’t let anyone tell you
You’re not up for this journey!

You might have to take a few pit stops,
you might get a flat tire here and there,
you might go through a few thunderstorms,
but through all your experiences,
fruit is being built.
You are becoming stronger,
and your faith and reliance
on God is growing.

https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=4cugbmQVHyw&feature=share
I hope when you click on this link,
you can hear this wonderful song
by Jake Owen.

Laugh a lot and keep it light
Let sorrow just roll off your back
Turn a blind eye to the ugly sites
And give the love that others lack

“And no matter what dreams you’re chasing,
Never get above your raising.
May the simple things be amazing
On the journey of your life.”

Treasure the journey!

“The only impossible journey is the one you never begin.”

Proverbs 3:5–6

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, 
and do not rely on your own understanding. 
Acknowledge him in all your ways, 
and he will make your paths straight.”

Years ago I wrote a poem that was published in the International Library of Poetry annual publication. The title of the book in 2002 was “Chasing Revelation.” My poem was titled, “Have Faith and Step Out.” You can find it here: https://janbeek.blog/2020/01/02/have-faith-and-step-out/ It is as poignant in my life today as it was 20 years ago… maybe more so. How about you? Does it apply? Are you up for the next step of your journey?

Step Out!
And Treasure The Journey!

See ya tomorrow (God willing)

Love,
JanBeek

Category:

Aging Gracefully, Bible Lessons, courage, Faith, flowers, God, happiness, Life's Challenges, Love, music, peace, Poetry, prayer, relationships

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