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Posts tagged ‘Fishing’

Embrace Birthdays (stay 39!)


Dear Friends,

I really appreciate all the Happy Birthday wishes extended my way this past weekend. Thank you so much!

Even though I am happy to tell you I am starting my 83rd year on earth, I am also happy to tell you that I am a fan of Jack Benny. Now, if you are too young to remember who Jack Benny was (or you are in another country where Jack Benny was not a nationally known figure), let me tell you: Jack Benny was a comedian who embraced 39 – and decided to stay that age forever more!

Actually, I embrace aging (I wrote a blog using that title once) – I I have no desire to be stuck at 39 or any other age.

How about you?

http://www.janbeek.blog/embrace-aging

Each year brings new insights. Each year brings new joys. Each year brings new challenges. I don’t want to miss any of them.

How about you?

“Wisdom belongs to the aged, and understanding to the old. Grandchildren are the crown of the aged, and the glory of children is their fathers. Moses was 120 years old when he died, yet his eyesight was clear, and he was as strong as ever. Those who are older should speak, for wisdom comes with age.”

Each day I pray for wisdom. Each day I ask God to increase my understanding and I thank the Holy Spirit for the fruits of the spirit that are mine: LOVE, JOY AND PEACE. And I ask God to help me with the other fruits of the spirit: patience, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control… those that I work to increase as I mature in my faith.

How about you?

As I gather up those birthdays and mature in my faith, I remember to keep a child-like spirit. Enjoy that song. Sing it often. Teach it to your grandchildren. Sing it with your great-grandchildren. Put it in your heart.

You can’t be a lemon or a grape if you wanna be a fruit of the spirit!! Who wants to grow up to be a lemon anyway?

Work on that patience, Jan … your great-grandchildren need to see you model it! And your grand-dog needs you to exercise that gentleness and kindness, too. Ain’t always easy.

How about you?

My great-grandson, Xander, needs my love and joy,
and I need patience, kindness and gentleness in abundance!

On my birthday, Ty (our son) and Bob went out fishing (not catching… just fishing) … and that required a lot of patience! I went along for the joy of the ride. It was cool on the water in the morning, but the afternoon warmed up.

That evening Ty and our daughter-in-law, Monika, Bob & I went in to Bozeman for dinner and dessert. We had a delightful time at a table out front of “Hooked Sushi” enjoying the music being played down the sidewalk a half a block, and the people and dogs walking by. Such fun!

Only in a college town would you find this kind of vibrancy. I love it!

We went after dinner to a very popular ice cream store … and had great fun with some college students who were in line ahead of us. Look at this cute kid! (Ya, I had fun teasing him …)

Bob, our new friend, Jan (me), Monika & Ty –
Pretty sky, huh?
That’s our son, Ty, with me
We enjoyed the fun of chatting with our son & Moni while we waited.
Back home we found a wonderful
bottle of wine waiting for us –
a gift from our dear neighbors.
Thank you, Charlie & Janet!
Birthday roses from my granddaughter –
Thank you, Hope and Drew!
Flowers from our friends, Kathy & Ron-
with a really cute card!
Such fun! So nice of them!
Happy Birthday wishes from our #2 daughter, Laina…
I loved hearing her sing to me – from Maryland to Montana ❤
And our #1 daughter, DeAna, sang Happy Birthday and
sent us a picture of her beautiful flowers at
their restaurant in Switzerland.
Lovely, huh?

Sunday afternoon Bob, Ty & Monika went kayaking/paddleboarding while TazE & I found a shady spot and relaxed.

TazE found some cool grass and took a nap until…
Eloise and her Grandma Susie came.
With such good company, I put my book aside
and TazE left the shade to get acquainted.
It was a smokey day in the Madison Valley…
Lots of forest fires in the area –
and the wind blows the smoke into our
little piece of Paradise on Earth.

You can barely see the mountains outlined back there… not a typically beautiful day on Ennis Lake. Pray for the forest fires to be contained and the firefighters to be safe!

My friend, Caroline Feldman, took this photo
at Ennis Lake last year with the swans clustered.
Here’s my photo taken from that same area
at Ennis Lake last winter…
See, you’re supposed to see the mountains!
Meantime, the paddleboarders returned –
And we returned home
to enjoy our last evening together.
Ty & Monika left this morning…
Thank you, Dear Ones,
for coming to help make
my 82nd birthday so memorable and special.
Now TazE and I are stretched out,
relaxing, and looking forward to an evening
watching the Olympic swimmers.

What are you doing this Monday evening besides surfing the net?

It was a very Happy Birthday…
Forever 39 at heart…
Thanks to all the friends who sent greetings.
I love you!

See ya tomorrow (God willing)

Hugs,
JanBeek

Category:

Aging Gracefully, blessings, children, Faith, Family, flowers, food, Gratitude, happiness, Love, Montana, music, pets, relationships

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Embrace Fly Fishing


It’s a beautiful evening
for a maiden fly fishing adventure.
Bob & Steve took Mary Grace out on the Madison.

First, she needed a rod, reel, tippet, and some flies.
Steve Hundley made a box of ’em for her!
Then he taught her how to tie one on.
Every flyfisherperson needs a good pair of boots.
Thank you, Fran McNiell!!
Every fisherperson needs a license, too.
Next year Mary Grace will be a resident
and it won’t cost as much, we hope!
It was $120 for non-residents this year.
That was quite an increase!
Mary Grace watched carefully as Bob readied the boat.
Three happy fisher(wo)men!! Almost ready…
OK, boat’s in the water… now hop in!
The weather was warm (92 degrees) –
but it will be cooler on the river.
I watched to be sure they were on their way…
(They put in at 8 Mile Fishing access)
Then I drove the pick up with trailer home.
Happy Fly Fishing, Mary Grace.
I hope you have a great time!!

Stay tuned, friends.
I’ll give you a report tomorrow to let you know how they did.
I hope they are able to catch a few big ones.
They will call when they are ready
for me to get them at the “take out” in Ennis.
Bob says, “The tug is the drug.”

Do YOU embrace fly fishing??

Category:

contentment, Fishing, friendship, learning, Montana, mountains, nature, Serving One Another

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Embrace Fellowship


Embrace Fellowship
Cherish being together
Time is so fleeting

Enjoy sharing time
So much, you forget photos!
Just be in the now.

Presbyterian Women
at Ennis Art Festival
and
Fly Fishing Festival

.

Today our Presbyterian Women
met at a gorgeous home
right on the Madison River.

Those pictures above were taken
several years back at our
two annual fundraisers.

Today I intended to take some pictures
to post here for you to see
how much we enjoy our fellowship.
But, I was having so much fun,
I forgot to capture the event
with my iPhone!

Instead, it is stored up in my memory bank.
There were eleven of us.
We had Bible Study,
then dessert,
and then our business meeting.

We planned future events –
among them our volunteer schedule
at the local Blood Draw next week –
and our participation at the
Ennis Art Festival
(it was cancelled last year due to COVID).

Not being able to hold those functions
helped us realize just how much
fellowship means to our mental health.
We really missed the connections!

I’ll bet you had the same reaction.
Being isolated, socially distancing,
wearing masks, cancelling events…
all took their toll on us!
How good to be back together again!!

Dining at Sidewinders in Bozeman

Now we are able to go out to restaurants again.
We socially distance, but we don’t have to wear masks.
It is so good to feel safe in the company of others!

I ordered my favorite item on the Sidewinders menu:
Reuben sandwich with sweet potato fries.
MmmMmmmMmmmm!!

Sidewinders in Bozeman – Reuben sandwich

This afternoon, after our PW meeting,
our new pastor, Mary Grace Reynolds,
came for dinner and a fly casting lesson.
Bob took her to the back yard and she practiced.
Mary Grace is going to love going out on the Madison River.
The guys are all lined up ready to take turns…

I took this slo-motion video so she can critique her technique.
She’s a fast learner!

It was such a beautiful evening here.
We thoroughly enjoyed our fellowship with
Mary Grace. The Pastor Nominating Committee
process was a long, arduous task that lasted
about a year and a half… but MGR was worth waiting for!

Speaking of worth waiting for…

Today our daughter, De, sent us links to this event coming up in Switzerland. (You remember our DeDe lives in Vissoie, Valais Switzerland, right?) We’ve been to this fun event in the past. “The Cow Fights” are an annual event.
They are well attended. People go not just to see the excitement of the cows selecting their “Queen Cow” by the survival of the fittest, but for the fun of fellowship with as many friends as they can muster. They bet on the cow of their choice, drink their fill of Swiss wine and beer, and enjoy a picnic lunch high up in the beautiful Alps.

We won’t be there this weekend for the event, but we look forward to fellowship with our daughter and her family this October (God willing). We learned yesterday that she has a polyp on an ovary. It was detected during a routine annual physical. We are waiting for the biopsy report. Please pray with us that it is benign – and she can have it removed with no long-term adverse affects.

Looking out today at our neighbor’s house here in Montana,
I can’t help but thank God for this beautiful place we live.
I thank God for our “Hood” … gracious, loving, helpful neighbors.
The Hockings, across the field from us, installed a gorgeous
flag pole while we were on our trip to CA. What a great addition!
We look forward to future fellowship with them – soon!

Family time in Placerville

Meantime, here we are in this video – back in CA,
sitting around the table at our son’s house,
enjoying family fellowship, singing to our grandson-in-law,
Drew, who celebrated his birthday back in Montana.

Ah, Family Fellowship… there’s nothing like it!
I thank God each day for it.
With Father’s Day coming up
Sunday after this one,
I look at these fathers in my life,
and I thank God for their loving hearts.

I hope you have the gift of loving fathers in your
circle of fellowship, too.
Never take them for granted!
Not every child is so blessed!!

EMBRACE FELLOWSHIP

IT’S GIFT FROM GOD!

Happy Bob with his big catch!
Catch and Release!!
Fellowship with Fish!!

I pray all you dads out there can slow down this week,
enjoy life (it’s fleeting – passing waaay too fast), and
Embrace the Fellowship of family, friends and fish.

(And I pray Bob can take some time to go out fishing…
He’s been working waaay too hard this last few months.)

See you tomorrow (God willing)
Love,
JanBeek

Category:

Animals, blessings, children, Family, Fishing, food, friendship, God, Gratitude, Haiku, happiness, health, Life's Challenges, Love, Memories, mental health, Montana, prayer, relationships

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Embrace Success


How do you define success?

Photo by Snapwire on Pexels.com

S tanding
U p
C atching
C laps
S alutations and
S miles

Defining success is step one to attaining it.
We have to know what we want to see
before we can know if we’ve attained it or not.

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

So, you set a goal … like getting a degree…
And when you achieve that goal,
Then you can say, “Yay! I succeeded!”
Right?

But what if your goal is elusive?
What if you’re not sure about the outcome?
How do you achieve success?
Is it a journey?

Heehee… did you laugh?
Well, the point is, success is not a journey!
Success is a cycle!
It’s not a destination.
It’s a process that has no end.

Photo by Drew Rae on Pexels.com

In my “Refuel*” devotional time a couple of days ago, I heard a theory about the Cycle of Success that made perfect sense to me. I hope it speaks to you the way it did to me.

* Bayside Church – Refuel devotional – http://bit.ly/devo020221

Cycle of Success

  1. TEST – take risks, be creative
  2. FAILURE – fail forward! Don’t lose your enthusiasm. All success involves trial and error.
  3. LEARN – it’s not what you know that counts; it’s what you do with what you know.
  4. IMPROVE – how does what you learn improve you or your quest?
  5. REENTER – back up to the top – begin again – test
Photo by Kyle Loftus on Pexels.com

Success is a series of Ah-Hahs. It is a LIGHT that keeps on shining. It is never done.

“Success is not final; failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts.” …

“It is better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitation.” –

“The road to success and the road to failure are almost exactly the same.” … (It’s not a road, it’s a cycle!)

“Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it.”

“Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” –Confucius

“Magic is believing in yourself, if you can do that, you can make anything happen.”

“All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.” Walt Disney

“The secret of getting ahead is getting started.”

“Don’t wish it were easier. Wish you were better. ― Jim Rohn

“Setting goals is the first step into turning the invisible into the visible. – Tony Robbins

“If you cannot do great things, do small things in a great way. – Napoleon Hill

“Success is a personal standard, reaching for the highest that is in us, becoming all that we can be. – Zig Ziglar

One of my measures of success
in this blogging world is
getting comments from my friends.

What are your goals?
How do you measure your success?
Tell me about it…

Bob says, “Here’s my definition of success!”

Have a great Thursday evening and Friday.
See ya tomorrow.
Love, JanBeek


Category:

learning, life, Life's Challenges, Love, teaching

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Open Your Hands


My hands are open

Open your hands
Empty them of needless 2020 stuff
Open your hands
Today’s treasures will be enough

Enough to satisfy
Your every need today
Enough to bless you
And send you on your way

Springtime in the Rockies

Open your heart
To the blessings of today
And be ready for the new ones
That will surely come your way

Sit quietly and contemplate

Open your mind
To the endless possibilities
That this new year holds
And prepare for the unexpected

Fishing near the Tetons

Open your eyes
To the wonders of God’s creation
Open your soul
To appreciate each situation

Appreciate the old
(Kevinleaguephoto)

Open your mind
To see the beauty in the old
Even the broken and decrepit
Has beauty to unfold

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Open your imagination
To find the beauty of the heart
Look into the gentle eyes
And let your life be a part

Of the world of need around you
Of the hurting and the lost
Open your hands
Give love; don’t count the cost!

Photo by Trung Nguyen on Pexels.com

Open your hand
To take another’s.

Take my hand, Lord…
Lest I fall…
(Be sure to take time if you can
to enjoy the YouTube version
of that lovely song below)
Sing along!

Have a Wonderful 1st day of 2021, my friends.
Thank you for visiting JanBeek.
Bee well!
I’ll see you tomorrow.

Be encouraged by your faith
And the promises of God
for a better tomorrow!

Category:

blessings, contentment, Faith, friendship, Giving, God, Life's Challenges, Living in Christ's Family, Love, Montana, mountains, music, peace, Poetry, prayer, relationships, Serving One Another

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Today’s Birthdays


Yesterday it was Ray …
the guy with Bob
and that gorgeous trout.
Catch,
pose,
take photo,
release!

Happy Birthday yesterday, Ray!
A new boat for your special day?
Wow!! What a gift!
My Precious Husband

Happy Birthday, dear BobbyBee.
Today you are 82, but you don’t look it.
You don’t feel it most days either!
Thank God for your refreshed health!

This is livin’!!
Here’s to many more years of fishing fun!
Here’s to many more summers of ATVing…
… and enjoying the trails with your PUP!!
Here’s to happy visits with Peter
and other former students and friends!
Don’t look at me like that!
Comb your hair and let’s go…
Let’s head up to Big Sky…
with our buddies, the Feldmans.
Happy Birthday to Chuck, too!
Wish we could travel to Switzerland
to be with our daughter, DeDe!
… or to California to be with our son, Ty,
and with Faith & Kyle (granddaughter & her hubby)
Through Jack Creek Canyon to Big Sky

But… we are blessed to be right here
in beautiful south-west Montana
and a trip to Big Sky will be
a wonderful birthday celebration.
Let’s go!

Pie for your birthday?
Coming right up!

Happy Birthday, Bob!

Category:

Aging Gracefully, blessings, children, Family, Fishing, food, friendship, happiness, health, Living in Harmony, Love, Montana, relationships, Travel

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Who’s Birthday?


Today it’s Ray!

Happy Birthday Ray!

And tomorrow?

Category:

Aging Gracefully, Fishing, friendship, Love

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Come to the Water


Come to the water
The living water of God
Come to the water

Come to the water
And you’ll never thirst again
Drink of the Lord’s love

Come on a world tour
With “We the Kingdom” music
Come to the water

God so loved the world…
In a new and current song version
Thank you, Ed Coyle!

Come to the water
Enjoy eternal cleansing
Drink of His water

Come to the water
The living water of God
Let His Love heal you

John 3:16

New International Version

16 For God so loved the world
that he gave his one and only Son,
that whoever believes in Him
shall not perish but have eternal life.

Let what matters surface.
God bless you!

May the love of Christ
Refresh your soul with water
The living water

Amen

Water to wine?
Oh yes!

Thanks for visiting JanBeek
See ya tomorrow.
Have a Wonderful Wednesday!

Category:

Belief, Bible Lessons, blessings, Faith, God, Haiku, Jesus, Living in Christ's Family, Love, music, peace, Poetry, prayer, writing

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Never Stop Dreaming


Photo by Karyme Franu00e7a on Pexels.com

John 1:16

“For of His fullness we have all received,
and grace upon grace.”

As we approach life through the lens of grace,
dreams are possible, dreams come true,
and we learn to never stop dreaming.

Fishing boats in Alaska

My husband, Bob was scheduled to go on a once-in-a-lifetime fishing trip to Alaska this year. Except for this pandemic, he would have been there right now.

Ah yes, he was going with two buddies. One of the buddies used his fly miles to arrange for Bob’s transportation. That financial help made the trip possible, because even with that help, Bob was out of pocket over $6,000 in various reservartions.

When the pandemic hit – and masks are required at the lodge and restrictions were going to compromise the enjoyment of the experience, the guys decided to cancel.

The company gave them credit, not a refund. Good for 2021. They keep the money until then.

Unfulfilled Dreams

Both of Bob’s buddies are at least a decade younger than he is. They were fine with the idea of a credit… and waiting to use it in 2021 when we dream of this CORONA-19 Virus being under control with an effective vaccine.

BUT, Bob said, “At 81, how do I know what my health will be like in a year? How do I know if I will be able to fly to Alaska and enjoy the rigors of a fishing trip?”

He wanted a refund. “That’s a long time to keep that much money of mine,” he told the fishing company.

I overheard the conversation. My response was, “It’s okay, Bob. Let them keep it. Let them give you a credit. Plan that 2021 trip, and look forward to it! Know that your health will be fine – and you will be strong enough to go and enjoy he experience. It’s important to live with unfulfilled dreams. When we stop dreaming, we stop living!”

Catching the big one!

Dream Big

Dream big, Bob! Imagine catching that big one! Imagine spending a week or two with your good buddies. Imagine being healthy and strong and holding that big one all by yourself!

Pray for God’s grace as you look forward to each tomorrow. Live with gratitude for the health and happiness He gives you each day. Know that He cares for you… and that “of His fullness” we have received – and will continue to do so.

Dream Big. Never Stop!
Live with unfulfilled dreams.
Let them keep you moving forward.

Thanks for stopping by today.
I send you my love and best wishes for a DREAM BIG day!
What are your unfulfilled dreams?
Hugs,
JanBeek

Category:

Aging Gracefully, Belief, Bible Lessons, blessings, contentment, Fishing, God, Gratitude, happiness, health, life, Life's Challenges, mental health, nature, Travel

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Shalom


John 14:27
(The Living Bible translation)

[Jesus said]
“I am leaving you with a gift –
peace of mind and heart!
And the peace I give isn’t fragile
like the peace the world gives.
So don’t be troubled or afraid.”

Shalom

The peace that Jesus Christ gives us is “Shalom.” It is a deep peace, filled with health and joy, security and contentment. It is a deep, lasting peace that sustains us through any circumstance. Thanks to Jesus, we can have peace with God, with one another, and with our own spirit.What a priceless gift!

Thank you, Ty, for this
1st Cor. 18:31

Peace in Quietness

In silence, I commune with my Maker each morning. In that quietness, I find strength and wisdom. In His Word, I find reassurance.

Isaiah 55:3 (KJ version)

“Incline your ear and come unto Me.
Hear and your soul shall live.”

In the stillness of the 9-11 Friday morning, Bob and I took our TazE and headed with our ATV to meet friends and spend the day communing with them and with nature.

Jan, TazE and Bob
On the road again!
Caroline Feldman Photography

In the quietness of the morning,
the roar of 5 ATV’s pierced the air.
Headed to McAtee Bridge and on to Ruby Creek,
five couples left the Madison Valley,
glanced across the landscape
to the glory of the Sphynx Mountain,
and climbed to the 9,400 ft. level
to enjoy God’s creation.

McAtee Bridge over the Madison River
The Talc Mine
Barn near McAtee
See the mountains of talc ahead of us?
Up, up we went to the look out – high above the valley floor.
A perfect, blue sky day. We were blessed!
Up we climbed –
high enough to find snow at our favorite outhouse!
Time for a picnic
Lunch break with the Asbergs, Feldmans, and Washburns
The trail to Black Butte
Pictures don’t do it justice!
The red rock ridges were spectacular!!
Don Asberg & Barbara Washburn
Dinner time – a BBQ at Ruby Creek Campgrounds
Barb Asberg with Charley Brown and me –
A beautiful spot right by the river
And then Saturday afternoon
we had the privilege of another river view
Steve Hundley fishing the Madison
right below Fran McNeill’s deck
Bob & Steve discussed which flies
would be best on that stretch of the river
Steve enjoyed his time on the river
Elaine Hundley and I enjoyed visiting with Fran McNeill
at her lovely home on the river
Fran has this plaque on her wall –
and we enjoyed an invincible summer day together.

Psalm 46:10

“He says, ‘Be still and know that I am God.”

Another of Fran’s plaques

Compassion and Gratitude

In the stillness of this Sunday afternoon, I treasure the blessings of this weekend. The time in the mountains, the camaraderie of friends, the health we enjoy, the beauty of the river, the peacefulness of cloudless blue skies. And I don’t take any of this SHALOM for granted! I know there are others whose homes and businesses are burning right now. I have a heart of compassion for those in Harm’s Way – and I pray for their safety.

Our valley is covered with smoke from fires that are ravaging this western part of the USA. I know there are people for whom “Shalom” is a distant image – a feeling they long to see return. I pray that it will. I pray that my happy pictures gave you pause to smile – and gave you hope for a blue-sky, peace-filled future.

Another of Fran’s plaques…
filled with great promises.

In the midst of COVID-19 and fires,
racial injustice and political unrest,
may you find SHALOM
in your heart.

You are blessed to be a blessing –
So share your joys –
And count your blessings.

Thanks for visiting JanBeek.
See ya tomorrow.
Gentle Hugs ❤
Shalom!

Category:

Bible Lessons, blessings, Fishing, friendship, God, Gratitude, happiness, life, Life's Challenges, Living in Christ's Family, Living in Harmony, Love, Montana, mountains, nature, peace, pets, prayer, relationships, Travel

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