“Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.”
How about the gift of cooking or baking? That’s Kathy Humphrey’s gift! She baked that delicious, beautiful lemon meringue pie!
Here we Presbyterian Women are – in some years past – selling our pies at the Madison County Fly Fishing Festival. Today’s the day again… Come buy a pie!!
Thank you, Kathy, for sharing your baking gift! See you at the Festival, my friends. Don’t miss out!
Today’s prompt was: How do you express your gratitude?
Whenever I feel grateful Which is certainly most of the time I cheerfully, freely express it Often in cards I write in rhyme
I’m grateful for the animals That come and rest in our space But when they eat branches or flowers I shoo them off – give them chase!
I thank God for our sunsets That reflect on the mountains east The beauty of their presence Is for my eyes a heavenly feast!
I express to our sweet visitors Who came from Switzerland to here How much we enjoy their presence Creating memories so dear
Here they are on the Madison Fishing with Bob on the shore The peacefulness and the beauty, Made up for no catches, zero score
Our hostess was Fran, the musician Who entertained us with lunch and a song We thanked her with hugs and elation With such beauty, what could go wrong?
I thank God for USA’s freedom For the way we celebrate each year Parades, the rodeo, barbecues… what a crowd All came to see the bronc riders and to cheer
Our Swiss guest, Laszlo, really caught the mood Donning a cowboy hat, he weathered the rain He enjoyed all the cowboys and cowgirls Watched many get bucked off- lose the rein
Saskia smiled at the chance to be here Their first USA trip – They chose this Montana spot I’m expressing my gratitude for their visit And thanking God for perfect weather -not too hot!
Of course, you can count on huge crowds On Independence Day every year The parade is the main attraction Literally thousands come to view and to cheer
Horses are plentiful, some large, some small And the floats are the old fashioned type Throwing candy, waving flags, squirting water, They live up to all the hype!
The Bible says:
“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus”
1 Thessalonians 5:16 -18 (NIV)
If you’ve gotten out of the habit of being thankful, it’s time to get back into spiritual shape. Every morning, as soon as the alarm goes off (or you wake up on your own… this side of the grass), make a habit of thanking God for a new day — and ask Him for guidance as you embark on new victories and challenges in the hours ahead.
We began our day at the nursing home Grateful we could help the residents out Pushed them in their wheel chairs Where they could hear the crowds shout
We thanked Madison Valley Manor For placing a row of chairs at road’s side We had first class seating to view All the cars, horses, floats… want a ride?
Back home we were treated To our own neighborhood parade & song The neighbors’ grandkids rode their bikes “Happy Birthday, Uncle Sam!” Sing along!
How do you express your gratitude When you are overwhelmed with glee? I wish you could have been here To say Thanks to the kids with me!
Thank you for the daily prompt That encourages me to write I don’t get at it every day, but often… You inspire my muse’s light!
How do you express your gratitude To those who touch your heart I hope you do it daily & often – If not, now’s a good time to start!
Thanks for visiting JanBeek
(Happy Independence Day! and Happy Birthday to our pastor, Mary Grace Reynolds, 28 today! Hooray!)
I’m grateful for her presence in our lives! God bless you, MGR!!
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.”
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
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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.)
