Loving One Another

Posts tagged ‘friends’

Global Gratitude

Sue Dreamwalker wrote this today, “I will be joining the Global Day of Gratitude. This Thanksgiving we need to give thanks for family and friends, and grow our New soul family as we reach out and create New Connections all over the World… As we reach out with our hearts to create Unity and Peace.”

Sue Dreamwalker Walking The Storm

The day called “Thanksgiving” has drawn to a close this challenging year of 2020. But as Dwight Roth reminded us in his post yesterday, it is not just a day to be reminded to be grateful for all our blessings, but it also is a day called “National Day of Mourning for Native Americans.” Check out his informative and poignant post:

rothpoetry Blinded By Comfort

Photo by Gabriela Custu00f3dio da Silva on Pexels.com

In the midst of plenty, I am reminded of the suffering of many. I am reminded of the sacrifice of many. I am mournful as I realize the injustices that brought me to the place of comfort where I am today. I apologize to my Native American friends … and yet I know nothing I can say or do today can erase the truth of what white people did to these dear people. I want to be thankful for what I have – (and I am) – but I recognize the cost… and I am humbled in my position of plenty – and trying NOT to be “Blinded by Comfort.”

I hope your Thanksgiving Day was a day of small gatherings … not the big family crowd we are used to on this day. I hope you kept it intimate and safe. We did. Just four of us. But in our hearts we included you all… and thanked God for your presence in our lives. WordPress is a wonderful community – and I am thankful for your shared thoughts, your insightfulness, and your faithful visits to JanBeek.

Throughout the day, we texted with our family in California and Maryland and Switzerland and bemoaned the fact that we can’t all be together this year. But, we thanked God for our health and our many blesssings. With the magic of WhatsApp and Messenger and FaceTime, we shared pictures. I hope you were able to do the same thing.

Monika is taking the photo. Her parents were able to join them along with our grandson, Sam, on the left and our granddaughter, Faith and her husband, Kyle, on the right. Two other of our grandchildren are missing here. COVID says, “Keep it small.” Tough task!

We feel blessed to be able to share this important day with our pastor, Steve, and his wife, Elaine. Thank God for friends near and far who can join us in these days of social distancing and masks and fear – and can help us feel less alone!

Thank you, Elaine, for being such a dear friend!

I hope you were able to share the day with loved ones, too… and that you had reasons to count your blessings in the midst of this very unusual year.

My joy and gratitude overflow.
I hope it spills out globally –
and it is contagious!

I hope you had a safe and happy Global Day of Gratitude…
while remembering our Native Americans …

Happy Native American Day!
God bless the Indians!!

Tell me about your Thanksgiving Day.
What did you do?

Category:

blessings, Family, food, friendship, God, Gratitude, holidays, Life's Challenges, Living in Christ's Family, Living in Harmony, Love, peace, relationships

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Good Friends Are Slippers

Good Friends are Slippers,
Comfortable and Warm,
Sturdy and Reliable,
Trudging through Life’s Storm.

Always There When Needed,
Showing No Pretenses,
Listening and Loving,
Scaling Broken Fences.

Providing a Foundation
Of Sturdiness Untold.
Good Friends are Slippers –
More Comfortable when Old.

If You are Blessed with Friends
As Comfortable and Warm as Slippers,
Hang on Tight; Don’t Cut ’em Out.
Put Away the Clippers!

You Can’t Measure Their Worth
With a Ruler or Some Tape.
Good Friends are Slippers.
Don’t Let Their Warmth Escape!

My blanket from my friend, Terry…
Cozy hugs and warmth –
here whenever I need them!

New since we moved to Montana.
She’s here whenever I need her!
What a blessing!
Thank you, Terry!

Keep the old and make some new;
One is silver, the other is gold.
True Friends are Slippers –
Treasures with comfort untold.

Dear Marcie,
An “Old” Friend…
Best Buddies since the ’50s.
Comfortable and Warm!

May your life be warmed
With the comfort of many-a true friend.
God bless and keep them safe.
May those friendships never end.

Who’s that Friend
Who is a Slipper
For You?

Thanks for visiting
JanBeek
Come back tomorrow…
And have a warm and comfortable week.

Here’s one of my favorite songs and singers
from the 1950’s when I was in high school.
The words fit today’s message so well!
Enjoy!!

Dinah Shore

Category:

blessings, friendship, happiness, Living in Harmony, Love, Memories, music, Poetry, relationships

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Live the Faith; Let Your Light Shine!

Live true to your FAITH
Show love to everybody
Daily Walk the Talk

Daily reminder
It is to me from myself!
You may borrow it.

Isaiah 9:2

“The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light.”

Prov. 8:20-21

“… I was filled with delight day after day,
rejoicing always in His presence,
rejoicing in His whole world
and delighted in mankind.”

“Don’t ever let anyone put out your light because they are blinded by it.”
― Shannon L. Alder

“I feel that we’re all lighthouses,
and my job is to shine my light
as brightly as I can to the darkness.”
― Jim Carrey

Shine for others
when they are in darkness

Lighthouses just shine
In the place they are planted
Just be still and shine

I will shine the light
I will hold you in my arms
Help you find His Way

I Will
Live true to my FAITH
Show love to everybody
and
Daily Walk the Talk

May the light of peace
Shine on brightly in your life –
I will shine the light!

Thanks for visiting today.
If you have a prayer request,
please share it with me.
I will walk beside you in prayer.
Love, JanBeek

Category:

Belief, Bible Lessons, Faith, God, Haiku, Life's Challenges, Living in Harmony, Love, mental health, music, peace, Poetry, prayer, relationships, Serving One Another, Sharing

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This and That

Some days we just can’t focus
We move from this to that
We look for life’s chuckles
And invite a friend to chat

Today was one of those days
I gathered stuff for fun
And thought you might enjoy
A random walk when day is done

So come and take a tour with me
And see a few things I enjoyed
You might pick a favorite
Or say which ones annoyed

But hey, not every day is easy
Some days are a deep black hole
Meander with me through this and that
And if you smile, I’ve met my goal!

An ad from the 40’s… we’ve come a long way, Baby!!

I gotcha covered, my friend
I’ll cover your back when you need me
Cuz when you find me sad and hungry
I know I can count on you to feed me!

A little bread and a glass of wine
Heck, that’s all I’ll ask
Take my hand and lead me home
And don’t forget your mask!!

See ya tomorrow.
Have a good Thursday night.

Pray for my grandson, Mike, in Switzerland.
He was diagnosed positive with COVID-19.
He’s getting better… but this pandemic is nothing to fool with!
DO WEAR YOUR MASK
when you’re out in public.

Love,

Category:

friendship, happiness, humor, Life's Challenges, Love, Poetry

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Hold On!

What do you need to hold on to?

At this stage in my life, I don’t need to buy anything else
(except maybe food to sustain Bob & me
and a plane ticket or two to travel
to see our kids when it’s safe to do so)
… but I need to get rid of things instead.

How about you? If you were given this prompt,
“Hold on to your ____,”
how would you fill in the blank?
Ann Kaplow tickled my creative funny bone with her post today:

Day 2886: Hold on to your …

Posted on October 19, 2020 by Ann Koplow

Check it out and see some of the things she identified.
Here are a few things I think I should hold on to:

Hold on to your umbrella;
Let the wind carry you away.
Hang on and float high
To a joyous, better day.

Hold on to your future
Let it carry you to the sky,
To days of brighter sunshine.
Let it carry you up high.

Hold on to your faith;
Let it carry you to love.
Let it bring you greater wisdom
And powers from above.

Hang onto your head;
Keep your intellect intact.
Be cautious and discerning;
Know all you hear ain’t fact.

Hold onto your friends,
But remind them to wear masks.
That was Anne Kaplow’s prompt.
Be safe – is all she asks.

Hold on to earth’s hope
For a better, safer world.
Be kind to our planet –
Don’t let this virus stay unfurled.

What do your think we should hold on to?

I’m gonna hold on to Bob.
I’m feeling so blessed that he is feeling so much better.
Did I tell you that the afternoon my sis died
was the day he was diagnosed with congestive heart failure?

I’m gonna hold on to our wonderful doctor
who stayed long after her “shift” was over –
and ordered blood work, x-rays, and an EKG,
and stayed til the results came in.
Then she walked us up the stairs to the front door
to see how Bob did with climbing stairs.
Then called the next morning to
check on him and offer encouragement
and an appointment this week
for an echocardiogram.

Yes, I’m gonna hold on to that wonderful doctor!!

And this guy:

We have had so many friends
and family members praying for us.
God is good.
All the time.
He put a song of praise in my heart.
God hears and answers prayer!

Life is looking up.
We’re holding on!
{{{Hugs}}} to you.
You hold on, too.
Love ya,
JanBeek

Category:

Belief, blessings, blogging, Faith, friendship, God, Gratitude, health, life, Life and Death, Life's Challenges, Living in Christ's Family, Love, mental health, music, Poetry, prayer, relationships

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My Sis, Sally, Died Today

Today my sis, Sally, died.
She was only a year and a half older than I.
As children, Mom often dressed us alike.
People thought we were twins.

As adults we looked so much alike, too, that our long-time friends sometimes called me Sally.

When you lose your only sibling,
A part of you dies with her.
Sally came every Thanksgiving from CA
To spend the holiday with us in Montana.

Sally always came with an extra suitcase.
She filled it with oregano that grew in her back yard.
She spent most of the week here at the kitchen table or counter
Picking the leaves off the oregano stems.

I have a couple of quart jars left of her herbs.
When they are gone, another part of her
Will disappear – You can’t find oregano that fresh –
Not in a store, that’s for sure! Can you smell it?

Sally was a nut about holidays!
She had a closet full of clothes
Sorted by the holiday they represented
And she loved every one of them.

She joined her nieces and nephews
For Halloween and Christmas,
For Easter and birthdays, and
For special lunches and dinners.

Sam, Faith, Hope and Jordan with Aunt Sally at Burger King

Sally loved giving gifts and playing games

Sally & Jordan shared a Dec. 20th birthday

They continued to share even as Jordan entered his teens and young adult years.

Bonnie was Sally’s best friend. They enjoyed many River Cats games together.

Naturally Sally was there to celebrate her daughter, Jodie’s wedding.
Here she is at the wedding reception, dancing with her nephew,
our son, Ty, the daddy of those nieces and nephews.
And she was there of course, for her grandson, Liam’s baptism.

Bill & Jodie Welge (Sally’s dughter) and their infant son, Liam

Sally loved spending time with her grandson, Liam.
During the last few years of her life, she moved
from California to PA to be near her daughter, son-in-law,
and her dear grandson, Liam.

Besides her family and holidays, Sally had a love of dogs.
She inherited her poodle, Gigi, from our mom after Mom died.
Gigi was stolen from Sally when Gigi was about 4 years old.
Gigi was gone nine years, but Sally never gave up the idea of
finding her!

Sure enough, nine years after the theft, Sally received a call from a veterinarian.
Gigi had a chip, and when she was found wandering, dirty, toothless, and infected,
the person who found her brought her to a vet. The chip had Sally’s number.
Can you imagine her joy at that reunion after nine long years? Gigi lived to be 15.
Dear friends of ours here adopted her and gave her a loving last 9 months of life
when Sally moved to PA and could not take Gigi with her to the Masonic Home.

Sally & Jodie at Christmas in Pennsylvania

Sally with me at Christmas in California

Although Alzheimer’s robbed my sis of her memory and ultimately of her ability to converse, she was tuned in and enjoyed the concert Liam and I presented in her nursing home last Thanksgiving. I am so glad Bob & I were able to go – and we had that time with her. My life is filled with wonderful memories of times we shared together.

I’m pregnant with Ty – Bob’s next to Sally & Dave with Denise
and that’s our Mom & Dad in front

Bob & me with Sally & Dave – one Easter waaaay back when!

Sally had a life filled with service to others through her church, the Hospital Auxiliary, the Girl Scouts (she led a troop for at least 50 years) and her favorite organizations, Rebekahs and Eastern Star.

Her life also was one of tragedy (her oldest daughter died at age 19 and her husband, Dave, was only 60 when he died suddenly and unexpectedly of a heart attack). But Sally was a trooper. She continued to volunteer and give of her time and talents to others.

I was blessed to grow up with a sister who had such a big, giving heart,
She will be missed by all of us who loved her. But her spirit will live on.

Sally and Jan
at my daughter, DeAna’s wedding in 1987

I know her spirit will recognize mine when I join her in Heaven someday.
Meantime, rest in peace, dear Sis. I will carry your love with me always.

Thanks for visiting today my friends.
Treasure every sunrise.
Enjoy every sunset.
Tell your siblings how much you love them.

See ya tomorrow, God willing!
JanBeek

Category:

children, Family, God, Gratitude, Heartache, Life and Death, Life's Challenges, Living in Harmony, Love, Memories, relationships

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Change Poetry to Prose

We were invited by dVerse Poetry to write a Prosery.

I forgot that prose is not written in poetry format. I wrote my 144 words as a poem. Let me change it to prose for the sake of following the instructions!!

Written for Monday’s Prosery prompt at dVerse.
Kim hosts today, asking us to include the line “From across the room, we look at him through the wrong end of the long telescope of Time” in a piece of flash fiction, exactly 144 words in length. The line is from D. H. Lawrence’s poem Humming Bird.

Ole Tom

We see Ole Tom with his bent shoulders and thinning torso. We see his wind-weathered face and his thinning gray hair. He sits in my living room strumming his guitar, singing the fourteenth verse of an old folk song. He has a thousand such songs tucked into his head, along with the entire books of Matthew and Acts.

We see him as an ancient sage. We look at him through the wrong end of the long telescope of Time. His mind is sharper than mine ever was, and he shows no signs of stopping.

Each Christmas Ole Tom recites the Christmas story from the book of Acts, never reading, just expounding, amazing the congregation with his masterful memory. His is the epitome of a wise man: Ninety-three going on thirty. Never see him as old and never underestimate Ole Tom. Turn that telescope around!

Now you have been told which “line” was dictated to be used… did you guess it in the previous form where it was two lines in the poem?

Whenever I see or hear a guitar,
I always think of Tom.
And I never looked at him through the wrong end of a telescope!

Thanks for checking back in
to see poetry changed to prose.
Hugs,
JanBeek

Category:

d'verse poetry, learning, life, Love, Memories, Poetry, relationships, writing

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Join Me with a Prosery

I’m quoting Kim from Writing in North Norfolk. “I’m welcoming dVerse poets to Prosery, when we ask you to write a very short piece of prose that tells a story, with a beginning, a middle and an end, in any genre of your choice: flash fiction, nonfiction, or creative nonfiction.

As it’s a kind of flash fiction, we have a limit of 144 words; an additional challenge is to hit 144 exactly. The special thing about Prosery is that we give you a complete line from a poem, which must be included somewhere in your story, within the 144-word limit. You may change punctuation but you are not allowed to insert words in between parts of the quotation.

Ole Tom

We see Ole Tom with his bent shoulders and thinning torso
We see his wind-weathered face and his thinning gray hair
He sits in my living room strumming his guitar
Singing the fourteenth verse of an old folk song
He has a thousand such songs tucked into his head
Along with the entire books of Matthew and Acts
We see him as an ancient sage
We look at him through the wrong end
Of the long telescope of Time
His mind is sharper than mine ever was
And he shows no signs of stopping
Each Christmas Ole Tom recites the Christmas story
From the book of Acts, never reading, just expounding
Amazing the congregation with his masterful memory
He is the epitome of a wise man: Ninety-three going on thirty
Never see him as old and never underestimate Ole Tom
Turn that telescope around!

What fun to participate in dVerse poets’ invitation to Prosery.
It’s a challenge to come up with a 144 word poem,
but not when you have such a delightful subject as Ole Tom.
How we loved him!!
He will live in our hearts forever.

Do you have an ole Sage in your life?
Count your blessings if you do…
and consider joining the fun at dVerse Poets!

Were you able to find the “complete line from a poem”
that I was required to insert as part of my Prosery?
Which do you think it was?

See ya tomorrow.
Have a Terrific Tuesday!
Love,
JanBeek

Category:

Aging Gracefully, Bible Lessons, d'verse poetry, friendship, Love, music, Poetry, relationships, writing

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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!

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.

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.

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

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

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.”

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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Did You Miss Me?

Yesterday I missed writing for the first time in about 400 days. Did you miss me?

WordPress said I was only on my 20th consecutive day – or something like that – but actually what happened was I started the post on one day, finished it the next day and when I posted, they chose the day I started the post rather than the posted date. That caused me to miss a day. Have you ever had that happen to you?

I learned to check the post date in the future and don’t assume it will be exactly when you click on the “Publish” button.

Oh well… big deal!
It caused me to stop being so obsessed with how many consecutive days I have!
Just smile, post when you have something to say,
And don’t sweat the small stuff.

Who cares how many consecutive days you’ve posted? I used to really care a lot. Now I have decided, “So I miss a day… big deal! Ya gotta live your life and eliminate the stress of unreal expectations!”

BUT, you know, I always have something to say! That’s not the issue. The issue is: some days other things besides writing occupy my time.

Two days ago we had the privilege of meeting for the first time IN PERSON a gal who has been my FaceBook friend for at least a decade. She and her husband were on a road trip from Ohio to California. They wanted to visit Yellowstone. It’s only an hour from us. I invited them to come stay a few days with us. They DID!! So, I was much too busy with Margo and Ron to stop and write on my blog. You understand?

It was fun to get acquainted with this gal who was my FB friend waaay back when we were both hooked on Farmville. Did you ever do that?

Margo used to help take care of my Farmville animals if I was away!

Now, we have graduated to helping one another in a different way. We reconnected when I reposted a comment by my friend, Father Keith, who is as concerned as I am about what’s happening with the US Postal Service. I opened Pandora’s Box – and the conversation turned caustic. Margo (who is a retired postal service worker and has a son and many friends who work for the USPS) weighed in on the conversation. God bless her!

Ron & Margo … FaceBook friend comes to life – real and wonderful!

It was wonderful to make a personal acquaintance with an on-line friend. I hope some day some of you who are my WordPress friends will come to Montana and let me meet YOU face-to-fce, too!!

What else occupied my time this past few days?

Our weather here in south-western Montana is sooooo unpredictable! On Saturday we had temperatures in the high 90’s – and then Sunday it was lovely in the 80’s. That night, Margo and Ron arrived… and the next day we had rain, sleet, hail, and snow! Welcome to Montana! Let’s go for a walk in the rain!!

The flowers survived –
and by Tuesday the sun was out
and the temperatures were back
to being comfortable again!

They say if you don’t like the weather in Montana, wait five minutes! It changes so radically so fast that it is always a topic of conversation.

I hope you had a wonderful Tuesday…
and you missed me!

Take a ride this week.
Take a beautiful break!

See ya tomorrow… maybe.
What is keeping you occupied these days?
Love ya,
JanBeek

Category:

blogging, Family, friendship, Living in Harmony, Love, Montana, relationships

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janbeek

Loving One Another

Posts tagged ‘friends’

Global Gratitude

Good Friends Are Slippers

Dinah Shore

This and That

My Sis, Sally, Died Today

Change Poetry to Prose

Join Me with a Prosery

Shalom

Shalom

Peace in Quietness

Compassion and Gratitude

Did You Miss Me?

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JanBeek

Love, Family, Living in God’s Family, Compassion, Judgment, Giving, Forgiveness, Generosity

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Loving One Another

Posts tagged ‘friends’

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Dinah Shore

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Day 2886: Hold on to your …

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Shalom

Peace in Quietness

Compassion and Gratitude

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Recent Posts

Archives

You Are Loved!

Awards

Sunshine Award

Commenter Award

JanBeek

Love, Family, Living in God’s Family, Compassion, Judgment, Giving, Forgiveness, Generosity

Follow Blog via Email

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