When troubles come… Where do you go to be lifted up? I go into the mountains. There God fills my cup.
Elaine Hundley Photography
I was not able to go with Bob these last couple of weeks when he took our ATV up into the Tobacco Root Mountains and the Gravelly Range.
If you’ve been following my blog, you know I had surgery to repair a hernia a couple of weeks ago. The doctor said those bumpy rides on our four-wheeler, “Lucille” (she’s red-headed and she is a BALL), were off-limits.
So, Bob took our friend, Julie, last week… and this week he took our friend, Elaine. Both of them loved it. I’m so glad he shares the fun with friends who appreciate the beauty of Montana’s mountains as much as we do!
Elaine Hundley and Bob Beekman
Elaine is the wife of our minister and friend, Steve Hundley. I share my poetic sermon notes each Sunday with you. It’s Steve who preaches those captivating messages! Elaine took the pictures I am sharing with you today. She has some real beauts here!!
I told her she needs to enlarge and frame this one!!
You can see the tip of Lucille’s tire here … obviously Bob stopped many times along the trail so Elaine could get out and snap a shot of the view. As you can see, they traveled up above the tree line into the snow. It’s mid-July and Montana’s mountain tops still have snow. Bundle up! Yup, it was cold up there while I was enjoying a 75 degree day down in the Madison Valley.
Elaine must have had more than an iPhone 6 for this shot. You think?
I thought that was “Lucille” but look again… it doesn’t have a red head!
The camera doesn’t do justice to the fields of wild flowers. But, you get the idea.
No camera lens is as miraculous as the lens God gives each of us with our eyes… especially if we have 20/20 vision. But, a skilled photographer can come close with a good camera. I love the composition of this one with the rocks on rock in the foreground, don’t you?
In case you were wondering about their altitude…
Thank you, Elaine, for sharing with us your day with Bob and God! We are so blessed to be friends with one another and with nature and with our Creator! I love you! ❤
And thank you, my WordPress friends, for going with us into the mountains where we can all feel closer to God. There, He fills my cup! Did He fill yours, too?
Be at peace. God bless you!
I added the words below here to my blog from a couple days ago where I had a video posted of Susan Boyle singing this song… but some folks weren’t able to access the video.
I leave you today with this wonderful Peace Prayer by St. Francis of Assisi. Make Me a Channel of Your Peace…
Thank you, Lord, for your great creation. I find such peace in Your mountains!
I hope you did, too, my friends. See ya tomorrow. JanBeek
We thought we were bullet-proof; We thought we were too far out of it. Guess again, my near-sighted friends – This virus doesn’t know when to quit!
From lowest number of cases In all of the USA, We made miserable strides. We had 26 new cases in one day!
The percentage sounds so much worse Than telling you the number 26, But numbers can be deceiving – Just ask those who are newly sick!
Montana is a state with barely a million Total in its entire population, But when Yellowstone opened up, People came from the world, not just the nation.
We visited with friends in their yard yesterday, But we were able to socially distance easily. Look at the space between house and table And the blue sky – with God helping quite breezily!
We sat and watched the sunset Reflect on the gorgeous Madison Range, And thanked God for our open spaces; With the absence of hugs – feeling strange!
But when today’s news reported the increase In the number of cases in our state, We thanked God anew for our health – And the blessing to continue to feel great.
I pray you are being wise and safe too, my friends. Enjoy your social situations, But remember to wear a mask if you can’t distance And keep happy and healthy relations!
I’m off to the park to walk again with TazE. It’s another beautiful, blue-sky day. “Bee” happy and stay healthy, will you please? I hope our numbers go down – and stay that way!
Don’tcha love that fence post? See ya tomorrow. Virtual Hugs, JanBeek
In her Annika Perry’s Writing Blog today, Annika posted this wonderful song:
Annika wrote, “The specially organised show in the Netherlands entitled ‘Eurovision: Europe Shine a Light’ was inspired by the song ‘Love Shine a Light’ by Katrina and the Waves which won in 1997 for the UK.
The pièce de résistance was the incredible finale; singing alone at home, the performers as a whole sung ‘Shine a Light’. There was not a dry eye in the house as the full impact of the One joining forces to create a unity shone out across Europe!”
There is no way my Monday morning “be like” this poor little pug, when I can “Pull Up a Pew” next to Annika and be inspired by her “images giving a hint of [her family’s] new lives.”
Check out Annika’s delightful blog and leave a comment. Tell her JanBeek sent you!
Blogs like hers are such a gift… …just as your visit to JanBeek and your comments are a gift to me!
Many thanks to Janice Salois and Daily Word from Unity Publications for this lovely poem.
Other Writers are Gifts
As I spend time reading my Bible and devotionals and spending time checking out the recent posts of the blogs I follow, I am especially cognizant of what a gift you writers are to me! You share from your souls – some grateful, some melancholy, some inspirational, others troubled or questioning, all are snippets of life in various parts of the world.
I love visiting, praying with, and walking with Donna “thefathersfeet” every morning:
I enjoy strolling through derrickjknight‘s garden and neighborhood with him & his wife (the head gardener) each day:
Derrick & Jackie take me on a wonderful journey in Great Britain each day.
I am endebted to Cristian Mihai for his daily blogging tips and inspiration. He never fails to motivate my desire to log in to my WP site and share with you. He “walks the talk” and always practices what he preaches. His titles are often quite intriguing:
I fall in love with poetry all over again each day I log intoRoth Poetryand read what Dwight has shared today. I love, love, love her “Life is a Poem” that she posted today. Click on “Roth’s Poetry” in blue up there to read the poem:
Love shines its light on me when I go to Pat Cegan’s “Source of Inspiration ” each day and dwell in the warmth of her poetry. I don’t have to do anything but just BEE there… and I feel healing love and peace radiate from her words.
If you want to practice shining the light of love on others, try going to:
Sharing the Gift the blog Pat posted a day ago. She has love to share! I took what I needed and a little extra for you!
I always enjoy Richard at BigSkyBuckeye and the ideas he shares so freely – his own as well as others. Today he shared his granddaughter’s poem in “Monday Memories:”
This poem is a guest post from my then 11-year old granddaughter. She wrote this poem for her Language Arts class, and she has given permission to post her untouched words just as she wrote them. Enjoy the gratitude that she shares.
Check it out… and share with me some of the blogs that are your daily go-to’s. Which bloggers inspire YOU the most?
I hope my posts add light and love to your world.
Have a Wonderful Week, my friends. I am shining the Light of Love in your direction today. God Bless You!! Virtual Hugs, JanBeek
It’s a different kind of Independence Day weekend in the USA. Our little town of Ennis WILL have its annual rodeo tonight. Social distancing is easy in that outdoor venue. But we will not have the 4th of July parade. Our population of 1,000 grows on that day to about 6,000 typically – and the sidewalks are wall-to-wall people. So for public safety, it was cancelled. We are free to just BEE this year… and grateful to bee alive!
The rodeo will happen as usual, but the crowd will be greatly diminished.
We’ll miss the parade, but we’ll celebrate here at home – quietly thanking God for our freedom and renewed health.
Yesterday Bob was delighted to be able to spend a day on the Madison River with our friend, Scott. The fishing was good – and the weather was beautiful. The wildlife were out enjoying the sunshine, too.
Scott took this picture of the moose who entertained the fishermen.
He managed to get four of the five fox babies in one photo. He said they were quite entertaining!
Yesterday while Bob was out fishing and I was recuperating from my surgery, a couple of my girlfriends and a dear couple from our church made sure I was well taken care of. Terry (on the left) made bran muffins for my breakfast and gave me a darling, soft and cuddly angel blanket. Elaine (on the right) brought lunch and we shared it as we visited for a couple of hours. Then later in the day other friends brought us a delicious dinner of ham and scalloped potatoes, salad, and cookies for dessert. Yum!!!
Today is Terry’s birthday! Happy Birthday to my sweet, beautiful friend.<3
I know I am super blessed to have such wonderful friends. I hope you are equally gifted.
On another topic, you may have noticed that yesterday’s blog “Learn to Say NO,” with a series of Haiku was all in capital letters. I was not intending to shout at you. I was just trying to enlarge this font that WordPress suddenly has decided to use as a default. I found out how to enlarge the first letter in each new text entry. That’s fun, but do you have advice for how I can default back to a larger text for the body of my posts?
I hope you’re having a fun-filled weekend… even if it’s not the typical Independence Day celebration.
Happy 4th of July weekend!
Celebrate your FREEDOM to BEE! See ya tomorrow. Love from JanBeek
Saying no is hard I much prefer the word YES Do you understand?
Health is compromised Saying YES to everything So, learn to say NO
“Not yet” is better It doesn’t sound so harsh It keeps doors open
I like open doors Closed doors are a frustration You know what I mean?
But there are those times When limitations are placed On us – and we rest
Today is that day I say YES to getting help No to stubbornness
I let God define What I am doing today Happiness is rest!
I seek happiness By letting others help me Thank God for helpers!
Satisfying rest Is good for the heart and soul God bless you, my friends!
We had a wonderful sunrise this morning in our Madison Valley.
These are the beautiful roses Bob got for me yesterday to help with my healing. Aren’t they gorgeous?
The view from my bed is beautiful… and I brought a few of the roses into my bedroom so I could enjoy them while I rest and read my devotionals and say my prayers. My prayer list keeps growing! I started it in January… and just keep adding to it. This is just page one of two!
God is good. He hears our prayers… and He responds. I feel His loving comfort today. Thank you for being here with me as I recuperate from yesterday’s hernia surgery.
TazE is here in bed with me, too. Sweet puppy!
Have a restful day – if you can. Practice saying NO when the time is right!
Yup, June was bustin’ out all over… and I’m glad it is behind us! My hernia is gone. I’m on the road to recovery. I appreciate all your prayers and good wishes.
The surgery that was scheduled for 12:45 yesterday ended up not happening until 4:30, so they kept me overnight. I was so glad they did! The nurses and assistants at Deaconess Hospital in Bozeman were so kind and efficient. I really needed that extra time of TLC before returning home… and Bob needed a good night’s sleep before driving that hour up and hour back to get me.
June’s Behind Us
Now that June is behind us – and I am on the way to healing, let’s pray that our world can put the last 4 or 5 months behind it, too… and we ALL can heal. Find a vaccine for COVID-19, learn to love one another unconditionally, appreciate our uniqueness, live each day with a prayer and a song, and put the One God back into the center of our being!
June was a Bust!
Yup, June was quite the month… June was not “a love song sweetly sung” as this Rogers and Hammerstein suggested. It was a BUST from my perspective! But I tried to keep my attitude positive anyway. Upbeat music like this was one way to do it. Another way to stay positive in the midst of turmoil was to be sure to go up to my sanctuary every morning, spend time reading my Bible and devotionals, and listen for God’s voice to tell me how best to spend each day.
Focus on the Positive
If you have followed my blog for a while, you know I read and am inspired by a book with spirit-lifting devotionals, Daily Guideposts, every day. Each day the devotional starts out with a scripture. Then one of about 50 writers is assigned to write a reflection on it and then end with a prayer. I meditate on the message and write a “Take Away” on the page. It’s a thought I carry with me that day. I record them at the end of each month’s pages where there are two pages with a blank line for each day.
Here are my June pages. Read the Take Aways and see one of the sources for my ability to remain positive in the midst of this pandemic, this social unrest, protests, riots, and my anticipated surgery. These are the thoughts I carried around each day:
Be Grateful
Wherever you are, you have reasons to be grateful. Just look around you. You can see! Breathe deeply. You’re alive! Soak in the beauty. You can feel! Relax and sing. You have a voice! Grab a snack. You have food! Thank God.
The view from my hospital bed
Look Around You
I had the prettiest room in the hospital! A corner room with a view of the sunset last night and the sunrise this morning. No need to concentrate on the pain when I can concentrate on the view instead, right?
Bob came and got me at 10: this morning. I was grateful for my expedited release. There was a major storm predicted, and we had a one hour drive to get home. We were safely inside before the rain came down and the thunder clapped. And now, the sun is out again!
Look carefully at the horizon. Those are not more clouds. That’s snow on the Tobacco Root Range. Yup, snow… July 1st!
So, as this day comes to a close, I want to thank you again for your love and prayers. I will take it easy for a while and let Bob and our friends and neighbors pamper me. I hope you feel my love being returned to you. Thank you for being my friend here on WordPress. You mean a lot to me.
Have a great rest of your week. If you’re in the USA, you know this weekend is our Independence Day. We usually have parades and barbecues and family here to celebrate with us. Not this year. This has been a different year, hasn’t it?
Keep your spirits up. Maybe you can use one of those “Take Aways” each day to help you.
Thanks for visiting. See ya tomorrow. Love, JanBeek
If you’re happy and you know it, How do you show it?
In this joyful video, Children from around the world Teach us how to let others know it…
I dare you to play this video and NOT SMILE!! Come on, sing along – and JUST DO IT!!
A-Z What Makes You Happy
Years ago I did an A-Z series on what makes me happy. It started when I was stuck at a railroad track with a stalled train blocking my way to a luncheon engagement. I already was late, and now I was grumbling. Of course, my mood and grumbles didn’t move the train. I decided to change my mood and start thinking happy thoughts instead of growling at the Lord.
Those minutes sitting at the train tracks turned into a 26 day blogging series that included a letter a day: A = ______, B = ______, C = _______ …. you get the idea.
Today I found a new friend… I reposted her blog from today on WordPress and then started to peruse her site. What a delight!
Her by-line says her mission is: “Seeking faith and wisdom in God’s word, a supportive website for the Christian journey.” In her “About” section, I found her picture. I love being able to visualize my fellow bloggers, don’t you?
There is such kindness in her eyes!
Get to Know Blogging Friends
I am having fun getting better acquainted with this delightful mother of a 23-year-old daughter and grandmother of a darling little boy and adorable twin girls. She (I have yet to discover her name) reminds me very much of my across the street neighbor, Penny. So for now that’s what I will call her.
P.S. I just received a response from “Penny.” Her name is Lesley!
Today if I did the A-Z exercise in what makes me happy, I’d have to substitute A = apples (or whatever I said way back then) to A = Abide in God.
What would you put for your A = ______ ?
Pursue Connections
Lesley has a few sub-blogs. If you click on “Abide in God” up there, you will see her other sub-titles. One of them is “Today I am Thankful for…” But when I click there, it says its content is password protected. Lesley – if you are reading this, I want to join that part of your journey. How do I get in? I am knocking at the door!
Hello, Lesley – Let me in… I like your link to supportive websites and the reference to James 1:5
With supportive friends like you out there, and the Bible as our guide, this Christian walk can be more do-able! It makes me happy to know that I have you as a soul sister whose purpose matches mine. Together, we can:
Today what makes me happy includes: F = Finding your blog and Following it.
Another blog I follow that makes me happy every day is: D = Derrick’s garden! derrickjknight – If you don’t know Derrick and Jackie, do yourself a favor and go meet them today!
I come to their garden alone … not really alone, for Jackie & Nugget are there… and Derrick is behind the camera, and the dew is not still on the roses:
Jackie, Derrick’s dear wife (master gardener) is busy at work. Her smile makes me happy. J = Jackie’s smile! (Thanks, Derrick, for your beautiful photography.)
Thank you, Jackie, for sharing your wonderful gardening results with us. I can’t grow roses here in Montana. The antelope eat the buds and chew off the leaves! So I am deeeelighted that you share yours.
Be Happy With What You Have
Show others your joy! A part of being happy Is looking around.
Appreciate life And be thankful for your friends; Share in their blessings.
Don’t focus on lack. But look at what you have got, And thank our Father.
Have a Wonderful Week! Thank you for visiting JanBeek today. I hope it made you happy.
Today my Writers’ Group friend, Janet Muirhead Hill, joined me to share what we’ve been working on. (I was disappointed that three others who might have joined us were unavailable today. Hopefully they’ll be here for our next meeting).
I was inspired to write the poem you see above. Janet shared the book she has just completed and published, Prism. It was started by her deceased sister, Joan Bochmann, who knowing she was leaving this earth before she could complete it, asked Janet to promise she’d finish it for her. Here it is… available on Amazon … I have my own autographed copy… yay!
Writing Together
During our time together, Janet and I used a prompt by
Do click on Clint’s link above and see how he finished those sentences. His site is a new discovery. Living in Africa, his photos are phenomenal, and the way he helps us glimpse at his beautiful country through his words and photos is such a gift!
I wrote the following using his prompts:
“It is the world outside where we find birds, trees, clouds, friends, travel opportunities, and space. It is the world inside where we find peace, God, self-confidence, acceptance, and opportunities. We are especially blessed when from the inside we can hear and see the birds, we can look out at trees, clouds and blue sky, we can feel peace and acceptance from friends, we can plan travel and invite friends to travel here, and from the inside we have space to grow spiritually and the self-confidence to capture opportunities to do so.”
From the inside, we remain child-like, free to paint as well as write, free to dance as well as stand, free to openly express our true selves. Free!
Dance and Create
After that initial activity prompted by Clint Bulongo’s blog, we tried our hand at creating “Eifchen.” This form of poetry was introduced to me this morning by bigskybuckeyeLifeElfchen
Using his definition of this German-inspired poetry, Janet and I wrote our own “Elevenies.” I wish I had saved hers to share with you. Richard, at bigskybuckeye had three of them on his post. Here’s one of his:
Change
Overwhelmed Life’s pace Quickens and races Time to reorder life’s Priorities
And here is one that I wrote:
Eleven
Numbers Bear meaning Forty is magical Seven represents God’s completion Prioritize
Try your hand at an “Eifchen”! Dance with it freely, like my Boston Terrier, Taze, is dancing up there. Don’t let anything stifle you!!
After sharing our “Elevenies,” we read to one another some samples we brought with us of writing we had been working on at home.
Share Your Writing
Janet shared an introduction she has written to go with her book, Prism.
Then I shared some of my journal writing. One of the things I shared was the peace prayer of St. Francis of Assisi sung by Susan Boyle. Janet was not familiar with Susan’s angelic voice. This is too beautiful to keep to myself. I’ve shared it with you before, but it is worth hearing again:
I sang along with the words to the song, written on a page in my journal. Janet listened – enthralled – to this gorgeous rendition of the prayer.
Then Janet said, “Oh yes, I used to have that prayer memorized. Haven’t thought about it in a while.”
Time to put those words in our souls, my friends.
Make Me a Channel of Your Peace, Lord. Help me seek to console, to understand, to bring hope and light, and to just love!
Do you have a place for writing, and people who love to write with whom to share your writing? Tell me about it – and them.
After I posted a few sunsets tonight, my friend, Fran, sent me this photo of her sunset! She lives on the Madison River half way between me and Yellowstone National Park.
Take a look at this!! How would you like to have THAT view out your back door tonight?
