Our TazE already said her good-byes And now Lucille will make way for “Charlie.” He’s our new blue addition – And no, he’s not a Harley!
We may be crazy sportsmen, Loving to get outside and play, But our “Lucille” trail riding days are over. Are you interested in taking her out someday?
Oh, and Happy Autumn to you, my friend! It’s a gorgeous day with blue sky & puffy clouds. I love seeing all the changing colors. Go up in the mountains to view them… avoid the crowds!
My word for 2023 is “Ready!” Most mornings I add one thing to my list of whatever it is I am ready for. Some days I don’t add anything. Today is one of those days. I am not ready for anything. I just want to veg…
Do you have days like that? Do you let yourself just rest? Do you have that privilege?
Photo by Ihsan Adityawarman on Pexels.com Cats know how to rest… Let’s follow their example!
Matthew 11
28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Some days we need to stop… andJust rest!
I’m gonna do that today. You gonna take some time to rest, too?
Well, it depends on how you’re looking at the word, huh? ASSet? Or maybe who you are and what you do?
If you are a gastroenterologist, (a GI doctor) like Dr. Gentry, who last Sunday performed Bob’s colonoscopy, then you’re looking for a clear anus!!
Oh my! TMI ?? Too much information!!
BUTT (oops!) BUT, hey, we just went through this weekend from hell… and if you’ve read my previous coupla blogs, you know what I mean. And maybe you are waiting for an update?
Bob received wonderful care at the Bozeman Deaconess Hospital. The nurse, Ann-Marie, was the reason he was smiling like this! She was as efficient as she was beautiful!
What’s a woman’s greatest asset? She was kind, caring, efficient, and professional. A real delight! Aren’t those the perfect qualities for a nurse? (Or any of us, for that matter!)
Let me digress for a minute, OK? While Bob was waiting and waiting for his procedure, (it was scheduled for 8:00 am and got bumped twice because of emergencies), I decided to go get something to eat. Neither Bob nor I had anything solid for about 48 hours!
I was sitting at the counter at Jam! (my favorite breakfast place in Bozeman) when the hostess seated a coupe next to me. I glanced up from the CA church service that was live-streaming on my cell phone and said, “Hi!” to the couple. Then I went back to listening to our son, Ty, who was delivering the sermon at his church in Placerville, California. (Isn’t modern technology wonderful?!)
That’s Ty with me – taken last summer… We’re so proud of his decision to pursue the ministry.
Anyway, I digressed… What I wanted to share with you was the way God worked miracles in our lives every time we turned around last weekend!
I was listening to Ty’s sermon when I heard the customer recently seated to my left say, “Hello, Mrs. Beekman.”
Surprised, I looked up… and I studied the handsome young man’s face. “Neighbor? Crowley?? Are you Cole?” I had not seen him in a coupe of years. He and his family live right across the road from us. He’s been away at college. What are the chances in a restaurant with 100+ people that Cole would be seated right next to me??
“When things happen in your Christian walk of faith and you say to yourself what a coincidence, you should know that it’s not, it is God’s hand in your life.”
James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.
Open your hands and your heart for God to fill them!
Cole and I chatted for a while, got caught up on what’s new with him and with us… and I went back to listening to Ty’s sermon on-line. Cole & his girlfriend said their good-byes with “Let me know if you need anything.”
When the sermon was over and it was time to get back to Bob before he went in for his procedure, guess what? I asked for the bill…
“That couple that was next to you paid for your breakfast!”
Every time I turned around, God was working His miracles through the generosity, kindness, professionalism, and compassion of others!!
See that latte pictured up there? Do you think it was a coincidence that a happy bee is floating on the top?
Remember, Bob is a retired beekeeper/almond farmer. No accident that they made my dirty chai latte with almond milk and God sent the bee here to say, “Hah! Here I am to remind you Bob is in good Hands! I’ve gotcha covered!”
I got back to the hospital in time to say a prayer with Bob before he was wheeled in.
It was only a short time when he was wheeled back to the room.
Shortly, the doc came in with the good news, “You have a beautiful anus for an 84 year old!” (See, there’s that asset I was telling you about) Only a GI doctor with 25,000 colonoscopies under his belt would be so observant, right?
“Everything is OK! Whatever was causing the bleeding (no doubt diverticulitis) has healed itself. No surgery needed. Eat more fiber. Drink more water.”
Bob was given his marching orders with instructions to follow-up in a week with his primary care doc here in Ennis.
But before they checked us out and sent us happily on our way, Bob was given solid food (ah, a turkey sandwich never tasted so goood!) We were sent home with grateful hearts. Praise the Lord!!
I believe in miracles. We just experienced more than one. Look for God’s miracles. Expect them. He is busy delivering them every day!
God bless you! Thank you for all your prayers. We love you. Bee well!!
Oh, by the way, what do you think is Man’s Best Asset?
I have heard it said When you point a finger out Three come back at you
Maybe this flu bug Who attacked me Sunday night Was sent to teach me
You’re not perfect, Jan Go grab some humility Don’t knock someone else!
I didn’t mean to… Impact is often hidden Never meant to hurt
Four days of the flu Is enough to wake me up And teach me this fact:
You better…
“Words are seeds that do more than blow around. They land in our hearts and not the ground. Be careful what you plant and careful what you say. You might have to eat what you planted one day.”
I posted this two days ago… before I was bit by a nasty 24-hr. flu bug. Felt like I was hit by a diesel truck! My birthday “Flu By” yesterday. Today this blog sits in “Jet Pack” saying it wasn’t posted. I know it was… some of you responded. But, it’s not letting me respond to your comments. So, here it is again …maybe a little different; (JetPack didn’t keep my latest revisions… siiiiigh!)
I’ve discovered there are many more ways to lower your blood pressure than there are ways to raise it!
Those of you who read my last few blogs know I had a bout with increased blood pressure that went up to over 200/80. Dangerously high!
Well, it’s going down. Soon it’ll be back to normal. Besides meds, here are five ways I have found that are very helpful:
1. Relax. Stay in my pj’s and robe til noon.
2. Spend quiet time in a special spot. Pray. Read my Bible. Meditate on a favorite scripture or poem.
“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.” Numbers 6:24-26
So many friends/family prayed for my health yesterday as the Flu Bug hit me like a diesel truck! God is good… He answered. Today I feel much better!
3. Latch on to your favorite friend and accept the invitation of other friends to go and do something fun together. (Thank God I got to do that before the diesel truck hit!)
4. Hug a dog … and the friends who brought the dog along while we all went out on their ATV, four-wheeling up into the mountains to a beautiful lake.
Off we go…
Beautiful scenes along the way…
Wonderful fields of wildflowers…
Gorgeous SureShot Lake
Zeke is such an intelligent, sweet dog! He loves riding in the canoe.
I rode in the canoe, too!! What a beautiful get-away! (Can’t get that picture to post here… You can just imagine it!)
Oh, and the fifth way to lower your blood pressure?
5. Get a good night’s sleep after enjoying a beautiful sunset.
Do you have some ideas for how to lower your blood pressure if it’s too high or how to keep it at a normal range?
Let me hear from you.
Thanks for visiting JanBeek I send my love and appreciation for you.
“Describe a risk you took that you do not regret.”
I had children.
Giving birth is risky business. Raising children is risky business. They’re expensive! They’re trouble.
Do I regret deciding to raise two children? No! They are a gift from God!
Here’s that spunky boy in today’s world:
Our son and his wife also took the risk. They decided to raise a family. But they were not able to have biological children. So, they took the risk of adopting… Not just one, but four children! Adopting is risky business!! God bless them!
Do they regret it? You’ll have to ask them!
But, I know that decision of theirs impacted our whole extended family!
When our granddaughter, Hope, was 18, she decided she was grown up enough to make her own decisions, so she took a risk and left home. She decided to live with a girlfriend. (That’s her in stripes in that photo, and the two little ones are hers: Xander & Sienna.)
Well, that living arrangement didn’t last. Moving out is risky business. In just a few months, Hope was homeless, couch-hopping, and in trouble. We took the risk and invited her to come to live with us in Montana. It’s a risk we “do not regret.”
That little baby you prayed for this week is Hope’s #3 … Charlotte. Thank you, Hope, for taking the risk of raising a family. As David Jeremiah wrote in “Ever Faithful” this week:
Life Takes Time…
“Be patient with yourself and with others. Put down roots. Stay in one place. And remember… nothing takes the place of God’s work over time.”
Yesterday I texted Hope:
“Hope, how are you and Charlotte doing?” “We are doing good!!! She’s eating and sleeping well!” “How are Xander and Sienna?” “Ok! They’re doing good! I’m recovering well! And the kids, too. They love her!“
Yes, life is risky business. Raising kids is risky business. And we never stop parenting as long as we and our children are alive.
Yesterday that little girl in Santa’s lap up in that 1968 photo was driving to a lunch date in Switzerland (where she lives) when a car dashed out into her path.
Oh my! Learning to drive is a risk. Do you ever regret teaching your kids to drive?
Now, I need you to pray for DeAna and her transportation, OK?
And don’t forget to praise God. She’s OK, even if the car is not!
See ya tomorrow. Love, JanBeek
No, I don’t regret having children. Yes, Ty & De are God’s gifts. But, every day’s a risk, isn’t it?
Write about a time when you didn’t take action but wish you had.
What would you do differently?
“Everything in our house has a story to tell. I believe a house feels more like a home when it’s full of stories.”
– Diana Matthews
Yes, everything in my house has a story. But the biggest story of all (if the wood could talk), would be the wood floors.
They are 100 year old boards from an old silo in Malta, Montana. The silo was sold to a carpenter who took it apart floor by floor and repurposed the nail-pocked boards in the homes or cabins of crazy folks like us!
There is Paul, the carpenter, on top of the silo. As he was removing the wood to use it on top of the soft, scarred fir that was already on our floors, he fell…
He could have killed himself, but miraculously, he only broke a few ribs. That delayed our replaced floors by a few more months than healing ribs would have taken.
Paul was having massive headaches during his rib-healing-process. The doctors examined all parts of him and discovered a brain tumor! If he had not fallen and broken his ribs, perhaps the tumor might not have been discovered until much later. I say it was a “God thing!”
But what does this have to do with “when you didn’t take action but wish you had”??
We saw those lovely floors in some friends’ cabin and Bob fell in love with them. The colors, the character, the nail holes, the story behind them. He just had to have floors like that. As I said earlier, our soft fir floors were badly scarred and needed to be refinished.
I spoke up and told Bob I thought we should just refinish what we already had. Especially since the floor has radiant floor heating!!
But I did not persevere. After Paul’s tumor was successfully removed, and he was on the road to full recovery, the work began. He put that 5/8″ of extra wood on top of our old floors.
Yes, it brightened up the room with its lighter color. Yes, it has a story and great character. But, what a lot of work! And what a lot of money! And the radiant floor heating is not as effective over that extra layer!
In marriage partnerships, we have to pick our battles. Some things are worth fighting over. Others are not. Discernment is the key!
I decided this was not a battle I should undertake. So, I “didn’t take action.” The result is lovely, the story is memorable, the wood talks, but “What would you do differently?”
I’d insist we refinish the old floors! God gave me time to make my case with diplomacy and insistence while Paul healed.
Why didn’t I?
Welllll… a picture’s worth a thousand words…
What would you have done?
Does your home have stories to tell?
See ya tomorrow. Have a peace-filled day~ Love conquers all!
Today’s JetPack Prompt was: Jot down the first thing that comes to your mind.
Thank You is the first thing that comes to my mind! GRATITUDE!!
Thank you! All our prayers for my granddaughter, Hope, and her baby, Charlotte, have been answered!
They will return home today!!
Thank you for your love and concern! The doctors think her issues with feeding, sleeping when needing to eat, and trouble breathing had to do with the rapid change in altitude from hospital to home.
Hopefully with an extra couple days in the hospital and some antibiotics, she will tolerate the change better today.
Grammy Jan & Grampy Bob are grateful to you all for praying and we thank God for answering.
Charlotte and her mommy (my granddaughter, Hope) spent last night in the emergency room. Charlotte has jaundice and was having trouble breathing, eating, and staying awake.
Her color became more jaundiced. It was a scary situation!
Before the turn for the worse, she had an afternoon at her home to meet her siblings. They were so excited to get to hold their little sister.
That’s a happy big brother: Xander with Charlotte – Sister Sienna is looking on
I was delighted to see these cute pictures of happy big brother & sister holding their new baby sister.
You can tell by that beaming smile that big sister, Sienna, was tickled pink!
But at some point after this, Charlotte took a turn for the worse – and was taken by ambulance to the NICU (ER) in the Bozeman Hospital. Hope shared her concern with me.
I am sincerely in prayer, asking God to hold Charlotte and Hope in the palm of His hand – and help mother and child be able to return safely home soon.
I am praying also for Daddy Drew & Grandma Pam who are taking care of Xander and Sienna. Give them all peace of mind, Lord. Help them realize “God’s Got This!”
