We are in a bit of a mess right now But we will as a world of people Get through this problem of COVID-19 If we focus on the possibilities.
We have to see the problem, though. We can’t ignore it and decide This is just a bunch of media hype. Opportunities for containing it are coming.
The people who are working on a cure Have to view the problem clearly. They won’t create a vaccine or treatment If they are convinced it’s only a hoax.
This major, world-wide problem is An opportunity for people to see A new and better world where people Come together to create positive change.
Factories shut down and air quality improves. Tourists are convinced to stay home, and The waters in the canals of Venice are Beginning to exhibit less pollution.
Schools are closed and parents are at home, Schooling their children the best they can, And hopefully spending quality time together. Shut off the TV; limit screen time; TALK!
This problem IS providing us with opportunities. Which ones are you taking advantage of? Which closet got cleaned? What book did you read? What distant friend did you call to reconnect?
Problems provide possibilities for creativity. Use yours to make this corner of your world A little brighter for your family and neighbors. Remain positive. Spread hope. God bless you!
I remember Dad’s three-tiered tulip bed and the day I picked a bouquet of them and got into trouble…
I remember being scolded, and as I stood there with a fist-full of the precious blooms saying to Dad, “I no pick the flaws… maybe Sally pick the flaws!”
I remember walking down Fig Lane with my sister, Sally, headed to P Street School wearing my Mary Jane’s…
I remember how proud I was of those new shoes…
I remember trips every September to San Francisco to get new school clothes: new shoes, a new dress, underwear, a sweater, a coat… the essentials…
I remember eating crab legs at Fisherman’s Wharf while I gazed at the boats coming in and going out of the harbor…
I remember my first plane trip, flying to Seattle to be with my mom’s family there when her mom died…
I remember Dewey Wright, my first true love, and the Valentine card he gave me in kindergarten, and how he chased me around the playground until I caught him …
I remember moving from that little white house at the end of Fig Lane to a house out in the country right next door to my Dad’s mom…
I remember the day my cousin, Billy, came to live with us – and how upset he was – and how upset I was when he tore our doll house apart and scattered our toys…
I remember dashing past a gobbling turkey who chased me to my grandma’s back door after school…
I remember my father’s tears when his mother died…
I remember moving out to that God-forsaken place twenty miles from nowhere to begin life anew, with Dad going into business with Uncle Igino and Uncle Melio …
I remember the smell of the Pacific Tallow Works that was about 150 yards from our house, and how impossible it was to close up the house tight enough …
I remember Tiofila and Engracia and Dalia, my sweet little Spanish-speaking playmates, whose mom made fantastic tortillas, and the day they were transported back to Mexico by some cruel authorities…
I remember crying for days when I heard Dalia had died on that trip back to Mexico …
I remember Manuel Ynzunza, his basketball skill, and our first kiss out behind the cafeteria … oh, the thrill of it…
I remember “Dimples,” my Cocker Spaniel who had four puppies – and the fascination of observing the births …
I remember riding a horse, unable to control it, and being pushed into a barbed wire fence, putting a gash in my right leg …
I remember how impossible it was for Mom to leave the office unattended to take me to the doctor (she was Dad’s secretary-bookkeeper), so she taped my gash closed and how it healed leaving a big scar …
I remember the day my Aunt Jean, Billy’s mom, came to take him back … how I was filled with mixed emotions, sorrow and relief …
I remember my mom’s older sister, Aunt Evelyn, coming from Washington to visit and bringing clothes my cousins had outgrown, and Mom spending nights altering them to fit Sally & me …
I remember walking at least a mile (seemed like five) to catch the school bus and riding for at least an hour (seemed like five) while we picked up other kids to go to Crows Landing Elementary School…
I remember Mrs Yetter, my third grade teacher, who was almost bald…
I remember my fourth grade teacher, Mrs. Ethel Horwedle, and how she wrote her cursive E, and how she let me sing to the tunes of the square dance records, and let me teach the class new square dance moves…
I remember Mrs. Marlow, the principal’s wife who was my 7th and 8th grade teacher… how she let me go during spelling class to help the kindergarten teacher (because, “You don’t need the spelling lesson,” she’d say after giving me a pre-test on which I always got 100%) …
I remember wearing an “I Like Ike” button and learning in 8th grade about each of his cabinet members as they were one-by-one appointed…
I remember Howard Thorkelson, our class genius, who got polio when we were in 8th grade and was gone a long time… returning in a neck and back brace for our graduation…
I remember learning to play the clarinet and doing so well that the band leader invited me to play with the high school band…
Sally & me with our clarinets
I remember being too small to fit into a high school band uniform, and having suspenders that pulled the pants up under my armpits…
I remember playing an accordion duet with Evelyn at our 8th grade graduation, but don’t remember Evelyn’s last name …
This was my first accordion. It’s over 100 years old!
I don’t remember a lot of things, but I remember feeling cared for, and feeling like I could become whatever I set my mind to, and not realizing we were poor…
We actually weren’t you know. We had each other. We had love. We had everything.
When I posted this morning, I told you today was a beautiful day to travel. We stayed in a lovely Wyndham Hotel (La Quina in Twin Falls) last night. I highly recommend it.
It was a terrible day to travel yesterday. But today made up for it.
Let me show you some of the sights we enjoyed on our trip home. I hope you enjoy them as much as we did. The camera doesn’t do them justice, but you can get the idea.
First, entering the Island Park, Idaho area, we marveled at frosty trees.
Then the evergreens were partially snow-sprinkled.
Traveling on, the trees were snow-laden!
The snow-covered evergreens were magnificent!
These Jack Fences were deep in the snow with powder puff toppings. So picturesque!
Blue sky re-emerged, the sun peeked through, and the trees sparkled. I’m sorry the camera didn’t capture the sparkling for you! But you can imagine.
Approaching our home, the Madison Range was a welcomed sight.
Those dots in the snow are cattle!
Home Sweet Home!!
The tracks in the snow are evidence that our neighbor came down our driveway earlier today. He blew off our walkway and prepared a clear spot for us to enter the house. God bless him!
Are you blessed with helpful neighbors like ours? I hope so!
It was a wonderful trip to California and back. We had a marvelous set of experiences with family and friends. Thank you for traveling along vicariously with us!
But, as much as we enjoyed the trip, the friends, the time with family, the sun-filled desert, the reunions with colleagues and former classmates, the Tahoe area skiing, etc., you know…. there’s NO PLACE LIKE HOME!
It’s good to be back in the Madison Valley where the Madison River beckons people from all over to the world to come and fly fish… and where the big sky smiles a welcome and neighbors are so grand.
Thanks for visiting JanBeek. Which of my photos from today’s travel did you like best?
Psalm 90:12 (The prayer of Moses – the man of God)
“Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”
80th Birthday – 2018
A year ago this day, we also were here in Placerville with our son and his family, joined by friends who came to celebrate Bob’s 80th birthday. The picture above shows Bob with the card Ty & Monika created for him using candy bars to accentuate the message.
Aging Gracefully?
The days between then and now find us both slowing down a bit. He finds it necessary to catch cat naps during the day more often. Outdoor chores take a toll on the back and leg muscles. Physical activities (like downhill skiing) are still fun, but hours on the slopes, taking the double diamond runs, without a break… well that’s not a good idea anymore.
How can we accept the aging process that seems to limit our energy? Well, duh … what’s the alternative? We die – or we become grumpy – or we listen to our bodies and take those breaks when the need arises! Aging gracefully means thanking God for all the things we CAN still do … and not focusing on the things we CAN’T do anymore… at least not at the speed and length of time we used to. Right?
Number our Days
We know our days are numbered… and only God has the answer. We know Jesus Christ promised He would come again and take all who believe with Him to our eternal home. Only God has the number of that day, too. So, our job is not to worry about what the numbers are, but to live fully for as long as He gives us.
Living Fully
That photo of Bob with our son, Ty, granddaughter, Faith, and her husband, Kyle was taken at our house in Montana last Thanksgiving.
A year ago Bob went skiing with Ty & Faith here in the Sierra Nevada mountains. This year, the crowds and the conditions caused Bob to say, “Let’s wait til we come back through in January and ski then.”
Someday Bob’s skiing may be limited to pulling our great-grandchildren on a sled in the snow… that is if we are fortunate enough to live long enough to gracefully accept the limitations that numbered days may bring!
Meantime, there are spring times and summers, autumns and early winters when the fishing is great in Ennis, Montana…
And there is always yard work that beckons him to keep the lawn trimmed, the flowers healthy, and the weeds at bay…
… and in the winter there is rarely a time when there is not snow to shovel!
We look forward to the numbered day on our ATV when we can enjoy with friends the beauty of the mountain trails above our Madison Valley.
Gain a Heart of Wisdom
Yes, looking at what we CAN do and not dwelling on the things we find more difficult to do as we add to the number of our days… that’s part of wisdom.
So is taking time daily to read God’s Word, and apply his principles to our lives.
In Psalm 90, Moses’ prayer also says, (in verse 10) “Our days may come to seventy years, or eighty, if our strength endures; yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass and fly away.”
Thank God, Bob can say, “The best of them are here and now… and with God’s blessings the best are also yet to come.”
They may quickly pass (as we age they seem to fly by more quickly with each sunrise and sunset), but we do not focus on the trouble and sorrow.
Focus on your blessings, my friends. Focus on the CANS, not the CAN’Ts!!
Enjoy each day… and look for the wisdom it contains.
BOB!
Thanks for visiting JanBeek on the occasion of this wonderful 81st birthday. See ya tomorrow.
I live gratefully With thanks for family and friends Gratitude brings joy
The Flights Were Great!
I hope you had a joy-filled day of gratitude, too – on that day we call Thanksgiving here in the USA. We arrived safely (thanks to my niece, Jodie) at the Pittsburgh airport around 5: AM. Our flight to Minneapolis arrived on time, with no difficulties – and we had a nice breakfast in their lovely airport. The 6:15 AM flight to Bozeman was on time and encountered no problems.
Problems Began After Landing
The problems came after we landed in Bozeman, MT and Bob tried to find our car in long-term parking. He wandered in the wrong parking lot for a half hour before realizing the car was in the next lot over. By then, I knew he was in some kind of trouble as I stood in the warmth of the airport with our luggage waiting for him.
I prayed to God, “Please help Bob solve whatever trouble he has encountered.”
Prayer Works
About that same time, Bob reported later, he realized he had not sought God’s help, so he also prayed to find the car. That’s when God nudged him to go to the next parking lot over… and sure enough, there it was. BUT, it was covered in snow… and the snow had more than one layer during the time we were gone. The under-layer was iced on.
Be Prepared
Anyone who has lived through a winter in this part of the world, should know what to carry in the trunk of your car. An emergency kit needs to include a blanket or two, gloves, a hat or two, an ice/snow scraper, etc. Our trunk had a can of de-icer and a blanket, but none of the rest of those items. It took Bob 20 minutes to clear away enough of the ice and snow to make the car safe to drive.
Yes, we know what we need to add to our emergency supply to be prepared in the future!
Home Safely
It was snowing lightly as we began the 60 miles toward home, but it let up as we crossed over the mountain pass and followed the Madison River into Madison County and our valley. The roads were clear – and we praised God for a wonderful homecoming!
Family Greeted Us
At home, we were greeted by our son, his wife, two grand-daughters and their husbands, and two of our great-grandchildren. Happy Thanksgiving!! The smell of turkey assailed my nostrils when I opened the door – and hugs all around said, “Welcome Home!”
Hail, hail, the gang’s all here!
Xander, our great-grandson
Monika, our daughter-in-law, with Sienna, our great-granddaughter
Ty, our son, with TazE, our dog
I am grateful to our dear friends, Gail & Harold, who took care of TazE while we were gone.
Here’s our granddaughter, Hope, with Sienna
The smell of turkey roasting was so inviting!
The sweet potatoes are ready for the marshmallows
It was a wonderful meal… and great fellowship. I hope you had a great day, too. Now on to “Black Friday!”
Some call this “Black Friday” – a day when merchants encourage shoppers to come to their stores – big sales everywhere!
Only Thing Black
The only thing black about today for me is my coffee and the night sky! I am up early and enjoying some quiet time.
I hope yours is a Fabulous Friday with delicious coffee (or tea) to warm you inside, and a cozy home filled with love to warm you through and through.
Eternally Grateful
While my family is still asleep, I am up in my sanctuary, thanking God for:
answered prayers
a safe trip to Pennsylvania and back
the chance to see my sis in her new setting
the generosity of my niece, Jodie, and her husband, Bill
the gracious hospitality of the McSparrons in Kutztown, PA
the opportunity to participate in a bit of the life of Liam, our great-nephew
Liam’s big heart and wonderful work ethic
the love and care my niece, Jodie, gives to her family and my sis (her mom)
our son and his family who greeted us with love and a luscious Thanksgiving dinner when we returned home
