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!
Travel is wonderful It takes us to friends It connects us with family Our little world extends
DeDe, our daughter, was a wonderful chauffeur
Visiting family is a treat Especially on special occasions Participating in events Receiving honored invitations
Our oldest grandson, Mike Married the love of his life We were blessed to be there When they became husband and wife
Mike and Tania were sweet – Sent us photos from their honeymoon Some of the scenery was Enough to make us swoon
Love is beautiful when it’s new Full of promise and creating dreams God blesses those who build hopes On His Word and what it means
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”
While we were blessed To be able to go and see Our loved ones who live afar, Home is indeed a great place to be.
I loved being able to go Up into my sanctuary again To spend time with my angels And time in prayer – Amen!
(Yes, I know you can pray Anywhere you are – every day – But there’s something about a place Set aside for that in a special way)
We loved being able to have Bob’s former student and his wife Come and spend time with us – Sharing our home – sharing our life.
So glad Peter & Alice Martin came to visit!
Returning to our church family Was a treat for us as well – There is comfort and joy Being where Christian friends dwell
One of my dear Ennis buddies Took care of my plants while we were gone Another came and took care of our yard Checking the flowers and mowing the lawn
Enjoying the company of our pup Is another bonus of being home Our TazE is twelve years old now She’s loved by dear friends when we roam
Ah yes, it’s a blessing to be home We appreciate from the bottom of our heart All that our family and friends did But we miss our bed and pillow when we’re apart!
We certainly enjoyed Andre’s phenomenal cooking All the Swiss cheese and bread it contained… But it’s time to return to my cooking each day – While we take off the pounds we both gained!
Come visit us, dear friends. We’d love to see you here. We’ll take you to Dave’s Sushi – In Bozeman – a city that’s pretty near.
Or… just feed you here at home – It’s a blessing to be here, you know. And a blessing to travel and see family – Where is a spot that you’d like to go?
Enjoying Sunday Remembering Saturday And Fish on Friday
Sunday began with this prayer-filled good morning photo from my friend Lisa in North Carolina
After church, Sunday continues with our TazE needing attention and us trying to just relax!
Saturday memories include a wonderful evening shared with Bob and dozens of friends at the Madison Valley Ranchland’s annual “Noxious Weed Dinner and Auction.”
Check out Bonny Morningstar Guzzo on Facebook to see her wonderful pictures of that highly successful event.
Friday memories include our walk along the Madison River in Lion’s Club Park where this beautiful painted fish sculpture greets us.
The painting on the fish inspires the Haiku poet in me.
“Father, please teach me I want to learn how to fish To fish like you, Dad“
Back home, the clouds keep the day cooler as the sun plays peek-a-boo The trees provide welcomed shade And the birds serenade you
The breeze causes the wind chimes To sing a lullaby Reminding me of my sis, Sally She’d love this place as much as I
The deer come quietly to rest Beneath the shade of verdant trees They promise not to nibble But who can trust deer like these?
Time to think about a meal Don’t know what I’d like to cook Need to go check out the fridge Maybe left-overs -Have a look!
Mmmm… I can see shrimp Waiting for the coconut Time to make the sauce
Hope all is well with you. Thanks for sharing my weekend memories vicariously with me.
Now it is your turn What are your best memories Of this great weekend?
If I had space in my WordPress photo gallery, I would show you a series of photos of this place in Ennis, Montana where we are blessed to live. BUT, to add more photos, I have to erase older photos. The program tells me I am at 100% capacity! How does Derrick Knight manage to post so many beautiful photos of his garden on https://derrickjknight.com every day without running out of space? I need to discover his secret!
Meantime, what I did was put the photos on a Facebook post – and give you the link here so you can go there to see where we are inviting you to come visit. I hope you will/can check it out!
I’ll put one here as a teaser – hoping you’ll click that FB link and go see more, OK?
Bob & Jan love company… and now that my hand is better and I can be a hostess again, I hope you will consider a trip! We are just one hour from Yellowstone – and the entrance (nearest us) to the park is open now – and the road that takes you to Old Faithful is open, too… following those terrible floods a few weeks ago. Beekman B&B is full July 2-6, but after that, July is clear on our calendar!!
Our kitchen windows with the gorgeous lilac bush
I hope you are having a wonderful weekend. It’s our daughter’s 35th anniversary this weekend… DeDe, the one who lives in Switzerland. We look forward to visiting them in the end of August.
Meantime, my devotional today in “Mornings with Jesus” encouraged me to “Find a quiet place. Write down any problems that surround you. Thank Jesus for being bigger than those problems.” It is not hard to find a quiet place here… and it is easy to live gratefully for daily healing of my broken finger and hurting hand, and to thank God for the beauty of nature and the peacefulness of this place. Come see for yourself!
Thanks for visiting JanBeek
Tell me what you’re doing this lovely weekend… See ya Monday (I’m taking a day off tomorrow) Hugs, Jan Beekman
Happy Sunday, my friends! Did you get to go to church this morning? Our church here in Ennis, Montana began today to resume in-person fellowship after the worship service. So good to be back in communication with our friends over a cup of coffee or tea and some wonderful refreshments.
This is Jo & Jim Forsberg who created these beautiful and tasty refreshments. I’m providing the fellowship refreshments next Sunday. This is a hard act to follow!
And now, back home in the comfort of our newly painted dining room, I am reviewing our sermon message today and wish to share it with you. As you know, I have a habit of taking notes in poetry as I listen to the message each Sunday. Here’s what Rev. Mary Grace Reynolds’ sermon at our Madison Valley Presbyterian Church said to me today:
Stay the Course
The road goes on – Listening each morning – A long, grueling journey – The road goes ever on.
It doesn’t seem hopeful – But, Jesus is on the road. We stand in solidarity With Him and His suffering.
Tolkien was encouraged – Lewis was hopeful, too. In a world of World War I, There was great disillusion.
The death toll was great In Europe and the US, too. The statistics kept rolling On the road – ever on…
Humanity tries to cheat And to wield power – Tries to play God – A dark, dangerous journey.
There is some good here In this world – and It is worth fighting for. Jesus knows no short cuts.
Only the long, grueling road – A journey that ends not In death, but in victory. We are on the road to Oneness.
Oneness with God Is the journey’s end. We stand in solidarity With Him. Stay the course!
(Quoting from Lord of the Rings?) “See the road roll past your doorway Calling for your feet to stray Like a deep and rolling river The road may sweep you far away.
BUT
Just beyond the horizon Like a waiting world unknown Like the dawn its beauty beckons With a wonder of its own.”
Oneness with God
Is the journey’s end.
We stand in solidarity
With Him. Stay the course!
Let’s journey together in love!
Thanks for joining me on today’s journey. Continue, my friends, to pray for the people of Ukraine. Pray for their journey to lead toward Oneness with God – and a peaceful Oneness with us all.
God speak of your love and peace to Putin. God help us all!
Bloganuary#16 asked us to write about something we are passionate about. I can’t pick just one! Can you? Do your passions include some of the six things I am passionate about?
Here are a half a dozen of mine:
1. Let’s start with my love of home and family and the delight at being safely back here again. That’s passionately on my heart right now after being gone 3 weeks, getting a miserable respiratory virus, and being cared for so lovingly by our son, Ty & his wife Monika:
Home Sweet Home
2. If you have read any of my blogs before this one, it will not surprise you that I am passionate about Jesus and His sacrifice that saved my soul. I love the Lord with all my heart and pray daily for His Holy Spirit to guide my thoughts and actions, and to guard my tongue, and to inspire my writing. I read His Word daily and am passionate about inspiring others to Trust also in His promises.
3. I am passionate about music. Often I include a YouTube music clip at the end of my daily message here. I love to sing. I used to play the clarinet (was quite good once upon a time before arthritis bent my fingers so badly – my skill was thanks to years of private lessons my parents provided for me and hours of happy practice during those ages from 10 to 18 – – – I also play the accordion (you can find posts about that by putting “accordion” in the search bar in the upper right of my blog). I still am passionate about sharing the joy of the accordion with others – – – it’s like carrying a party on your back!
Here’s a wonderful video clip of a great song sent to me by a dear friend this morning:
4. I am passionate about cooking – and providing homemade meals for Bob and me that are pretty as well as nutritious and tasty. Besides music and writing, cooking is one of my favorite hobbies. It’s one of the reasons I love following Caralyn’s posts on BeautyBeyondBones. If you haven’t followed her blog, do yourself a favor and check her out.
5. That’s another thing I am passionate about: finding things, places, people, books and blogs I love and sharing them with others. Here’s a link I hope will take you to the source of the picture below = (Thank you, Caralyn) https://wordpress.com/read/feeds/36990166/posts/3768091539
Isn’t that mango salsa over a nice piece of flakey, cooked-to-perfection halibut enough to make your mouth water?
What are you passionate about? I’d love to hear.
There I am in those days when I was able to serve as a volunteer at the Food Bank. (I can’t right now… until I am sure this RSV is all gone … and until Bob & I return from our trip next week to Mayo Clinic). BUT, that’s #6 on my list of passions: using the time and talents God has given me to serve others with love and compassion.
I bet you do that, too (or are you waiting until you retire?)… Don’t! Begin now… it’s so rewarding! In this COVID world, find a way! Your talents are in passionate need out there!!
God Bless You! Thanks for visiting JanBeek. See ya tomorrow (God willing)
