I found this list of twelve ideas to be most helpful today. The ones I do already are evident: meditate, practice gratitude, think positively, and eat foods that nourish me. But, some of the others, I think I need to be more intentional about.
So, I decided I will pick two a day and concentrate on them. How about you? Which ones are already a part of your routine? Which ones do you think you might add?
Today I am going to intentionally “Listen to My Favorite Music.” One of the songs that speaks to me was featured on Roth PoetryPoetry From the Heart! I listened to four versions of the song, Bridge Over Troubled Waters. One told of the song’s origin by Simon & Garfunkel, another was sung by Aretha Franklin, one by Josh Grobin, and then my favorite, Elvis.
This song is so appropriate to how I am feeling today as we learned the USA election results today and I think we are facing a few months of contentious litigation and transitional turmoil. I pray we can find a bridge over troubled waters, just as Dwight Roth suggested on his blog by that title yesterday.
And the other idea I will choose from the dozen ideas above is “Smile and Laugh More.” To that end, here are a few that made me smile and laugh. How about you?
And if you are a fan of Donald Trump, I hope I did not offend you. Here is another:
OK – enough on politics! Let’s find more neutral laughter.
I DID have trouble sleeping last night! How about you?
It’s weird being the same age as old people.
Oh, I think I might have posted that last one a few weeks ago. But if I can’t be sure, can you?
Have you ever noticed that what’s funny to one person may not be funny to another? Be sure to make your laughter as innocent as possible. I’m not very good at that. But, hey we’re all a work in progress, right? Tell me a joke that made you laugh today!
Hah!
Thanks for visiting JanBeek today. See ya tomorrow.
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.
Ya gotta read this post! It’s full of gorgeous flowers from derrickjknight
and you don’t want to miss seeing more! It’s full of a variety of humor and thoughtfulness!
Do you know the word “HodgePodge”?? Is it real or is it one that my mom made up? When I put it in Pexels to look for a picture, nothing came up. But my iPhone dictionary had it! Here are some synonyms:
jumble
mishmash
collection
combination
medley
miscellany
potpourri
melange
Don’t you love the concept? It doesn’t say “junk” (which is often what I thought of when I used the word hodgepodge). No, not junk… just a mishmash of unrelated ideas or an assortment of things that can actually be related – like this meat on a grill.
Photo by cottonbro on Pexels.com A hodgepodge of meats
Need to Share
Today’s blog is a mishmash – a hodgepodge of various things, ideas, photos that caught my eye this week. I saved them because I either loved them or hated them, laughed or groaned at them, and I wanted to share them for your viewing, too.
Love One Another
My blog’s subtitle is “Loving One Another” – so I try to share ideas that represent ways we can reach out in love more fully and unconditionally to one another.
A friend (who was born in Canada but is now a USA citizen) sent me these pictures/memes/jokes/thoughts today. I decided if the election goes the wrong way next November here in the USA, Canada may be my next residency! It appears they have a handle on how to “Love One Another.” Even their graffiti is kinder than ours!!
And if they wear a hat with something written on it, I guess it is positive, too…
Going on with my hodgepodge, I received this meme from a friend today. It made me laugh. I think laughter is what keeps me going these days!
You can’t fix stupid. Don’t even try… unless it’s YOU!! Then get some help…
But God says we gotta LOVE everybody! So, cover those unused socket holes!!
One of my blogging friends wrote a comment this week. She said to me, “You’re a mess!” Should I laugh or be insulted?
You have four choices for how to survive this virus: champ, chump, clump, or chimp. What will it be?
Oh, Other Options?
You say you have other survivor options? One way my blogging friend, Derrick Knight and his wife, Jackie, are surviving this pandemic is by being voracious gardeners. And Derrick is a phenomenal photographer. Let me add to my hodgepodge today by sharing a couple of my favorite photos he posted recently from his rainy vistas in Great Britain:
Derrick’s peach rose Magnificent!!
Derrick’s Mamma Mia Amazing!!
Derrick’s gladiolas I love ’em!
Derrick’s California Poppy – My favorite.
Pictures Bring Back Memories
In my past life, some of you know I was a teacher for 24 years and a principal for 9 years and worked in the district office as curriculum coordinator (wearing a hundred hats with all kinds of responsibility and no authority to back ’em up!)… and then I decided to do what I loved most – and go back into the classroom before I retired. I taught a first grade and took them on to second. Oh, what a joy that was! Many of those students are my FaceBook friends today… 21 years later!!
That poppy brought back those memories because the school where I was principal for 9 years was Caswell Elementary in the Ceres Unified School District in California. Our school song was:
“Poppies, Golden Poppies, Gleaming in the sun. Closing up at evening when the day is done. Pride of California, Flower of our state, Growing from the mountains To the Golden Gate.
We’re the Caswell Cougars, We are Number One. Green and yellow banners Waving in the sun. Caswell is a place for Learning and for fun. We’re the Caswell Cougars, We are Number One!!
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com The Cougar… our mascot
And the HodgePodge Continues…
Cord and Ruby
Yesterday, if you read my blog, you know we went for a farewell ice cream social to say “See ya later” to our two favorite little Sunday School friends, Cord and Ruby. We are praying for their happy resettling on their dad’s home ranch in Jordan, MT. It’s a six-hour drive from here. They’ll have horses and cattle and dogs and cats and lots of room to roam. Our love and prayers go with them. We gave them great big farewell hugs and told ’em how much we love and will miss them.
Vissoie, Switzerland
Great HodgePodge Finish
A great end to my hodgepodge for today is this wonderful photo that I JUST received via the magic of WhatsApp from my daughter, DeAna. She wrote,
“I took this photo from the parking lot near our restaurant this morning while thinking of you.”
Ah, our children certainly know how to melt a mothers heart, don’t they? Nothing could make me happier than to know that when my daughter sees a symbol of our faith, she thinks of me! What a gift, huh?
Maybe I am not so disturbed after all!!
A Puuurfect Ending
What HodgePodge of thoughts captured your imagination today? I hope they were a medley of love and laughter, memories and musings that lightened your soul.
Job 5:9 “He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted.”
Every day is a MIRACLE!
The fact that I was able to go on that ATV ride yesterday on those bumpy, rocky trails is in itself a miracle. You know I had hernia surgery on my mid-section last month. To enjoy yesterday with Bob & our friends was a WONDER, for sure! And today I am no worse for the wear… Thank God!
I remember now The terrible destruction And our lack of help.
I wonder why we Didn’t do more to assist? Do you wonder, too?
Google says, “The Micronesian nation offers beautiful white beaches, exotic wildlife, and intriguing culture and history.”
Through the miracle of You.Tube you can take a virtual trip to Guam and you can learn about its history and see its beauty… and you will WONDER how many of these gorgeous places might have survived or been destroyed by that hurricane. This video was created in 2016 and the hurricane was in 2019.
Like me, you will WONDER why this site doesn’t list the PEOPLE who died in this tragic event. Certainly they are more important than the $3.3 million in damage. And you want to hear stories of the MIRACLES of survival in the midst of such devastation, right?
As I quoted from the Bible at the beginning of this post, in Job 5:9 it says, “He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted.”
Everywhere we look in this world, there are wonders and miracles to behold. Open your eyes to them, my friends.
I told you some of the ones I see and some I would like to travel and see. How about you? What miracles do you see? What wonders do you want to see?
How do you see yourself? Do you know YOU ARE A MIRACLE? How alert is your funny bone?
Are you ready for the miracle of laughter that brings healthy endorphins into your body?
Are you laughing?
Keep on laughing. It does wonders for your mental health! Love ya, JanBeek
Pray with me: “Lord, help us to develop a heavenly perspective to look at life’s trials and difficulties through the Truth and Hope of God’s Word. Peel away all barriers to Your wisdom, Lord, And make us teachable and reachable! Amen!”
Well, my WP friends, I told you I’d post pictures this afternoon of our river float, right?
Nope, that’s not my photo. I found it on the internet. It’s where I’d like to have been – with that blue sky dotted with clouds, but alas…
Bob’s out weeding – no blue in our sky!
Take a look at that gray sky. Does it look like an inviting time to go out on the river? Temperature’s not bad, though – even though rain is threatening. Look, Bob’s weeding the garden in his shorts!
Come sit on the porch with me; we can watch him work!
Look at that sky – Threatening!
That’s the direction of the river… and if this were a video, you’d see the trees and bushes blowing in the wind. It isn’t a pretty time to be out rowing!
So, let’s have some fun at home instead. Set those best laid plans aside. Make lemonade with those lemons!
That wind and those clouds were sent by God. I wrote a Haiku this morning about the way the wind blows the clouds away. Hopefully tomorrow will be a sunny day.
Meantime, let’s just find some ways to smile and enjoy some laughter inside on this Saturday afternoon.
I needed a therapy dog because my husband has a habit of walking around without clothes on. Well, we ARE separated from other houses by a few acres, right. But still…
Hah! No, I’m just kidding… he never walks around OUTSIDE naked!
With all this refrigerator time, I should start using my recumbent bike more often… develop some sort of exercise routine and keep my TOPS weight under control, right? But…
Did that one make you chuckle?
I was looking for something to distract me this afternoon from the coverage of Donald Trump’s rally where all those people are crowded into an arena and only about one in ten are wearing masks. So I logged on to Derrick’s garden.
Do you follow Derrick’s delightful posts at derrickjknight ? Today his post was “Night and Day” – and his roses were captivating. Check him out! He and Jackie have a flower garden second to none. And Derrick’s photography is magical.
Here is a rose for you from their garden:
Have a Happy Father’s Day, my friends.
If you don’t get to go where you wanted to go (for whatever reason), make the most of it where you are.
And don’t worry about being too sexy… God loves you just the way you are, and so do I!
What did you do today? And which of my offerings make you laugh out loud? Share!
My friend, Doris sends me chuckles each day. They help keep me looking at life’s lighter side. I thought I’d share a few with you this evening. x
x
x
Don’t laugh about my stomach. It’s no laughing matter! Read on, I’ll tell you why…
My buddy, Doris, who send me these is a friend who graduated from high school with me in Turlock, CA back in 1957!
We go back to the Stone Age together!
She lives in Texas part of the year. These billboards came from a place in Austin, TX called “El Arroyo.” She said that translates to “The Ditch.” Do you know Spanish? Is she right??
Go ahead and laugh, my friends. I am told it’s good for what ails ya.
By the way, what’s ailin’ ya?? Read on… I’ll share what ails me. (Ya, I know you may not want to know, but I’ll share anyway!)
Do you have a COVID-19 funny bone you can share with me? I already laughed at these. I need a new one.
I have a hernia that may need removing. That’s not as bad as a kidney stone! But that’s what ails me. Day before yesterday I had an ultrasound to be sure it’s JUST a hernia. Yesterday I had a CAT scan to see that lump more clearly. Today the doc called to schedule an appointment with a doctor who will interpret all these tests. He’s not available til June. Oh well… it’s probably nothing… but I pass this along to you asking for your prayers and a laugh. OKAY?
Pass a laugh along, will ya??
And have a good, restful night.
I‘ll see ya tomorrow. Virtual Hugs, JanBeek
These are my friends, Chuck & Caroline. Come back tomorrow. I’ll show you the house they are building. It’s just down the hill from our house. Oh man! I love this couple of friends sooo much!
OKAY, I’m outta here for tonight. Have a good sleep!
