Loving One Another

Posts tagged ‘neighbors’

Be The Hands


Be the hands of God

Guaranteed to cure

With “Jewish Penicillin”

Bless those who reach out
Beyond themselves to others
God answers through them

Reaching out to help another is a clear demonstration of these “10 simple words — hope, love, care, culture, kindness, faith, knowledge, health, comfort and warmth.” This quote is not mine… but I repeat them here because these concepts mean so much …

Especially today, October 14th, Columbus Day in the USA. Our banks and post offices and federal buildings and some schools are closed today in honor of Columbus. Why?

Because :
“In 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue!”

I memorized that rhyme as a kid in school. Why was it important? Well, Columbus purportedly “discovered America” on this day.

But, who Really “Discovered” America?

 

St. Joseph's Indian School

I received this e-mail from St. Joseph’s Indian School today:

“They are 10 simple words — hope, love, care, culture, kindness, faith, knowledge, health, comfort and warmth — but they mean so much … Especially today.“

St. Joseph’s Indian School here in Montana wants you to know it’s not about Columbus! They announced, “Today is Native American Day!”

They continued, “…we want to celebrate in a BIG way! Today we are hosting a special day of giving at St. Joseph’s Indian School. We need 365 people — one donor for every day of the year — to open their hearts and give a gift.

Will you be 1 of the 365?
BE 1 OF THE 365
Some St. Joseph’s students arrive without knowledge of their deep, rich Native American culture. They have spent their young lives more focused on surviving day to day than learning about their ancestors and traditions. 

Today, you can change that by giving a gift to help enrich the lives of young boys and girls with their cultural experiences, education and more. You can see some of the experiences for yourself when you watch this video.

As more people give, more student programs and services will be unlocked. 

At 165 gifts, donors will help unlock regalia for students to wear during powwows. At 165 gifts, donors will help unlock a cultural trip. 

At 365 donors: we will receive a special matching gift offer of $25,000 from a special group of friends who have pledged to support the Lakota students!”

You can join in this effort to recognize, help enrich, and appreciate our Native American friends today. Let’s acknowledge the ones who REALLY discovered America… our Native Americans. They were here long before some white man came to rob them of their land and relegate them to reservations!

I am a faithful supporter of St. Joseph’s as well as the school for our Lakota Natives here in Montana. Won’t you join in?

Be the hands and heart of God!

Philámayaye — thank you— for your kindness.

Happy Native American Day!!
God Bless You.
See ya tomorrow.

Category:

friendship, Giving, Gratitude, Haiku, Living in Harmony, Love, Montana, peace, respect, Sharing

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Footprints in Your Heart


True Friends - footptints

 

A friend sent this card
with “Your friendship means the world to me”
written on the inside.

 

She wrote,
“I can feel your footprints
in my heart everyday.
Do you mind is I
walk all over your heart, too?”

view of sand dunes

Photo by Luis Quintero on Pexels.com

Those footprints are not just ON my heart,
they are IN my heart.
I feel her love deeply.
It keeps me buoyed on days
when I might otherwise be feeling down.

 

I subscribe to “Someone Cares” cards from Guideposts.  I love these cards because they always include a pertinent scripture reference, an uplifting message, and a pertinent story on the back of each.

This last mailing of Guideposts’ cards had the message
I used in my last post,
“Whenever we’re together,
and even when we’re not,
warm and caring thoughts of you
make me smile a lot.”

Guideposts “Someone Cares” cards are available
at shopguideposts.org/someone-cares-greetings.
I highly recommend them.
They are unique and special.
When I open the package of 12 every 6 weeks or so,
the cards call out the names of friends
for whom I feel that card would be most appropriate.

The back of this particular card
had a wonderful story on it
– written by Lisa Bogart:

“When my best friend came to New York to visit me, I wanted to pack all the sights, food, and fun I could into our four days together.

On the first morning, we took a 10:00 train into Manhattan. We walked crosstown, hopped on the subway, and headed uptown to the Cloisters… then to the Metropolitan Museum of Art… farther downtown to my favorite barbecue place… window-shopped and gawked at the towering buildings. Finally, we took a train home at 10:30 that night.

My friend was pooped and asked if we could stay closer to home the next day. When she came down for breakfast, she had her knitting with her. She suggested we sit on the patio and knit for awhile. I put on a pot of tea, and we spent the morning catching up and renewing our friendship.

We went on a few more adventures before she left, but it was that quiet time together that I remember best. It makes me smile and feel close to her even when we’re miles apart.”

Do you have a special friend who has left footprints in your heart? Why not send a card to them today letting them know you are thinking of them in a special way? Sending snail-mail cards does not have to be a “lost art.” Keep it alive with your footprints today!

Thinking of you

I love you, dear WordPress friends.
You leave your footprints in my heart
each time you visit and leave a note.
God bless you!

Jan sends cheers!

See ya tomorrow.

Category:

friendship, happiness, Love, mental health, Sharing, writing

Tagged with:

True Friends


True Friends

img_8064
Terry & Elaine w/ me

God has blessed my life
With a circle of true friends.
Some are close enough to hug,
Others are scattered to earth’s ends.
.
Regardless of their physical proximity,
My true friends are always with me.
When we reach out to each other,
Their love stretches out to gift me.
.

Some soul sisters I have known briefly,
Others are friends a decade or more,
And a few treasured true friends
I’ve known since I was young and poor.

ib83MDMqTeqWX8m2ulUimw_thumb_af29
My sis, Sally & me
MarcieJudyBobSandersMonica
Marcie, Judy, Bob, Jerry, Carolyn & Monica

Some are older, wise, and vibrant,

img_8998-e1567176654177.jpg
Elaine Forsberg

Some are family living far away,

img_7153
DeDe & me

Some are neighbors, always near and supportive,

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Our neighbors, the Ducsays & Laquas w/Tammy & Henry

Some are my buddies who join me in play.

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Me with Caroline & Penny
img_0308
The Curreys

Some are families who make life special –

Some are in-laws who keep in touch –

Margie & Bill
Bonnie & Stan
Ann & Bruce
ed-maria-19th-anniv
Ed & Maria

Some are couples who invite us over – 

  • Gerry & Alex w/ Bob & Ott

All are a part of me… and I love them so much!

Kuan Tao-Sheng as quoted in Theodor Reik’s book, Of Love and Lust:
“Take a lump of clay,
Wet it, pat it,
Make a statue of you
and a statue of me.
Then shatter them, clatter them,
Add some water,
And break them and mold them
Into a statue of you and me.
Then in mine, there are bits of you,
And in you there are bits of me.
Nothing shall ever keep us apart.”

God has blest my soul
With true friends who make me whole.
I carry bits of them where e’re I go.
They round me out so I can roll.

Bob Jan TazE ATV
TazE, Bob & me
Laina w/ Bob & me

I roll with the punches life flings,
I weather the storms life brings;
I reach out to friends, and they to me.
So no matter the trouble, my heart sings.

animal avian beak bird
Life is better with a friend and a song!

Thank You, God,  for life’s true friends.
Thank You for God’s Holy Spirit, too.
He is the friend who’s with me always.
I pray that He’s a True Friend to you.

make-friendships

God bless you, my dear blogging friend!
Thank you for being a friend who visits and comments.
Your participation in my blog means
the world to me!

box cheerful color cute
See ya tomorrow.

Category:

blessings, friendship, God, Gratitude, happiness, Living in Harmony, Love, pets, Poetry, Sharing

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Yes, I Salvaged the Cake!


One of my blogging friends asked,
Did you salvage that cake?

The Shortcut Syndrome

Yes, I was able to cut off the burned parts,
Turn it over on a cake plate,
and frost it with whipping cream.
And it was delicious!

Thanks for reassuring me.
Even the worst of our mistakes
Can turn out OK,

IF we don’t give up!

But, the best solution is
Read the fine print to begin with!

Have a great Monday evening.
.
We’re headed to visit our dear neighbors
Who are here for the summer
and then leave in the fall –
headed for warmer weather.

Chickens!!

Photo by Moon Bhuyan on Pexels.com
Photo by PhotoMIX Ltd. on Pexels.com

Only kidding…
You’re not chicken for leaving in winter…
But we will sure miss all our “Snowbirds!”

5 guys - Mt. Baldy
Four of these five guys head for warmer climate in winter.
Only Bob – on the left – the guy in shorts –
the one who thinks it’s warm
when others are cold-
will remain!

img_8395

And both of my girlfriends here will leave.
Penny, on the right, is the one
we are saying farewell to tonight.

 

pexels-photo-14303.jpeg

Oh, but I can’t cry.
I need to count my blessings.
Better to have ’em part of the year
rather than not at all.
.
And thanks, Mrs Hen, for the egg whites.
Without them I couldn’t have made that
angelfood cake!

eggs in the metal basket
.

See ya tomorrow, my blogging friends.
pexels-photo-207962
Sure glad you’re not leaving me!

Category:

food, friendship, Love, Travel

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Universal Responsibility


With the flooding in the Bahamas and the hurricane Dorian threatening the east coast of the USA, our sense of responsibility for one another is heightened.

Our friends – people, animals, all – need us.

What can we do to help?

ground group growth hands

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Lock arms with your neighbor. Decide together on some course of action.

hand-children-child-child-s-hand-159827.jpeg

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Reach out across color and ideologies and countries and oceans. Reach out to others with a pure heart and a love for all God’s creations.

man hugging american pit bull terrier puppy close up photo

Photo by rawpixel.com on Pexels.com

Don’t be timid. Take a clue from our animal kingdom. Reach out in love to those near you… … and those far away.

boy wearing blue shirt sitting on swing

Photo by Git Stephen Gitau on Pexels.com

Find the need… a universal need… that you can do something about…

 
man sits on hammock while eating

Photo by Denniz Futalan on Pexels.com

And just do it!

How far can your arm reach today? Stretch out and test it!! Do you have an idea about something you can do? Share it!
opened left palm

Photo by Oleg Magni on Pexels.com

pexels-photo-887349-2 See ya tomorrow. JanBeek

 

Category:

Animals, friendship, Giving, Life's Challenges, Love, Serving One Another, Sharing

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Montana Evening


We had a wonderful Montana evening with friends in our “Hood.”

Even though their house is just around the bend from us,
their view is different from ours.

Enjoy a reverse order evening…

Jack Creek Canyon sunset from Ducsays
A look at the Madison Range from the Ducsays prior to sunset
Earlier in the evening with bright blue sky
Behind those trees is our house.
Don’t you love the open spaces and Big Sky with puffy clouds?
Our “Hood” Gathering:
Charley Ducsay, Diane, Terri, Janet Ducsay, Gary, me, Bob & Henry
Happy 50th anniversary to Diane & Gary!!
Wouldn’t you love to watch the sun set
from such a great place
with wonderful neighbors like ours?

I wish you health, happiness, good neighbors,
and blessings to spare each day.

Have a good night.
See you tomorrow.

Category:

blessings, contentment, friendship, happiness, Love, Montana, nature

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Thoughtfulness


Top of Mt Baldy

Yesterday Bob & I took our ATV, our dog, our lunches, and our stamina on a ride with friends up to the top of Mt Baldy in the Tobacco Root Mountains. From my sanctuary window, I can see the snow-topped mountain off to the north-west of us.

Mt. Baldy out my sanctuary window

Hard for you to see, with the sunlight reflections on the glass, but it’s out there through the angels in the distance… the tallest of the snow capped mountains.

What does all that have to do with thoughtfulness? Well, without the help of our friends, we wouldn’t have ventured up there!

First of all, some of the trails were really, really rocky and rough. We wouldn’t chance it alone!

Rocky trail up to Mt Baldy

Secondly, I could not have made that climb up from the trail where we left the ATVs without the help of my buddies!

Jan, Caroline & Penny on top!

With kind thoughtfulness, they each took one of my arms and climbed with me. They stopped to rest when my breathing got to panting instead. God bless ‘em!

View from Mt. Baldy’s top

At the 10,788 ft. level, the view was spectacular and the air coming off the snow on the peaks beside us was crisp and fresh.

I hope you’re as blessed as we are to have such thoughtful friends!

Rex in top of Mt. Baldy

Our buddy/neighbor/guide was Rex, who (with his wife, Penny) led the way. We’d have been lost without him!

Bob, Jan & TazE

Have a thoughtful day, my friends. Who can you help with his/her climb today?

See ya tomorrow

Category:

blessings, friendship, Gratitude, Love, Montana, nature, photography, Travel

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