Air: an essential… treat each breath as a luxury. Never waste a minute of the breath you receive. It’s the gift of life. Every day is a luxury. Cherish it!
Here are some ways I live and share the luxuries inherent in every day:
Big Sky country – headed from Ennis to Bozeman, MTTaking time to smell the lilacs!Enjoying and relaxing in the gift of sunshine with KennyCelebrating music with the Bozeman SymphonyVicariously traveling to Europe with Adrian & Laura
Can’t live without the contacts with loved ones … so grateful for the luxury of their shared experiences!
God bless those loved ones in our lives who share their experiences with us, huh? Such sharing definitely is a luxury for us as receivers. Thank you for sharing yours, too🥰👌🏽!
Family sends love out and…… we hug love in. We follow along for a lifetime!
See that cute little boy up there with his loving mom & dad? Well, look at him now!
That’s Liam, our grand-nephew, who just graduated from high school. We are overjoyed that we were able to travel to Pittsburgh, PA to help Liam celebrate. While there, we got to attend a couple of Liam’s hockey matches.
My niece, Jodie (Liam’s mom) and her hubby, Bill, have a gorgeous 1790’s BarN. They held a graduation party for Liam there. About 200 attended!!
Uncle Bob & I are mighty proud of this successful young man!
While in PA we also got to visit the National Aviary. What a beautiful, elegant collection of birds!
Wow!
Meantime back at home, our pup, Kenny, enjoyed playmates and our son, Ty in CA, counted down days til retirement.
Kenny’s happy we’re home!Ty’s ready for the next chapter in his life. I pray that Ty & his wife, Monika, can find a way to go visit his sister in Switzerland. DeAna would love it!Hey, Bro, come visit us! Put it on your 2026 calendar!
Let Love In!!!
Hugs await you wherever you go!
I hope your June started out as beautifully as ours!
Enjoy!
Let Love In!
Hugs,
JanBeek
Thank you, Jodie & Bill, for your love and generosity.
Share a story about someone who had a positive impact on your life.
Kenny came and filled all the empty places in our home and hearts! Dogs do that!Neighbors/friends step up and fill our lives with loveBonus daughters reach out and help make each day brighterSweet daughter, De, makes each day happierTerrific Ty, super son, positively impacts us and countless others Our pastor and our God keep us grounded in loveThese and countless others are daily gifts that impact my life. How can I choose just one?Like the flowers in my garden, each loved one impacts my life daily by adding beauty and support.
Who or what impacts your life … or has left a permanent impression? I know you also feel blessed. Life is a gift… and so are you!
T is for Trouble! KT is for Kenny Trouble!! How long do you think it took Kenny to remove these 8 tassels?
Where did they come from?
Oh, my poor pillow!! Four tassels gone from each end!!!
I was up in my sanctuary having my peaceful time in prayer, Bible study, and devotionals. And Kenny?
He was barking at Bob to come play with him!
Bob didn’t see him sitting by the door asking to go out. A dump in the floor was the consequence. Oh my!!!
Kenny sure can get into trouble when we don’t pay attention to him.
We need to keep our noses alert to Kenny trouble!
How about you? Do you spell trouble with a capital T when you’re ignored?
Yup, me, too!
Facing Trials
In the journey of faith, we encounter various trials that test our strength, resilience and patience. The Bible reminds us that facing troubles is part of life, and rather than shunning them, we can embrace them as opportunities for growth. These challenges, while tough at the moment, can refine our character and deepen our reliance on God. By reflecting on Bible verses about troubles, we can find encouragement and hope, realizing that God walks with us every step of the way. Our “Oh My!” can change to “Oh Thanks!” as we turn in prayer with those trials. God, will You play with Kenny?
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.” – James 1:2-3
“And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.” – 1 Peter 5:10
Ah yes… God will make us strong and steadfast. But God, will You restore my pillow? And what about this rambunctious Kenny? Oh my, will You send over a playmate for him? Oh, and while You are at it, will you send over a buyer for our kayak? It’s too heavy for Bob to manage it these days. We took it down from its hooks on the garage ceiling… and it’s sitting outside waiting for the right person to come and buy it … and enjoy many years of kayaking fun (just as we have).
Kenny would love to go out on Ennis Lake with it. Wouldn’t you? Oh my! I need to do my French lesson and this pup wants to play. Come play with him!!
Sending playful fun your way. Hugs, too… from JanBeek
Playful KennyNot just any dog……can make this guy smile like this!
Yup, in our house, the best pet is a Boston Terrier …
Yesterday we had him neutered. Coming out from the anesthetic, the cries were so pathetic!Today he is having digestive problems… but currently he’s resting. Thank God!Here’s Lacey! My family in Maryland thinks this is the best pet ever!
TooraLooraLoora TooraLooraLie TooraLooraLoora It’s an Irish Lullaby!
(Sing with me!)
Sing along!
Here’s to the wearing of the green!
Over in Killarney…
And here in Ennis, MT
Love my little Irish gnome!
Meanwhile in Maryland, Laina & Katy really get into the spirit!
Hope your day was a fun one, too.
Oh, and by the way, here’s an update on our new pup, Kenny, the 7 month old Boston terror!
He’s settling in well! Learning each other’s language. Tough at first. Much better now!
Yay!
Did I show you this earlier? It was his playday with Livvy. So good for them both!
Life is good in this neck of the woods- in spite of waking up to more snow this morning! Are you as ready for springtime as I am?
I miss all that color! Come springtime, come!
Yes, the snow wet the green shoots where crocus & daffodil are trying to pop up. Hang in there, flowers! The sun WILL shine soon!
Have faith! Spring is on its way!
Meantime, sing along…
Nothing like a good ole Irish jig!
Love,
JanBeek
Yup, that’s me! Several decades ago… But today I am wearing that same green jacket! Do you have “old clothes” that are too good to throw away? Hah! Kinda like me…
“We cannot escape the frustrations of this life. It is wise to lean on the Lord for help and guidance…”
Message from When God Thinks of You, He Smiles, a book of 365 devotions from Broadstreet Publishing. I received this as a gift last week from my “dear bonus daughter,” Elaina. Each page has a scripture, a commentary, and ends with a prayer. Boy Howdy, I needed this one today!
“Don’t worry, because I am with you. Don’t be afraid, because I am your God. I will make you strong and will help you. I will support you with my right hand that saves you.”
Isaiah 41:10 (NCV)
Ah yes, reach your hand out. Touch me. Assure me. Encourage me! I am frustrated and need to remember no one is promised a seamless life. But the strange thing is: I invited this frustration into my life!!
What was I thinking? The dead of a Montana winter is not the time… not the time to get a new puppy who has not been crate-trained, let alone house-trained!
Oh, I can be all smiles when he’s in my lap and feeling lovable and wanting to be cuddled! But, believe me, Kenny is a 6 1/2 month old 12 pound ball of energy who has decided his crate is his bathroom and our floor is his toilet – – Help!
My devotional today said, “Prayer gives us strength when trials… come our way.” Believe me, I have prayed at length about this pup! The devotional said, “When you struggle, it doesn’t mean your faith is lacking. Even when you faithfully follow God… life can still be rocky.”
I need to put this pup struggle in perspective! It’s not life or death. We will survive. Count your blessings, Jan, because he is smart and will learn… and you are smarter and can teach! Be patient!
I may have told you earlier that my friend, Terry, sent me this book: “How Dogs Think.” The cover photo looks just like Kenny must have looked at 2 or 3 months… and the subtitle of the book is: “Inside the Canine Mind.” It’s a TIME special edition. Surely this will have some good advice to add to all the things my friends are saying… and Isaiah said it, too: “I will make you strong and help you…”
The prayer at the bottom of the devotional today was: “Gracious One, thank you for the faithfulness of your love… I don’t want to spend my life worrying or full of fear. Empower me and encourage me when I struggle.” Amen!
It is three lines of 14-16 syllables each, for a total of 44-46 syllables.
Here is my news in a Sijo:
Our six-month Boston puppy, Kenny, arrived on Saturday He is not house trained, nor crate trained, so don’t turn your back But he’s so cute, cuddly and loveable that we’ll keep him!
Only once have we seen his ears straight up!
No, this is not him. He’d never tolerate a hat! But ain’t she cute? We love Boston Terriers!!
He loves that chew toy… and stretches out full length to get it! That’s a long body for a six-month old! He already weighs nearly 12 pounds. Gonna be a big boy!
Oh, he’s squirming… Time to take him out. But it’s snowing and ccccold! Oh Kenny, I don’t want to go out either! But we better. See ya later.
