We live in a beautiful place with a beautiful view and wonderful neighbors.
Our property has about 4 acres and in the center of those is where our house sits surrounded by 13 evergreen trees.
The lawn and trees require a lot of care to keep the trees healthy year round and the sprinkler system working in the spring, summer and fall.
This is the time of year when turning the sprinklers back on and repairing broken ones and adjusting the direction of the water’s flow has to happen.
We couldn’t possibly do all this by ourselves.
Thank God for the helpful guys in our “hood” who volunteer their services annually because without their help, I’m sure we would find it very difficult to live here!
invited us to try our hand at a poetry form that is new to me:
Sijo
A Korean verse form related to haiku and tanka and comprised of three lines of 14-16 syllables each, for a total of 44-46 syllables. Each line contains a pause near the middle, similar to a caesura, though the break need not be metrical. The first half of the line contains six to nine syllables; the second half should contain no fewer than five. Originally intended as songs, sijo can treat romantic, metaphysical, or spiritual themes. Whatever the subject, the first line introduces an idea or story, the second supplies a “turn,” and the third provides closure. Modern sijo are sometimes printed in six lines.
David did a fantastic job with the form. Click on his name & blog title above to read his contribution. I told him I was not sure I was even going to try… it sounds too complicated! But… with the following meme as a prompt, here goes:
Your mind will always believe, if you are ever truthful; But when you are deceitful, you feed it sorrow, deep grief. Feed your mind sincere love and truth, and it will be returned to you.
Bob & I send our love and deep peace to you and your loved ones today.
Thanks for visiting JanBeek. Will you try your hand at Sijo?
Some of my friends need Time alone to regain strength I need time with them
In the Bloganuary #27 prompt yesterday the question was asked:
In my response, I used a Haiku poetry format in part of the answer to explain why solitude is not a “must have” on my agenda. In fact, I am never really alone. God is with me… and so are YOU!
Click the title below and tell me, how would you answer that question?
Is this the #bloganuary site where I am posting my answer to prompt #25? Or am I repeating it on my JanBeek WordPress site? One way or the other, I want you to be sure and see this response to today’s prompt before the day is over. So, if you haven’t read it already, please check it out:
My “WORD” for 2022 is STRENGTH, so I was delighted to see the Bloganuary#25 prompt is: “Write about what makes you feel strong.“
Flexibility is one condition related to strength.
More important than anything else for me Is realizing the Source of my strength And tuning in to the One who delivers it. He has strength closer than arm’s length.
In my Morning with Jesus 2022 daily reading, I find scripture references to draw on. When I need extra strength, I go where Help is delivered faster than Amazon!
Ps. 31:24
“Be strong and take heart All you who hope in the Lord.”
God does not promise we will be without troubles. He simply says He will walk us through. So when you feel you’re in the middle of an earthquake, Rely on God because He is there with you!
Joshua 1:9
“Be strong and of good courage; Be not afraid, Neither be thou dismayed: For the Lord, thy God, Is with thee.”
He lifts me up when I can no longer walk on my own!
2 Cor. 12:9
He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you; for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weakness, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”
And I can rest on Him… as He raises me up so I can stand on mountains!
Believe it! You have the Power of God in you!
Be strong and of good courage! That’s what we needed this week As we are at Mayo Clinic looking For answers. He cares as we seek!
In awe of Him, we are still, and in His presence we bow And pray for His strength. He delivers today… right now!
Thanks for your prayers for Bob.
See ya tomorrow (God willing) Love to you… Have a blessed Tuesday! JanBeek
Missed the prompt yesterday … so here it is a day late… or is it two days? Life’s been busy as we were packing and preparing for this trip to Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota . Departure is at 5:55 tomorrow morning! But anyway, here’s my favorite quote. It’s what my mom always told me. But I’m sure it’s not original. Wonder who first said it?
“It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt “
Today’s topic on #Bloganuary is: “What was your favorite toy as a child?”
Here I am as a young mom with my daughter, DeAna. I don’t have available with me here on vacation Any photos of myself as a child at her age. I’m think my toys were part of my education.
DeDe was born during Barbie era. She had boyfriend Ken and their playhouse. She could play for hours with them And be as quiet as a mouse.
Here is our son, Ty, as a child. I know what he liked most at a young age: “BamBam” – his bouncing horsey! Quiet wasn’t a word on any Tyroneee page!
I didn’t have those kinds of toys! It was World War Two and we were poor. We tore our napkins in half to save paper. We knew the soldiers needed it more!
I was content to play outside. Rocks and dogs and imagination Kept me entertained for hours. No need for a Play Station!
I didn’t know at that time That we weren’t rich as can be! I had all the love in the world – And that was enough “play” for me.
My parents never failed to provide For all of the things we needed. If a parent’s goal is to raise happy kids, Mom and Dad certainly succeeded!
I may have had a doll or two – I really don’t remember. What I envision when I think of play Is our “wedding” in September.
My friend, Frankie, and brother, Aldo, Lived on our same property. We dressed up in some cloth we found. He wrapped it all around us three.
Cousin Bobby was a little younger. We convinced him to be preacher. He walked ahead of us down the “aisle”. My dog, Jumbo, was best man. What a creature!
Our pretend house was a large hole We dug in the old cow field. We fixed it up with pretend furniture, And covered the entrance – truly concealed.
We often climbed down to that “house”. It worked just fine as a place to play…. Until a cow fell in and broke its leg. I remember the lickin’ I got that day!
So, what was my favorite toy? It was probably the neighbor boy! Eventually we both got accordions – Music was the “toy” that brought us joy!!
The accordion still is one of my favorite toys! What’s your favorite childhood toy??
Thank you, Mom, for helping me know that imagination and creativity are the best “toys” ever!
Thanks for visiting JanBeek. See ya tomorrow (God willing). Are you enjoying the daily WordPress prompts?
Every first and third Friday our Madison County Writers’ Group meets in Ennis, Montana. We may have just two participants, or we could have eight or ten. Last February during our third Friday meeting, there were just two of us. I recently came across my notes from that meeting.
We begin our meeting each time with a prompt we draw from a bag. Anyone can add prompts to the bag at any time. On this particular Friday, Steve drew the prompt, “Writer’s Block.” We had ten or fifteen minutes to write on that prompt and then share with one another what we had written.
I decided to write a Haiku. It ended up as a 5 stanza poem… each stanza a syllabic count of 5-7-5 syllables. What would you have written with the prompt “Writer’s Block”?
Let me share mine with you.
Writer’s Block can trap You and me in wordless haze Floating in nothing
Nothingness can hold You and me in dilemma Pen in hand stands still
Stillness can reveal Treasures in the quietness You just can’t force it
Forcefulness is great If you adamantly feel Thoughts begin to swirl
Swirling thoughts spin out With contemplation and ease The Block disappears
We had so much fun sharing our ideas on Writer’s Block that we decided to draw another prompt. This one was “Words.” We gave ourselves another ten minutes.
This time since I was on a roll with the Haiku rhythm, I wrote a 3 stanza poem. Sharing it later with my husband, Bob, he asked, “What determines if your Haiku is going to be one stanza or 3 or 5?”
“You write what you have to say,” I told him. “When you have said it, you stop. The thoughts dictate the length.”
Here’s what I wrote to the prompt, WORDS:
When words just fail me, I sit back and dream awhile. Dreams don’t have to speak.
When dreams are wordless, My imagination spins – Motivating scenes.
Let pictures emerge. Print them on your mind and soul. Eventually: WORDS!
These kinds of dreams come to us as writers, but they come to painters and potters and musicians as well. It’s a capacity of the human brain that needs to be cultivated.
A productive life is one that can get beyond writers block, can use words to express inner feelings, and can listen with heart to the unspoken words of those around them.
I hope you are a proponent of the kind of arts education that promotes such critical thinking. Let your curious mind fly free.
Be a wise consumer of words and thoughts and dreams! Do you have a Writers’ Group? If so, tell me about it. If not, think about forming one. It’s such fun to share your creative thoughts with others face to face, not just on WordPress.
