Spreading love, joy, peace, faith & unity

Posts tagged ‘school’

Are You So-Called Normal?

“You will find enough of the abnormal
in the so-called normal to meet your needs,”
Mrs Wilhelmina Harbert said to me.

A Country Living quote shared by Sue Newell
prompted me to remember that advice from my college counselor.
I was majoring in music therapy.
It was my junior year.
I was having sleepless nights.

Music Therapy jobs were few and far between.
Most were in State Hospitals where severely disturbed patients were.
The thorns in my dear music therapy patients at the Stockton State Hospital
where I was interning kept me from seeing their beauty.
I only saw their distress.
And I cared too much.
I couldn’t leave the thorns behind
when I left. I carried them with me.

Mrs. Harbert wisely suggested I switch my major to regular education.
“You love people. You care about them.
Our public school classrooms need people like you.”
So, in my senior year, I began the work of obtaining
my regular elementary education teaching credential.

Smartest move I could have made!

Sure enough- there’s a lot of crazy in each of us! Sometimes it’s our most lovable part!

I used my music 🎶 as therapy every day in the classroom
with countless so-called normal kids.
It helped calm the abnormal in them.
I helped them appreciate their uniqueness.
(I’ll write more about how music therapy worked
in another blog later that week.)

Music helped my students
appreciate the fun
in those outside the norm
parts of us.

I hope you appreciate the parts of you
that are outside the norm, too.
They make you special.
Do you know what some of them are?

Tell me!

It’s fun to know I have a lot of the abnormal
in my so-called “Normal” self!

See ya tomorrow.
Thanks for visiting
JanBeek

Category:

children, Life's Challenges, Living in Harmony, Love, Memories, mental health, music, self-acceptance, Serving One Another

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Share Encouragement

Today we received a thank you letter from Intermountain.
We get a personalized letter from them every month.
The letter provides a great source of encouragement.
It motivates us to continue to give gladly because
we know it is received and used meaningfully.

Intermountain Development

Our gift to Intermountain is a small donation.
I have it taken out automatically from my monthly
retirement income. I don’t even miss it… but I know
it is pooled with other small gifts and together, they matter.
Intermountain helps hundreds of children increase their mental health.

The thank you letter we receive each month
lets us know our gift was received, and it tells us,
“Your support, combined with the tireless efforts of
our direct care staff, provides transformative outcomes
in the lives of the children we serve.” Thanks! We believe it!

The academic and counseling programs at Intermountain,
the recreational opportunities and clinical integrity are superb.
We are encouraged to continue to support their efforts and to
spread the word so others are encouraged to donate to them also.
They are an excellent Montana-based 501(c) organization
Check out their school, cottages, counseling,
and community outreach programs
at intermountain.org

How do you choose to share encouragement?

Donations are one way – but there are so many others:
cards, letters, phone calls, texts,
e-mails, home visits, hugs,
volunteering time,
you name it …

We all need encouragement, you know.

Choose ways to be an encourager!

Thanks for visiting JanBeek
See ya tomorrow (God willing)

Bye for now.

Category:

children, Giving, Life's Challenges, Love, mental health, Montana, Serving One Another, Sharing

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Embrace Native Americans

My friend, Doris, sent me the anonymous story below today. It made me cry.

My blog is all about loving one another by spreading love, joy, peace, faith and unity.

Treating each other with respect, giving each human his/her deserved dignity is paramount!

We need to spread the word, support and embrace our Native American families –
and help them live peaceful, healthy, productive lives wherever they choose to live.
We need to help them get an education equivalent to any other American, and
we need to STOP the discrimination.

We need to let every person – regardless of race or other personal qualities – work to achieve the “American Dream.” No holds barred!! Let’s do what we can to make this world a better place for ALL!!

.

Many thanks to “Dreamstime” for these lovely photos of a few Native American people:

Native American images

Here is the “anonymous story” …

A white man and an elderly Native man became pretty good friends, so the white guy decided to ask him: “What do you think about Indian mascots?” The Native elder responded, “Here’s what you’ve got to understand. When you look at black people, you see ghosts of all the slavery and the rapes and the hangings and the chains. When you look at Jews, you see ghosts of all those bodies piled up in death camps. And those ghosts keep you trying to do the right thing. “But when you look at us you don’t see the ghosts of the little babies with their heads smashed in by rifle butts at the Big Hole, or the old folks dying by the side of the trail on the way to Oklahoma while their families cried and tried to make them comfortable, or the dead mothers at Wounded Knee or the little kids at Sand Creek who were shot for target practice. You don’t see any ghosts at all. “Instead you see casinos and drunks and junk cars and shacks. “Well, we see those ghosts. And they make our hearts sad and they hurt our little children. And when we try to say something, you tell us, ‘Get over it. This is America. Look at the American dream.’ But as long as you’re calling us Redskins and doing tomahawk chops, we can’t look at the American dream, because those things remind us that we are not real human beings to you. And when people aren’t humans, you can turn them into slaves or kill six million of them or shoot them down with Hotchkiss guns and throw them into mass graves at Wounded Knee. “No, we’re not looking at the American dream. And why should we? We still haven’t woken up from the American nightmare. ~source unknown

Pray with me that the “American Nightmare” will end for our Native American people.
Work with me in ways we can help.

I give regularly to

St. Labre’ Indian School https://www.stlabre.org/

and St. Joseph’s Indian School https://www.stjo.org/

St. Joseph’s 8th grade 2021 graduates



These are legitimate places where the money donated is guaranteed to help Native American students. You may have other ideas for ways we can EMBRACE NATIVE AMERICANS. If so, I’d love to hear from you. It is waaaay past time for us to end the way in which these lovely people are downtrodden.

What are your ideas?

Category:

Faith, Family, friendship, Life's Challenges, Living in Harmony, Love, music, peace, prayer, relationships, respect, Serving One Another

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The Resilience of Children

When families break down,
Children are so resilient.
But, sometimes they need help!

Today at Madison Valley Presbyterian Church
in Ennis, Montana, we had two guest speakers.
They were from Intermountain, a program/place for children in need.

.

As you know, if you have been with me a week or more,
I take sermon notes in poetry every Sunday
as I listen to the message.
Here are the notes I took
as I listened to Tyler, Zimmer,
one of the Intermountain representatives
who spoke to our congregation today.

Prior to the message scripture
I was happy to be the scripture reader
sharing these two passage:

Deuteronomy 6:5-7
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart
and with all your soul and with all your strength.
These commandments I give to you today
are to be upon your hearts.
Impress them on your children.
Talk about them when you sit at home,
and when you walk along the road,
when you lie down
and when you get up.
Tie them as symbols on your hands,
and bind them on your foreheads.
Write them on the doorframes of your houses
and on your gates.”

Mark 10:13-16

People were bringing little children to Jesus
to have Him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them.
When Jesus saw this, He was indignant. He said to them,
“Let the little children come to me,
and do not hinder them,
for the Kingdom of God
belongs to such as these.
I tell you the truth,
anyone who will not receive
the Kingdom of God like a little child
will never enter it.”
And He took the children in His arms,
put hands on them,
and blessed them.

Photo by June on Pexels.com

“The Resilience of Children”

We need to commend children’s good,
And scold them when they are bad.
When children come to Intermountain,
They are victims of the life they’ve had.

Abused children are engineers of their demise
When they act out of their hurt and pain.
The Bible explains in Deuteronomy
The impression of love for children’s gain.

A girl from Haiti came to Intermountain
Who had been abused horribly as a child.
She was a master of her demise
As she rejected compliments and acted wild.

One little guy came as a selective mute.
He was a master at keeping quiet.
But when he beat me 4x in Battle Mountain,
He told me how bad I am! What a riot!!

These children who’ve been so abused
Are not throw-away kids. They are LOVE.
They can, with help, overcome challenges.
Let’s all pray for them for help from God above.

Amen!

It is not only God who helps them as we pray for their souls and their ability to trust and to bond, but it is the staff of Intermountain, and the people who donate to keep the program alive and effective. Intermountain provides housing, education, clinical counseling, recreation, love and support for the children. AND, it provides folllow-up when the children return to family settings. Intermountain continues their counseling and support in the school setting as well.

To learn more about Intermountain,
go to their website
at https://www.intermountain.org/contact-us/

Hope you had a love-filled Sunday.
See ya tomorrow.
Love ya,
JanBeek

Category:

Bible Lessons, children, Faith, God, health, Jesus, learning, Life's Challenges, Love, mental health, Montana, relationships, sermon notes

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Love Does

Love Does

“Ambitions don’t flow from the quantity of our ideas or our uninterrupted drive; they gush out from our kindness and willingness to take a genuine interest in others.” Bob Goff

Taking a “genuine interest in others” is what Love Does!

Sometimes we wonder what we can do to make the world a better place. We want to help, but we don’t know how. Let me share an idea that works for me:

Bob Goff’s “Love Does” is an organization devoted to making the world a better place through education of people in places where schools did not exist before they came. Bob Goff wrote a “runaway New York Time’s best seller” book titled, Love Does. In it he spelled out his philosophy of DOING LOVE. Since its publication in 2012, I don’t know how many thousands of copies have been sold … but it is a whole lot!! And Bob’s LOVE DOES organization has raised millions to help thousands of children and adults in Uganda, India, Iraq, Iran, and Somalia have a better life.

In his quote this week on his FaceBook page, Bob talks about the courage to step out in faith:

Love Does

May 7 at 9:35 AM · 

"‪Sometimes God asks us to step out (or through). 
We don’t know what we’ll see 
until we go through the deluge. 
It’s scary to step into the unknown, 
but it’s also where we find Jesus; 
and wherever we find Jesus, 
we find life. 
Fear calls out our doubts; 
God calls out our names." ‬

Bob Goff

Helping to educate people from birth on … helping parents learn better parenting skills… helping to provide nourishment for the soul, the body, the spirit… that’s what Love Does! They built “Restore Leadership Academy” and sponsor the education of future leaders in Uganda.

Love Does

May 10, 2018 · On average in the states, it costs about $20,000 a year for college tuition. In Uganda through Restore Leadership Academy, it costs $700. Our college-aged interns here at Love Does have created a campaign to help fund our Launch students!! Visit lovedoes.org/launch to sponsor a student! Sponsor a student today or make a one-time donation and receive a bag of wildflower seeds and a cool sticker in the mail to help “Plant the Seeds of Education!” #LaunchUganda#LoveDoes#HappyG… See More— in Uganda.

Through Love Does, help moms be better moms – and help children not only survive, but thrive.

There are many ways in your own neighborhood as well as around the world to show your love and compassion and to make the world a better place. We don’t need to sit at home and feel helpless in this COVID-19 world. We can reach out and let our love “gush out from our kindness and willingness to take a genuine interest in others.”

I donate a small amount monthly to this organization. It comes directly out of my retirement check. Not enough that I even notice it! But, if each person who heard about Love Does did the same thing, together our offerings can change lives! Lives of all ages… lives in many parts of the world. Here are a couple of darling children in Somalia who are being helped through Love Does donations.

How adorable are these two little friends in the baby home? We love watching these kiddos grow up here! To learn more about what we’re doing in Somalia, visit lovedoes.org/Somalia
👶🏽🍼❤️

I pray you and I will visibly
gush with kindness and willingness
to take a genuine interest in others.

BOTTOM LINE: LOVE DOES!
Try it!

See ya tomorrow.
Have a Beautiful Sunday.
{{{Hugs}}} from JanBeek

Category:

children, Giving, Love, prayer, relationships, Serving One Another, Sharing

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Remembering May Poles

The Way it Was

When I was a child at Bonita Elementary School in Crows Landing, California, May Day was a very special occasion. We always created a May Pole around the flag pole at the front of the beautiful, two-story brick building. We dressed in colorful clothes and practiced days in advance to be sure we knew how to weave the ribbons properly. Parents came to watch as students assembled in the front of the school. The band played. The principal spoke, and teachers did special art projects in the classrooms.

I especially remember Mrs. Horwedel, my 4th grade teacher, who had us go out into the fields near the school and pick wild flowers. Then we made paper baskets, filled them with the flowers, and created unique cards.

They weren’t as pretty as the one pictured here, of course, but we thought they were! Some of us took them home to give to our mom. Others hung them on a doorknob of a friend’s house as they walked toward home. (You hang it, ring the doorbell, and run to hide). It’s a surprise! A few decided to hang them on the door of a favorite teacher’s classroom.

Today’s World

In today’s world, there are few schools surrounded by fields with wildflowers, and buying flowers is too expensive. So, the tradition of the May Day baskets has pretty much gone by the wayside, right?

But May Poles didn’t cost much. Just a few bucks for some crepe paper or ribbon strips, and time to practice. I think it’s a shame that in most places we seem to have forgotten this day’s history and we have failed to preserve it.

History of May Day Celebrations

According to Wikipedia, “May Day is a public holiday usually celebrated on 1 May or the first Monday of May. It is an ancient festival of Spring[1] and a current traditional spring holiday in many European cultures. Dances, singing, and cake are usually part of the festivities.”

Moving Forward

Let’s get back to dances, singing, and cake! Let’s reinstate the celebration of spring. Let’s recreate the May Pole. Let’s make it a part of our “new normal” once this VOVID-19 pandemic allows us to go back to our schools and hug our neighbors. What do you think?

I hope your day was a happy, memorable one.

What are your favorite May Day memories?

See ya tomorrow.
JanBeek

Category:

art, children, flowers, friendship, Giving, holidays, Living in Harmony, Love, Memories, relationships

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When This Ends

You bet!
But in the meantime,

  • enjoy games at home
  • order take-out or learn to cook some fantastic stuff yourself!
  • make home-school an adventure for you and your kid(s); if your kids are grown, send ideas to friends, neighbors, grandkids about things they can do (like log into http://www.janbrett.com and listen to her read her newest book, COZY).
  • take time to appreciate the ones who are still at work – on the job – making it possible for us to have groceries, get gas, know our loved ones in hospitals and nursing homes are being cared for, and fill our prescriptions when we call them in. God Bless ’em!
  • don’t let the stock market numbers consume you or freak you out
  • stop hoarding toilet paper, and
  • look for virtual ways to be together while we’re apart.

My friend, Elaine Hundley, wrote this poem, “Together from a Distance.”
I posted it already on my blog a week or so ago. It’s time to post it again. Take her words to heart!

Together from a Distance
Elaine Hundley

“Shelter in place”, they say,
 “Socially distance yourself
From others, and
Save yourself
In these uncertain days.”

Accepting the mandates
Emanating from multiple sources
Muddles mind and soul,
Reducing faith to realms
Not resonating with reality.

So, feed the children,
Hold the children,
Cherish the children
As they carry
Fears of family insecurity.

 Show young adults affectionate attention,
Remembering to renew
The frail with hope,
Casting aside
Despair and defeat.

Connect with the community
As faces flood your consciousness,
Allowing fingers to fondle keys
of phone and keyboard
To share love, kindness and contentment.

Share smiles all around, sending self-confidence
On its way to unsuspecting faces, places, situations. 
Simply become beacons of tranquil assurance
 And you, too, may discover realms of restful renewal
In these uncertain days.

This pandemic will not last forever.
Make it a positive, meaningful time in your life.
With prayer and faith and compassion, it will be.
When it ends, if you have remained positive
and you have spread hope to those around you,
it will be “A Pretty Good Day”
INDEED!

Count on it!

Here’s a gift for you!

Have a good week!
Thanks for visiting JanBeek.
What’s on your agenda?


Category:

Belief, Faith, Family, friendship, health, Life's Challenges, Living in Harmony, Love, peace, Poetry, relationships, Serving One Another

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Shakespeare in the Schools

Our Ennis Arts Association supports a performance each year of Shakespeare in the Schools for our Ennis students. I was so impressed today with the performance of these young people.

Following the performance of Romeo & Juliet, the cast sat down and gave the Ennis High students a chance to ask questions.

Then members of our Ennis Arts Association gathered for a delicious lunch at the Sr. Center followed by installation of our 2020 Ennis Arts Association Officers.

The shortest one there is yours truly, installed as the new president. It’s a privilege to work with these folks (left to right): Chelsee Mahsman (Secretary) with her baby, Clementine, Sue Kinn-Brown (Vice-President and jury committee chair), yours truly, and Patsy Eckert (past president).

Unable to attend were Barbara Swan-Roger (treasurer), Jan Brooks (co-treasurer). Also in attendance was one who serves on the jury for our annual adjudicated Art Festival and serves as a member of the publicity committee, Margie Reck; Shirley Storey, one of our talented artists, and Barbara Gillispie, also on the jury committee and a key member of the Art Festival planning group. It takes a dedicated team to support the arts and artists in our art-focused Madison Valley.

Look for more art related posts as the year progresses. Last summer I wrote about our festival on this post: http://www.janbeek.blog/love-our-ennis-arts-festival

Have you enjoyed a Shakespeare in the Schools performance in the past? Tell me about it.

See ya tomorrow.

Category:

art, Love, Serving One Another, teaching

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I Can Do Anything


I posted the video below on my FB page a year ago and reposted it today. Every time I see/hear it, I am moved to tears and inspired to want to go out and make a difference.

One person reaching out to make the world a better place – an inspiration for us all!

Our day will be better
when we make someone else’s day better.
Go out and share your love now.
Make your corner of the world a little bit better
just because you are in it!
Recite after me, “I can do anything!”
Yes, you can!!
You can make a difference right where you are.

Yesterday our friend, Hailey, invited Bob to be her “Guest of Honor” for the day – and come to her school. Her class was celebrating Veteran’s Day by inviting a loved one to share lunch with them. Hailey’s mom took this darling picture of Bob holding the poster Hailey made for him.

I think Ennis was a better place yesterday because of all the people who honored our veterans – and all the veterans who stepped forward to be recognized. God bless them all!

If you are in the USA, what did the people in your community do to recognize veterans yesterday?

If you are from another part of the world, tell me what your country does to honor those who serve (d) in your military to keep your country free and your citizens safe.

Thanks for visiting JanBeek.
Now – what are you going to do today
to make your world a better place?

See ya later.

Category:

Awards, children, friendship, Giving, Gratitude, holidays, Love, respect, Serving One Another, Sharing, teaching

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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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