WordPress is trying to get us to use new formats. In the process, I lost connection with my real site. I have been a member since 2018 and all of a sudden it said I didn’t exist. I guess I was trying to set up a new e-mail since my yahoo account is so full of junk, I lose the things I want to see the most. Hmmm… I finally found JanBeek and for now I will stick with the yahoo email. I don’t want to lose touch with you, my favorite WordPress friends!
Yesterday I was reading through a scrapbook created by Bob’s Great-GrandmaFoster and I stopped to take a picture of this page. I love the poem. GrandmaFoster was born in 1852! She died when my husband was 12 years old. She was sharp as a tack at age 99!! Her scrapbook is a treasure! Here is the poem… it fits you, my friends. Thank you for being here.
Thank you for caring! Have a blessed weekend! Love, JanBeek (and Bob, too)
Bob’s surgery (the insertion of a cochlear implant) is done. Lots of prayers for him… and they are really appreciated. Thank you, my WordPress friends. Now, the request is for successful healing and a safe drive home tomorrow (it’s 400 miles) and there’s a possibility of snow.
Bob – after surgeryMe… now… just sitting the sit!
And praying for all this to be worth it. Ultimately- better hearing. Please!
Kill sterotypes! She is young, blond, beautiful AND intelligent!!
In a graduation speech at the New York University back in 2022 where she was awarded a doctorate, Taylor Swift’s message captivated the audience. It was so impactful that I decided to find it on-line, download it, and read it to really digest some of the points she was making. Below is only the last part of it, but it will give you a small picture of why this “blond bombshell” has taken the world by storm. If you have not witnessed one of her concerts, you probably don’t understand “the whole package.” I didn’t… until I watched her concert (see below). I urge you to take some time and log in to her Era tour’s grand finale in Los Angeles. You’ll be amazed at the dancing, the staging, the lighting, the cast of supporters, the whole sheebang!
Here is the last part of her speech to the graduates and their families at New York University:
“Sometimes, everything just feels completely pointless. I know the pressure of living your life through the lens of perfectionism, and I know that I’m talking to a group of perfectionists because you are here today graduating from NYU. So this might be hard for you to hear.
In your life, you will inevitably misspeak, trust the wrong person, underreact, overreact, hurt the people who didn’t deserve it, overthink, not think at all, self-sabotage, create a reality where only your experience exists, ruin perfectly good moments for yourself and others, deny any wrongdoing, not take the steps to make it right, feel very guilty, let the guilt eat at you, hit rock bottom, finally address the pain you caused, try to do better next time, rinse, repeat. And I’m not going to lie. These mistakes will cause you to lose things.
The Silver Lining
I’m trying to tell you that losing things doesn’t just mean losing. A lot of the time, when we lose things, we gain things, too. Now you leave the structure and framework of school and chart your own path. Every choice you make leads to the next choice, which leads to the next, and I know it’s hard to know which path to take.
There will be times in life where you need to stand up for yourself, times when the right thing is actually to back down and apologize, times when the right thing is to fight, times when the right thing is to turn and run, times to hold on with all you have, and times to let go with grace. Sometimes the right thing to do is to throw out the old schools of thought in the name of progress and reform. Sometimes the right thing to do is to sit and listen to the wisdom of those who have come before us. How will you know what the right choice is in these crucial moments?
Embracing Uncertainty
You won’t. How do I give advice to this many people about their life choices? I won’t. The scary news is you’re on your own now.
But the cool news is you’re on your own now. I leave you with this. We are led by our gut instincts, our intuitions, our desires and fears, our scars and our dreams. And you will screw it up sometimes.
Final Thoughts
So will I. And when I do, you will most likely read about it on the Internet. Anyway, hard things will happen to us. We will recover. We will learn from it. We will grow more resilient because of it. And as long as we are fortunate enough to be breathing, we will breathe in, breathe through, breathe deep, breathe out. (And you need to have seen her smirk here as she kiddingly said:) And I am a doctor now, so I know how breathing works.
I hope you know how proud I am to share this day with you. We’re doing this together. So let’s just keep dancing like we’re the class of 22. We’re doing this together.”
Cheers, my friends! Yes, young, blond, beautiful, and intelligent… You can be all that and talented, too. Taylor sure is!
Richard (Dick) Peterson has a blog titled From Big Sky Buckeye
In it, Dick shares entries from his journals. Today’s entry said:
“Resilience allows life’s next breath to continue with another step.“
AI generated that “big step” photo for me. I find it interesting that big step and next breath are used in a way that links our head to our feet. It is true for me that when I am ready to take a “big step” it has to be a decision made at the head and heart level.
What next step are you ready to take? Will it take resilience to take that next breath and continue?
The inspired, hopeful scripture and another inspirational Sunday sermon from our dear Interim Pastor, Brian Conklin, yesterday at Madison Valley Presbyterian Church
The Glorious New Creation
17 For I am about to create new heavens and a new earth; the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind. 18 But be glad and rejoice forever in what I am creating, for I am about to create Jerusalem as a joy and its people as a delight. 19 I will rejoice in Jerusalem and delight in my people; no more shall the sound of weeping be heard in it or the cry of distress. 20 No more shall there be in it an infant who lives but a few days or an old person who does not live out a lifetime, for one who dies at a hundred years will be considered a youth, and one who falls short of a hundred will be considered accursed. 21 They shall build houses and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit. 22 They shall not build and another inhabit; they shall not plant and another eat, for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be, and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands. 23 They shall not labor in vain or bear children for calamity,[a] for they shall be offspring blessed by the Lord— and their descendants as well. 24 Before they call I will answer, while they are yet speaking I will hear. 25 The wolf and the lamb shall feed together; the lion shall eat straw like the ox, but the serpent—its food shall be dust! They shall not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain, says the Lord.
The world seems very fragile Seems everything’s falling apart Between despair and hope we are Wondering how to take heart
Promises and warnings go hand in hand Isaiah speaks of a new world beginning He promises the Kingdom has arrived But Luke reports Jesus’ warnings of sinning
Luke 21:5-19 NRSV Updated Edition
The Destruction of the Temple Foretold
5 When some were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God, he said, 6 “As for these things that you see, the days will come when not one stone will be left upon another; all will be thrown down.”
Signs and Persecutions
7 They asked him, “Teacher, when will this be, and what will be the sign that this is about to take place?” 8 And he said, “Beware that you are not led astray, for many will come in my name and say, ‘I am he!’[a] and, ‘The time is near!’[b] Do not go after them.
9 “When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified, for these things must take place first, but the end will not follow immediately.” 10 Then he said to them, “Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom; 11 there will be great earthquakes and in various places famines and plagues, and there will be dreadful portents and great signs from heaven.
12 “But before all this occurs, they will arrest you and persecute you; they will hand you over to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors because of my name. 13 This will give you an opportunity to testify. 14 So make up your minds not to prepare your defense in advance, 15 for I will give you words[c] and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to withstand or contradict. 16 You will be betrayed even by parents and siblings, by relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death. 17 You will be hated by all because of my name. 18 But not a hair of your head will perish. 19 By your endurance you will gain your souls.
Jesus tells of a world that trembles He encourages us to stand and endure “By your endurance you will save your soul” Dig deep into your heart and persevere
We’re caught between joy and sorrow We’re asked to trust God even when we Can’t see evidence of His promises The Kingdom of God is now and not yet to see
Where you see the church planted, you see Signposts that point to the kingdom to come God’s love wins out over human nature So keep speaking peace over poverty and slum
God’s love holds us together when we feel The world is falling apart at the seams May we see even now glimpses of this New Heaven and New Earth – and know what it means.
What makes you unique? Your fingerprint and your eyes, Your hair and your smile.
Your conversation, And your own brand of whimsy. Do you embrace these?
Bob Goff wrote today, “God made you this way On purpose, freckles and all.”
He had lots of spots – As a kid, lots of freckles. He was teased a lot.
His grandma told him “Those spots are angel kisses.” So be proud of them!
“Don’t tell anyone,” She cautioned him not to share – “Friends would be jealous!”
That very mean boy Who teased Bob, calling him Spot, Wilted his soft heart.
With grandma’s advice His insecurities left, Finding acceptance.
Accept uniqueness! Embrace how you’re different. Congratulations!
Love, JanBeek
P.S. Bob Goff puts this message at the end of each of his books:
CONNECT WITH BOB “Bob’s passion is people. He’d love to hear from you if you want to email him at info@bobgoff.com. You can also follow him on Instagram and X: @bobgoff. Here’s his cell phone number if you want to give him a call: (619)985-4747.”
One of my blogging friends today wrote this message, “Wrote a tanka today to get into the rhythm of saying more with less. It’s a japanese short form poetry system with 5-7-5-7-7 syllable scheme. Give it a try!”
So I decided to do just that. How about you? You wanna give it a try, too?
I’m an open book Filled with whimsy and color Easy to be read Very hard to be ignored Noisy and provocative
God bless you, my friends. Have a Super Saturday. It’s “No Kings Day” here No, not “Hate America!” Protect our Constitution!
I discovered a new challenge. From inlinkz, there is a weekly invitation to write a “Six Sentence Story.” Each week the word prompt that must be included changes. This week it is the word NEED.
Here is my 6 sentences to go to the “Blog Hop” –
Take my hand, I’m a stranger in Paradise. I’m lost in a Wonderland. It’s just being with you. Tell me everything will be alright. I need to know that’s true!
In his book, Catching Whimsey, Bob Goff told about the time he and his wife, “Sweet Maria,” bought his father-in-law’s decrepit old wooden wagon. They bought it so they could restore it to mint condition. I related to Bob Goff’s story because I have friends who have an old wooden wagon in their yard. It has been a part of their family for two or three generations. They treasure it and have restored it to mint condition.
But, in the case of Bob & Maria Goff, after buying sandpaper and paint and nuts and bolts and the tools needed to get started on their immense reconstruction project, there was a huge storm. A hundred-foot tree fell on the wagon. Bob Goff wrote, “We had plenty of firewood that winter, about a hundred feet of tree and one priceless wagon’s worth.”
So what does this have to do with WHIMSEY? Well, ya gotta know Bob Goff! Whimsey is his favorite word!! And in his “Faith Step” at the bottom of the page, he cautions us, “Don’t let today’s challenges break you, and don’t live in fear that a tree might fall on you. Live a life so full of love and whimsey people will think you are made of the stuff.”
