Is it hard for you to ask for help? Some people find it very difficult. Some people feel like they are a burden. They want to be self-sufficient.
Bob and I have learned Self-sufficiency is harder as you age. Asking for help is imperative, Especially when you are stuck!!
That red dot out there is the back – The back light of our car. We high-centered in.a snow drift. That’s about 50 yards out.
It is freezing out there – Brrr! We walked home and left the car. Brrrr… Help! We can’t do it – Can’t dig ourselves out.
It’s not the first time We needed help this week – Not the first time this year. What would we do alone??
Thank God for friends and neighbors. Thank God for Bobcats & snow blowers And friends who come to help. We would be toast without them!
Tomorrow’s sunrise promises us A better day – a chance to get out A chance to go to church and thank God For the HELP we receive from so many
Matthew 7:7
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”
Do not be afraid to ask Do not be too proud to admit You need help – can’t do it all yourself Let others help… and ask God for help, too!
No request is too small.
We reached out yestersay We asked our friend, Joe, for help He came and helped Bob Unbury our snow fence
Earlier this month I reached out And asked my friend, Susan P, For help with my Christmas decorations She came – we did it together – God bless her!
I couldn’t have done this without her!
May the Lord bless and keep you May your neighbors and friends Be the help you need when in distress Don’t be afraid to cry out: HELP!!
There is no joy in aloneness When you are craving assistance People want to help you They want to be asked. So do!
Do ask for HELP when you need it Ask for HELP when you want it You will be blessed and so will your helper We all need to be needed!!
This is my adorable 10-year-old friend Hailey helps to give me a sense of purpose Each week she joins me in my sanctuary We study scripture and read devotionals
I am so grateful for her and her mom They let me know they needed something In helping them, I am the one who is blessed You, too, can be the helper as well as the one who’s helped
Reach out today and make someone’s life better In the process, you will make your own richer, too. Help is a two-way street – Don’t miss it! God bless you, my dear WP friends… you help
You help by reading my blog and commenting You help by posting your stories and inspiration You never know just who needs what you write You never know who you’re he[ping today! Thanks for dropping by JanBeek today.
Your “likes” and comments lift my spirits. I’m headed to go see your blog right now, too. Thanks for your HELP!!
The Christmas cards are done They’re ready to be mailed But we can’t leave our home We’d surely be derailed
The winds were 40 mph gusts, and The drifts have blown like crazy I’ll have to ZOOM church tomorrow And it’s not cuz I am lazy
I’d attend if I could get out And after church I’d go To the post office to mail the cards But I can’t get through the snow
So we are at the mercy Of a kind and helpful neighbor When he comes with his bobcat blower We’ll watch him work and thank him later
He’ll blow out the driveway And clear a path for us So we can get to church Without shoveling and lots of fuss
But if you don’t see us And if our card to you doesn’t come, You might send out a sled team To rescue us… we’re frozen and numb!
That’s our driveway that’s the culprit The wind swirls the snow in piles Inside between the rabbit brush It blows in from many miles
That photo was a light snow This time it’s at least two feet tall After our neighbor plowed us out The piles were a five foot wall!
We haven’t seen a winter like this This storm has been a doozy It started way too early this year – The freezing wind makes me woozy
The Christmas cards are done They’re ready to be mailed But like I said, I’m stuck in here Our Christmas travel might be curtailed
Try coming in through the drifts I’ve some hot chocolate to share But if you don’t make it here Mr Snowman will be content floating there
Hope you’re having a happy December so far. God bless you! Stay in touch.
Love ya, JanBeek
Take a look at this photo I found! That’s me – pregnant with our 1st child, Ty. And that’s my sis and her hubby with my niece, Denise and my mom and dad… 1964 Christmas … Sweet memories!
Happy Day Before…. the rest of your life … a day of gratitude in the USA,… I pray you are well, anticipating a happy tomorrow, and living the good life.
Thank you for checking out JanBeek today. What are your tomorrow plans? We are planning to go to dinner with dear friends who live just a mile away … that is, if we can get out of our driveway! Look at what’s happening outside:
It’s pretty from the inside looking out! I’m not complaining. We have had several relatively dry years – so we can use the moisture! I just pray the roads are clear enough that we can get out tomorrow!
Yup, like that turkey who avoided the chopping block, I am grateful for life! Grateful for love and health, and all God’s blessings. What are you grateful for today? I pray that you’re feeling blessed, too.
Cheers! Happy Thanksgiving tomorrow… Happy Day Before…
NanoPoblano2022 has invited us to reblog an old post each day during this month of November. I’m having fun going back through some of my first posts… Here is one from our vacation in southern California in 2014. The roadrunner picture in the original post was not available so I borrowed one from Pexels. Thanks!
January 27 2014
There was a Time Magazine article by Lily Rothman in which the author quoted artist, Brendan O’Connell, “Nostalgia makes memory warm.” O’Connell stopped to say parenthetically, “That’s actually a significant thought,” and I paused. Hmm – memories, nostalgia, warmth. Yes, it’s true. Not all memories are warm, but all nostalgic memories are warm. Do you agree? When you think of warm memories, what comes to mind? Here’s mine:
Childhood
Climbing Hillsides Into Lands Dense with Hidden Occupants Ordering Hot Dogs.
Hah! That’s my whimsical acrostic for today – looking back on yesterdays.
But, how about Making Memories Today?
There’s no better place to make memories than where you are right now today! For me, whether it is in the warm desert on vacation in the southern California sun with roadrunners scampering by and sun casting spakles on cactus, or back home in the cold snows of Montana, each day is a memory in the making. The climate doesn’t determine the warmth of the memories. The people I am with, the events we choose, the lessons I learn, the visions I absorb: those are the nostalgia of tomorrow. I am making warm memories today – wherever I am!
Nov. 5, 2022 – our snow is almost all melted now. With today’s winds, the rest of it will blow off the roof of our house (peeking through the trees there).
That acrostic up there was mine back in 2014… but I have no idea how that could have been true. We lived in the flat central valley of California. No hillsides to climb! If I were looking back at my childhood and creating an acrostic today, it would say:
CHILDHOOD
C hasing H ounds I nto L ittle D ugouts H aving O odles O f D ead animals
Oh my! That one is reality! My dad owned a Tallow Works and one of his jobs was picking up dead animals from ranchers and farmers and bringing those animals back to the “plant” where we lived. We always had at least one dog as a pet… and they were always “hounds.” No money for pedigrees!! In our bare fields behind our house, my neighbors (cousins) and I would dig holes and create pretend worlds. That 2014 acrostic must have come out of that pretending. Sometimes our best memories are the imaginary ones, don’t you think?
If you were to write a childhood acrostic today, would yours be real? Or would you pretend?
I hope your real world is full of happy memories – warm nostalgia. Have a great day today, my friends. .
I had a warm, huggy, loving daddy. My memories of him are certainly warm nostalgia!!
Jem Croucher, Poet’s Corner introduced to me today a new poetry form. Her blog beautifully described “In the Autumn Now” in an aaab rhyme scheme.
For those of you unfamiliar with those poetic descriptors, the aaab scheme means the first three lines all rhyme, but not the 4th one.
The fun thing about her last line is that it was the poem’s title and it was repeated in each of the four stanzas. Brilliantly done! (There are probably other rules to this rhyme form, like 7 or 8 syllables to create rhythm on each line… but I’m not sure I can do that! So will just go with the rhyme scheme and number of lines for now.)
I’m going to try my hand at this poetry form, but as you know if you saw my post yesterday, we – here in Ennis, MT – are “In the Winter Now.” Alas, our fall colors are buried under several inches of snow. Beautiful, but – oh my – too early for me!
From my kitchen window
October snow fell softly
The view from our dining room
Through the screen of my bathroom window – Look up – can you see the icicles?
October snow – unseasonable Way too early – unreasonable Return of colors – unfeasible In the Winter now
Lack of wind – delightful Snow in clusters – rightful Blue sky returning – eyeful In the Winter now
Howling winds return – disappointing Wind chimes play – enjoying Returning storm looms – annoying In the Winter now
Tasting falling snowflakes – purely Venturing out in the snow – securely Getting skis ready – prematurely In the Winter now
Wanna try your hand at this poetic form? Go ahead … give it your best shot. It’s fun!
For a really good example of the form, check out Jem’s In the autumn now It’s delightful!
Send your poem to Jem Croucher She’d be delighted to hear from you.
Speaking of fun – Look at that photo of us – 100 years ago – Ready for winter!
And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. And he called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”
Our dear neighbor, Scott, came by today. He brought his shovel and gave us his all! All the energy he had stored up he poured out!
Our front porch was buried in snow. Our TazE’s exit from the kitchen door was blocked with over a foot of snow. The sidewalk approaching our house was covered with over 2 feet of snow that the wind had blown as a drift yesterday.
When Scott left, the porch and entry were cleared. The sidewalk is passable, so UPS and FedEx can deliver the package we are expecting today. And TazE was able to go out and do her business. Hooray!
The robins who were hovering under the patio chairs yesterday are dancing in the trees today. The sun is out – melting the snow that had clung to the branches.
Happy Holy Week, my friends. Scott gave us his all! He was exhausted when he finished. God bless him!
Jesus gave His all! How much energy – how many coins – are we willing to give?
I send my love to you, my friends. Have a Wonderful Wednesday! See ya tomorrow … Maundy Thursday… Hugs, JanBeek
Up pops the crocus leaves Tiny sprouts of green Signaling winter’s end – A very welcomed scene.
Only in snowy places Do crocus flowers grow. What makes that a fact? I’d really like to know.
So I checked it out With a quick click or two And learned about this flower. Does its beauty attract you, too?
In her article about gardening, Marie Iannotti wrote the following about crocuses: “Growing from bulb-like structures called corms, crocuses are low-growing perennial plants from the iris (Iridaceae) family. In many regions, crocus flowers (Crocus spp.) mark the arrival of spring. These early bloomers can often be seen peeking up through the snow well before any other flowers appear on the landscape. They grow in a range of conditions, including woodlands, coastal gardens, and suburban lawns. Bloom colors on the tube-shaped flowers include mauve, lavender, and yellow. …”
The crocus in our yard are this gorgeous color of lavender. I wasn’t aware that they also come in mauve and yellow, are you?
My daughter-in-law’s mom, Ruthie, grew up in Switzerland and has lived her adult life in southern California. Speaking with her this morning, telling her about the crocus that are popping up in our yard, she said, “I haven’t seen a crocus since I was a child in Switzerland. They only grow where there’s snow.”
That got me thinking and wondering … and as you read above, they actually grow in a range of conditions. I intend to send her a few “corms” as an Easter gift next week – and I will be very curious to see if they will grow in her yard. She lives not too far from Los Angeles … certainly a place where snow is not expected! But, Marie Iannotti included “suburban lawns” as a place they grow, so we’ll see.
Not quite the same as her Swiss mountainside, huh?
What are some things that you might expect to see only in snowy places?
I love snowdrops. We don’t have any of these in our yard. Gotta remedy that!!
I did a little research on these flowers too, and learned this from Longfield Gardens’ site: “Like other spring-blooming bulbs, snowdrops use their foliage to generate energy for next year’s flowers. Resist the temptation to cut back the leaves or mow them down while they are still green. Within a couple weeks, the foliage will yellow and melt away on its own.
When snowdrops are growing in a location that suits them, the bulbs will multiply and can eventually carpet a large area. The bulbs don’t mind being crowded and rarely need dividing. If you want to move some bulbs to a new area or share them with friends, dig and divide them in early spring, right after flowering and before the foliage begins to yellow. Handle them carefully so the foliage stays attached to the bulbs, and get them back into the ground as quickly as possible.
You may find it takes a couple years to establish large clumps of snowdrops, but once the bulbs have naturalized, you will have flowers every spring for generations to come.”
What springtime flower inspires you?
I hope your home is blessed with a colorful, sweet smelling, beautiful gift of flowers today.
If I could send you a few “corms” as an Easter gift, I would!
Bee well! I send you my love and hugs this day. Thanks for visiting JanBeek.
I’ll get to it next. That”s just what I tell myself. But, when does next come?
I often delay Doing what needs to be done – With good excuses.
Is that familiar? And I’m not the only one. Bob knows that routine!
“Just put a towel out – It will soak up the water. I am going skiing.”
That’s two years ago. A sump pump is what’s needed. Will a snow fence work?
This is it last week – After putting up snow fence – Before last snow fall.
Please get me a towel To soak up the melting snow Before it warms up!
Procrastination Lives in my part of the world Inside – not just out!
No, not my office – But it certainly could be. Mine’s almost as bad!
Do you have places That you are sure to avoid? Rather do your blog?
You are not alone. It’s an immortal problem. Procrastination!!
The Bible addressed the issue:
“Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God… is with you.”
1 Chronicles 28:20
Pray for God to help You and me do what we must That we’re avoiding.
Get it off your chest. Step up – Act wholeheartedly – Just tackle the mess!
I promise I will – After finishing coffee. Hah! Ignore the mess…
Thanks for visiting JanBeek today. Now, go get busy!! See ya tomorrow (God willing)
P.S. By the way, did you realize as you were reading this that every three line stanza is a kind of Haiku with a syllabic pattern of 5-7-5? If you didn’t that’s OK. It means I didn’t force it. That was fun!
JanBeek 