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Posts tagged ‘sunrises’

We’re Back!!

Hello, Montana Sunrise

Hello beautiful sunrise from my dear North Carolina friend!

Hello Montana Snowdrifts!

Hello, dear friend, who walked over the 3’ drift to come say,
“I’m here to plow you out!”
(Oh my, look how the snow came in the front door!)
God bless our helpers!

Hello Daughter#2 back in Maryland.
Thank you for your love, hospitality,
transportation, and luscious food!
We miss you already.

Hello Lacey!
You’re such a lucky pup to have your
“People Grama” taking care of you
while your parents are on their honeymoon!

Hello Daughter#1…
So glad you’re back safely in Switzerland,
enjoying a luscious dinner with your hubby. 👍🏽

Hello PicNick!
Hey, DeDe,
How fun that your #2 son
came to visit and to show you
his new car!
Congratulations, Nicky
(my #2 grandson).
We’re so glad for you!!

Hello again, Lacey!
Yes, I know, you need attention!!

Hello Montana sunset!
Another day gone by,
and we are so grateful for clear skies,
for friends, neighbors, WP contacts and their comments,
and for our local chiropractor who helped relieve my body aches!

(That was my first visit in my 83 1/2 years
to see a chiropractor.
I wonder why
I waited so long!)

Have you ever been to one?

Whew! Feeling like an Angel just touched me!
I hope you’ve had a blessed day, too, my friends.

Bee 🐝 well- and free of pain!

See ya tomorrow.
Hah! It’s tomorrow already…
I forgot to click “Publish” on this one yesterday ;o(

Love ya,
JanBeek

Embrace Shared Humor

I have a good friend –
(Well, I have more than one friend)
But one makes me laugh.

She sends funny memes,
And she shares off-color jokes –
Never toooo naughty!

Some are just
“Uh-huh”
Others are
“uh-oh!”
Watch your ego!
And still others are
“Oh-no!”
I laughed out loud on this one!
Did you?
Oh ya!!
Groan!
I have another friend
who sends pictures of her sunrise,
and let’s me know she has
me in her morning prayers.
In return, I send her my sunrise…
and keep her in prayer, too.
This morning it was no laughing matter,
the smoke in our valley is hiding the sun.
And my daughter in Glen Burnie
sends morning photos of her coffee.
That’s not shared humor…
but it makes me chuckle!
And smile with reciprocated love.
Whatever you share,
whether humor,
sunrises,
prayers, or
coffee…
I love it!
And maybe that smile
will grow into a chuckle
or a belly laugh…
This is my great-granddaughter –
Sienna.
This kind of shared humor
keeps me smiling all day long!

Have a fun-filled day.

Pass along some humor!

God bless you!
Love,
JanBeek

Embrace Aging

I could have called this “Embrace Maturity,”
but that would have been pussyfooting around the issue.
Not everyone matures as they age,
but aging is not an option.

You do it or you die.

However, I embraced this meme when I saw it:

Aging is a privilege only given to the lucky ones, you know.
So, yes, I will count this year …
but at 81, I sometimes forget if it is 80 or 81
and if I try to get by with the lesser number,
I have an 82 year old husband who is quick to remind me.

Hah! Can’t fool him…
He keeps a check on me – – –
but he’s not big on donuts.
Darn!

My daughter
(most of you have met her on this blog in the past –
DeDe – lives in Switzerland)
sent me this a little while back.
She particularly liked it
because one of Bob’s nicknames for me
is “Rocky”

Most of you also know that I have a sanctuary
where I spend the first hour most every morning…
and in it I have three antique rockers.
Ah, yes, it’s the perfect image of me!

But the chair that brings us
mutual joy
is the one we put in the back of our ATV
and pull out when we stop for a break.
The best way to embrace aging
is to find a hobby that you can enjoy
with someone you love.

For Bob and me, it is joining friends
and going four-wheeling
on these wonderful Rocky Mountain trails. ..
stopping to fish the mountain lakes.
Ah, that’s livin’!!

What hobbies
make your aging process more enjoyable?
One of our mutual hobbies
(besides four-wheeling)
is teaching Sunday School.

Here are darling Ruby & Cord.

COVID got in the way
of being able to meet each Sunday morning
with these two darlings and one other…
and then these two moved away.
As they age, their mom sends us pictures.

Getting picture from family and friends
is a great way to welcome the new day
and look forward to the next time you can visit.

Aging is easier to embrace if you have dreams –
something to look forward to, right?

We dream of next October –
when COVID-19
will be controlled
and it will be safe
to travel to see our daughter,
De, and her husband, Andre’ –
and stay in one of the hotel rooms above the restaurant.

As we age,
some of the benefits
outweigh the struggles
that come with aching joints
and lowered energy levels.

One of them is,
when your grandkids act up
and get on your nerves,
you can just send ’em back to their folks!

Couldn’t do that when you were younger
and they were your own kids!

Gotta look for the perks in this aging process!

Oh my!
Take ’em home!!

Another advantage of aging
is that we have time to reminisce
about the “Good Ole Days”
and the songs we used to sing
that these youngsters with their guitars and drums
don’t seem to understand anymore.

And if those songs
and the memories they bring
aren’t enough to make you feel good
about still being on this earth,
try singing this one:

Another way to “Embrace Aging”
is to relish the extra time
you have to just find a good book,
pour yourself a hot chocolate or a glass of wine,
curl up in front of a warm fire,
and spend some uninterrupted quality time.

When you were younger, that luxury was seldom yours, right?

Now, if you are a youngster (under retirement age)
reading this blog,
you are probably thinking that I am a dreamer.
You’re right. I am!
And each day I dream up all kinds of things
to keep me exuberant about life.

Yesterday it was effervescence.
The day before it was … oh, do I have to go back that far?

Nope!
A trick to aging gracefully is to remain playful.
Keep your hobbies,
and make up ways to keep the sparkle alive.
Take those boots that were left at the front door
and get creative!

If you can’t get out because you’re snowed in –
and you’re longing for sushi,
but the nearest place is an hour away,
send money to your kids
and tell them to go out for sushi on you.
But make sure they send you a picture…
and drool all over the computer screen
when they send it!

Ask your friends to send you a picture
of the table they decorated for some recent holiday –
and then marvel at their creativity
as you sit down for the 10th night in a row at your kitchen counter…
thanking God for your life,
your food, your kids, and your kitchen counter.

A trick to embracing aging
is to always remain thankful for your blessings…
even if they aren’t at a yacht club!!

Now, here’s a couple who knows how to live it up:
My friends, the Rosens.

Embrace Aging
by feeding your mind
Hope, Truth and Love
on a daily basis.

Don’t let your mind tell you you’re OLD.
That’s a state of mind for the senile.
It’s not for you!

Tell your mind
that aging just adds to your story…
and you’re not finished telling it yet!

Have fun, my friend.
Make room for sunsets.

Photo by Trung Nguyen on Pexels.com

Look forward to sunrises.


And believe in miracles…
Because you are one!

Thanks for visiting JanBeek today.
See ya tomorrow.

Swept Up in the Current

Today’s sermon by Rev. Steve Hundley
at Ennis, Montana’s Presbyterian Church
was titled, “Swept Up in the Current of God’s Love.”

In my typical fashion, I listened
and took notes in poetry to capture the message
as I was received it.

I like this image for today’s bulletin cover
because the message as I pondered it was:
“Listen for the angels’ announcement.
Listen with your heart, and
Be swept up into the
realms of JOY!”

Based on and reflections from
Luke 1:39-55

Mary rushed to tell Elizabeth
The anticipation of Jesus’ birth.
But Elizabeth already knew it…
Elizabeth knew it? How on earth??

Mary felt a song swell up
And bubble over inside her.
She sang acceptance and praises.
Elizabeth beamed beside her.

We don’t think of God exploding
Into our lives this season.
Our upside-down world seems to forget
The JOY, the Message, the Reason.

The story of Mary and Elizabeth
Reminds us of the glories of the event.
To make Christmas more meaningful,
We need to focus on the love sent.

Mary and Elizabeth didn’t make the joy.
They WERE the joy – growing in them.
God’s presence exhibited the miracle.
The peace and JOY of God began then.

We’re not the master of all this.
The grace and love are gifts.
We’re the grateful recipients.
With Jesus’ birth, the world shifts.

The angels announced the Savior.
The vulnerable baby was born.
His life changed our destiny.
No longer are we lost or forlorn.

Mary’s Magnificat is a message
To all of us to be steady –
Steady for Christ’s coming.
Listen with your heart – be ready!

Be prepared to be swept away
By the current of God’s love.
Be prepared for that Bethlehem baby
Who came to save us from above.

Thanks to Elaina for our Nativity gift
which arrived at our doorstep today!

Yes, the angels announced that heavenly Baby
Who came down from God to us.
Now we’re awaiting the angel
Who’ll announce an end to all this fuss.

No, Reverend Steve didn’t add that last stanza to his sermon…
but I just couldn’t help myself!
Don’t you love that COVID angel?
No?

Ah, come on… let’s add the need for
a freedom announcement.

Freedom from the pain of this pandemic.
Freedom from the need to wear masks,
socially distance,
stay at home,
and
isolate.

Can you read the mask’s label?
“Coughy filter”
Hah!
Get it??
Bob & I are wearing our masks
whenever we go out.
Are you?

Don’t let this Coronavirus get to you…

Don’t take to the bottle to try and drown the pain!!

Make wise decisions!

Keep your eyes and your ears tuned to the Holy Spirit
and be ready to be “swept up in the current of God’s love.”
Jesus’ birth is the reason for the season –
And the grace and hope He brings
will keep you swimming
in love and joy.
Believe!

JOY comes in the morning!
My friend, Lisa Glines,
sent me this sunrise picture this morning.

The following poem
came from Lisa
yesterday as I was waiting
for Bob’s angiogram results.

“Thy name is my healing, O my God, and remembrance of Thee is my remedy. Nearness to Thee is my hope, and love for Thee is my companion. Thy mercy to me is my healing and my succor in both this world and the world to come. Thou, verily, art the All-Bountiful, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.”

Jaime and Kathy played the piano and keyboard as Jim played the saw for some special music this morning.

I always imagine that saw being the only instrument some old cowboy had on hand in some distant days gone by… and learning to eerily try to play a tune on it must have been quite an interesting pastime!!

Thanks for visiting JanBeek today.

I hope you enjoyed these tidbits of my Sunday.
Bee safe!
See ya tomorrow.
Bee well!!

Shared Sunsets & Sunrises

My good friend, Lisa, who lives in North Carolina, sent me this sunset video last night. I was home here in Montana on a dark, stormy night… missing the chance to see a sunset here… and along came this gift:

Yes, it is God’s gift of love!

In the past, Lisa has sent other sunsets … and a lot of sunrises … along with prayers for blessings and health and happiness. What a wonderful friend!

My collection of sunsets and sunrises come to you with prayers and love, too.

If you love the way God chooses to start and end each day as much as I do, let me share with you other sunsets I’ve received:

And I love sunrises just as much. Let me share a couple of those with you:

Fran McNeill’s sunrise

I shared that last one with you a couple weeks ago, but I couldn’t talk about sunrises and not include hers. Talk about beautiful! Isn’t God the greatest artist ever??

So, whether you are ready for your next sunset, like we are here in Montana, or your next sunrise, like my daughter in Switzerland, let God’s handiwork amaze you…

… and share your love of the Light with all you meet. Have a blessed day – and a restful night. I’ll see you tomorrow.

Virtual hugs from
JanBeek

What’s Happiness?

Sometimes you design
A plan for your happiness,
But it comes from God.

Happiness bubbles
Up from a pure, grateful heart.
It’s being child-like!

Not childish, mind you!
Not irresponsible plans,
But innocent faith.

Happiness is life
Lived in anticipation
Of a bright sunrise.


It is the belief
That sunsets just mean rest time
And a new day dawns.

Christine Migneau Photography
Beautiful Montana

Happiness is faith
That flowers will grow in shade
And we’ll grow in storms!

Paul Holdorf Photography

When life gives you storms
Share your umbrella in love.
Feel your heart expand!

Photo by Designecologist on Pexels.com

Are you feeling blue?
Have the storms gotten you down?
Give it all to God.

Have a restful night
and a Happy Tomorrow.
See ya then.

JanBeek


A Tribute to Ken Hall

This morning I received this wonderful photo of a very talented and compassionate man, Ken Hall. It was attached to a beautiful tribute
written by his wife, Penny. You just need to read it! Click the link below.

https://www.pennyhall.life/ken/

Above our bed, Bob & I have a photograph taken by Ken. It captures a gorgeous sunrise above our Madison Range. On a good day, we can see that sunrise out our bedroom window. But, on cloudy days when the sun is hidden, thanks to Ken’s creative lens, we still have our sunrise.

As Penny mentions in her tribute, one of Ken’s talents was music. He played the Indian flute magnificently. I think he may have had a heavy dose of Native American in him. Here is the video Ken produced shortly before his untimely, unexpected death. I hope it will open for you.

I leave you with the peace
that only God can give.
May you live in such a way
that a tribute to you
is this heart-warming
after your unexpected, untimely death

(hopefully that’s after you’ve lived a healthy 100 years).

See ya later.
God bless you.
Bee well!!

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