Underlined Excerpts - April 2021

Every month I review all the passages I've underlined in that month's Daily Word. Here are April's underlined excerpts.

April 8 - Harmony - Affirmation: The harmony I seek begins with me. It's natural to want to live in harmony with other people and the world around me, but I cannot expect to find harmony around me if there is inharmony within. I search myself for anything that may be keeping me from living harmoniously... The best way to regain harmony is to tend to my spiritual life.

April 12 - Inner Peace - Breathing deeply, I find this infinite peace. From Luke 24:36 - While they were talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you."

These four babies are
only 1 or 2 days old.

April 19 - Faith - Affirmation: I have faith the highest and best outcomes are unfolding in my life. In these sacred moments, I breathe gently, releasing my fears and worries. From Mark 5:36 - But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the leader of the synagogue, "Do not fear, only believe."

April 20 - Release - How many times have I [been] feeling fearful about whether I have the ability or talent to complete [a new endeavor] successfully? I rob myself of my power and agency when I dwell in the past or future... Releasing the past and future keeps my attention focused on the present moment.

April 21 - Divine Order - My life is an adventure in change...Everything in my life is working out for good. Through my faith in God, I believe my life - and all life - is moving in the direction of its most perfect expression.

April 23 - Forgive - As I release my heavy load, I breathe.

April 26 - World Peace - A peaceful world begins with my peaceful heart.

Yard signs I liked

So many of these messages are a reminder to me that harmony, peace, faith, self-doubt, forgiveness, fear and worries are my inner work, work that I can do. It is so good to reaffirm that when situations outside of me sometimes are so chaotic.

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I just returned from a two week visit with my mom in Illinois. It was great to see and be with her - it has been seven months since my last visit. Every morning before she woke up I took a walk in the neighborhoods around her townhouse.

These are two pictures from my walks. I also saw a Tiny Library in someone's front yard. I saw egrets, great blue herons, a beaver and a black-crowned night heron in the pond. I walked by the school where my nephew and his wife hope their special-needs 5-year-old son can safely re-start school in the fall. On audiobooks I listened to Jon Meacham's The Hope of Glory. A Reflections on the Last Words of Jesus from the Cross, and Brene Brown's Braving the Wilderness. The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone, both of which I recommend and which were inspirational in different ways.

~ Jean