I love going back over the last month or two of Unity's Daily Word to see what I underlined . Many of these excerpts remind me to pay attention - again. Here are some that I haven't written about in any of my other posts.
Starting on August 15 I was living with my mom in Illinois. My siblings and I had been trying to decide when and how to move my mom into an assisted living apartment with some "buy-in" from her. She regularly said, "No decision yet." "I'm going to stay here." She had a minor fall a week before I arrived and, thankfully, was not hurt (I wrote about it in my Through the Lens of Gratitude post.) Throughout my four weeks with her I was challenged to remain centered myself while also answering her doubts and questions and complaints and insecurities. The Unity Daily Word messages were my rock.
August 11 Unity Daily Word: Prepare. I make space in my world for God...decluttering my mind of busy thoughts.
August 14 DW: Possible. With God, I can truly do anything. When I believe in the divine power within me, all things are not only reasonable
but achievable! With God, all things are possible.
From Mark 10:27 - Jesus looked at them and said, "For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible."
August 17 DW: Tender. I am tender with myself and all others. Consideration and kindness are at the heart of tender living. I soften my words, those I speak to others as well as my self-talk. I look for ways to ease another's way and extend patience and grace to those who may be struggling. With a full and gentle heart, I am tender.
From 1 Peter 3:8 - Finally, all of you, have unity of spirit, sympathy, love for one another, a tender heart, and a humble mind.
I was so grateful for this message which spoke especially to me about how to interact with my mom and with myself. The next day (Wednesday) she and I toured the assisted living facility, the day after that we chose an apartment and picked a move-in date of September 1st and the ball was rolling. Actually the roller coaster of emotions was rolling with ups and downs multiple times each day for several weeks.
August 18 DW: Thoughts. My positive thoughts create my world. When faced with chaos, I affirm: The peace of God is mine.
Through much of my time in Illinois I couldn't sleep very well, waking up in the middle of the night and unable to fall back asleep, my thoughts roiling around and around in my mind. I often used the above affirmation to help quiet my mind.
The peace of God is mine.
August 28 DW: Let Go, Let God. From Psalm 56:3 - When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.
I wrote this Bible verse on a Post-it Note and put it on my mom's bathroom mirror. Moving day was approaching and her fear was growing. This verse helped us both. Our family hired a moving coordinator company to help with the packing, floor plan design and unpacking. Two members of the staff of this company who came to pack independently commented on the verse to me; they each said that their company wasn't just a business, it was also a ministry to help people make big changes in their living situations as smoothly as possible. The woman who packed my mom's bathroom, packed the Post-it too and when she unpacked and arranged mom's bathroom, placed it on the mirror in her new bathroom. It is there still.
September 5 DW: Balance. With God I live a life of balance.
This was the necessary message I needed to hear. Throughout my stay in Illinois, I attempted to have some balance in how I spent my time. I walked for an hour every morning (God bless audiobooks!) before my mom got out of bed. I interspersed activities like watching soccer on tv with time with my mom. On various days I went my sisters to musical, a local hawk watch, an outdoor art show, and an outdoor evening concert. On my mom's moving day, while she was having her first dinner in her new place, one of my sisters and I had dinner at a favorite restaurant on the patio. It was delicious and pleasant and a wonderful break. Then I spent that evening with mom in her new apartment for her first night there. The following evening I had dinner with my other sister at another outdoor restaurant, had a strawberry margarita and another delicious and pleasant dinner. Afterwards I spent that evening at my mom's for her second night in her new apartment. During the last week of my visit I went to one of my sister's to watch U.S. Open Tennis matches. That was fun and a nice break too. I honestly think that having that balance of time with my mom and time doing other things kept me sane.
This is all for now. I will finish September and October next month.
~ Jean
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