April 2021

 QUOTE OF THE MONTH:

"When I am overwhelmed, You alone know the way I should turn." ❤

~Psalm 142:3a

APRIL GRATITUDE LIST

• Celebrating Triston's 14th and Carter's 13th birthdays!
• The birth of Parker Elizabeth + getting to meet her
• My first appointment with Shannon, my new counselor, going well
  
• Being fully vaccinated at long last
  
• Being invited to Easter church and lunch with Laura and Susie 
• Mom and Dad getting a new puppy (Oreo!) 
• Attending Kyndal's Authors' Tea
  
• An encouraging talk with my cousin, Kristin, over Olive Garden soup and breadsticks
  

What was life-draining this month?

• It was a particularly draining month emotionally, which I guess was well-timed since I started counseling this week
• The recent stomach bug wasn't exactly pleasant either
  

What was life-giving this month?

• Hitting my one-year anniversary with Peloton #lindseyclaire7
  
• Giving myself grace to take more yoga/stretch rest days when I was feeling down or feeling sick
• Creating my board of empowerment pic by pic - love it!!
• Painting and watching fun painting tutorials on Youtube
• Meditating on truth (like this gardening metaphor)
• Acts of kindness (meals, gifts, holiday/birthday cards, encouraging letters)
• The entire gratitude list above ❤
  

HAPPY LISTS

I Read:  Mostly blogs and social media posts - no physical books this month

I Listened To:  Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (ESV).
Three Audiobooks:  Untamed by Glennon Doyle, Forgiving What You Can't Forget by Lysa TerKeurst, and The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey. 
The 10 podcasts mentioned in January + The Gospel in Life with Tim Keller and this month's "Therapy & Theology" podcasts from Proverbs 31 Ministries

I Watched:  Sorry for Your Loss, Bombshell, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier

I Made:  Lots of deeper-than-usual blog posts.  Added a weave pattern effect to an old painting. Collected quotes, verses, and worship lyrics to put in daily encouraging letters for Kristin as she recovers from surgery.  My "board of empowerment" (photo below)! ❤

 

*This recap was inspired by Emily Freeman's The Next Right Thing Journal, and I'm writing one for each month of 2021!