Serenity and peace are important values in my life. I thought about them today as I went on my walk not worrying about what people might think as they saw me with paper and pen in my hand pausing now and then to make a note. If they looked at my face, they knew that I was enjoying myself and was at peace. I invite you to contemplate these seven ways to strengthen your serenity and peace.



Trust in God. My most trying days after my premature daughter was born were peaceful because I put my trust in God. I had a nurse comment to me that it was easy to tell which parents had their trust in a higher power. It was possible to sense that serenity and peace.

Healthy Living. Exercise, nourishing food, pure water and sufficient rest are important to serenity and peace knowing that I am taking the best care of myself possible. As I was walking along with the wind blowing through my hair, the trees whispering in my ears, the onion field with it red onions and green tops and the sound of the creek as I walked the bridge spanning it I thought about how serene and peaceful it was.

Living Each Day to It's Full. I choose to live each day to it's full. Today I spent time with Ellie Drake and Arthur Joseph, enjoyed some worship, spent time with my daughter planning her college classes, took my long enjoyable walk, took some time for myself and learned something new by writing this article. Each day is different which makes it fun and each day is full. It is not desirable to have a day that is too full. Some things just might not need to happen or not right now.

Smile and be Grateful. I am grateful for each day that I have to enjoy. It is easy to smile when there is a grateful heart. There is so much to be grateful about each day. I write a page each day of things I am grateful to have part of my life -- simple things like the beauty of something or someone dear, the taste of a delicious peach, the white fluffy clouds in the beautiful blue sky or maybe the fact that someone had a beautiful healthy baby.

Helping Others. Being grateful and smiling can be a help to others. Giving someone directions and telling them about a place I love to go can make their day. Being able to answer their question in a caring way, helping them put something in their car, being there and showing them I care in many other ways. It's easy to find the ways when looking for the opportunity.

Living with Passion, yet Going with the Flow. When I am living with passion and fall down I will be like the toddler that falls down and gets up without a thought. It was just part of the process. Living with passion means that there is something I am working toward that is really meaningful to me and going with the flow is following the process while being relaxed about when I will see the outcome.

Living with Purpose. Taking a pen and paper today with me on my walk was to fulfill my purpose to write this article. That was a short term, right now purpose. I have a larger, long-term purpose for my life. In order to accomplish that larger, long-term purpose I have lots of little steps I will be taking in my journey.

Conclusion: To live a life of serenity and peace is to live in harmony with the principles we were created to follow. You will know if what you have chosen to do creates serenity and peace, it is in harmony with the principles. What creates serenity and peace in your life?