Carol Bridges – micheleplumbstowell.org

157. The Last Sort

It begs that I leave things better than the ones before me, that I start a new wave of personal follow through, that I acknowledge that my descendants and the ones who love me should not have to clean up my mess.

I cracked the prayer book. The page title read “Seed of Prosperity”. My eyes went directly to the line “Look at your possessions. As you observe each one, ask yourself, ‘Do I feel thankful for this?'”

Carol Bridges next bullet point: “Immediately get rid of everything for which you are not thankful.” Marie Kondo was five years old when Carol’s book hit the shelves. There is a striking similarity in their premises.

I have been through my drawers and closet two or three times this year. I could do it again, but there isn’t much left to sort. Everything fits. I’m slowly working my way through accumulated shampoos, soaps and lotions. I have a large collection of art, and gifts I’ve received, but if I still own it, it has meaning.

This page in the Inner Guidebook pops up again and again. I want to blame it on overuse, a crease in the spine of the book, some sort of physical deformation of the pages. That just is not true.

What waits? Photos. Files. Boxes of family memorabilia. The hard stuff. The tedious and tiny.

What keeps me from the task? From finishing my personal sorting, not to mention sorting out the last of my Mom and Dad’s stuff (the memorabilia, the even older photos)?

When it comes to facing that my days on the planet are numbered, whether it be in the neighborhood of a hundred, or 10,000, it is difficult to prioritize the tedious. I actually struggle with any prioritization whatsoever.

If I am going to die this week, do I care what I eat? No. Do I want to deal with the monotonous? No. But what if there are a few years left? Then the answers shift to “Maybe yes,” and “Sigh, probably.”

The easiest thing to do is nothing. I do not feel guilty. I do not feel motivated. But there is a pushy little angel behind my spine that cares. It cares about my kids and my family.

That’s big. It goes far beyond the personal possessions, and into the mind and repeating patterns of society. Time to get to work!

50. Sunset

We are dying. Our cells are dying. Our beliefs are dying. Our world is not the same from moment to moment to glorious next moment.

We are only half way through Page 93 of the “Medicine Woman Inner Guidebook”.

“Like the setting sun, I am death to that which has been of this day; yet I promise renewal. (Good news, that aligns with my idea of the pain moving on.) When there is no way out, I come. I am kind. Only I can offer the opportunity to leave behind the unsolvable problems. I am firm. There is no return to what has been. Through me, you are called to the Creator. You are called to listen once more to the Great Plan and the part you must play in it. I am the end of life as you have known it. I am the beginning of what you have not yet imagined.”

I didn’t search for this chapter in the book. I opened the page. I typed the quote, reread it. Reread it again.

“Like the setting sun, I am death to that which has been of this day; yet I promise renewal.” Carol Bridges

We are dying. Our cells are dying. Our beliefs are dying. Our world is not the same from moment to moment to glorious next moment.

We are being reborn. “There is no return to what has been.” Our cells are shifting and changing. Our minds and spirits are growing in leaps and bounds, never the same the next day or the next.

7. Go Deep

Wherever my consciousness may be, it is in the perfection of the Divine plan.

Today, the page of The Medicine Woman Inner Guidebook (Carol Bridges) that opened is called “The Exemplar of Bowls: Ever-Deepening Love”. It is everything one would dream it might be. Do I need permission to just do and be what I “feel like” right now?

The book just spews endless wonderful quotes. “I have given to all who were young on their road to understanding. I have shared all of my knowledge, my poetry, all of my heart’s expression. I have loved deeply and long… When you are lost, I will point the way and let you know you have the feet to walk the road alone.”

I hope beyond hope I have been there for you. If anything has changed on the planet, I hope that you have found some form of support, inspiration, laughter, or drive from my presence. And if not, the good news is I will be with you until the end of time, backing you up, crying your tears and illuminating the way for your dreams and potential.

The words in the lesson resound as appropriate too: “It is time for you to settle back and integrate your love experiences. Count your blessings. Bless others with your presence… Your service to others is as natural as breathing… The full thrust of your life now goes toward your devotion to higher being… For all love given, love returns.” I feel this completely in every moment. Wherever my consciousness may be, it is in the perfection of the Divine plan.