Growing Bones

While at a Minister’s convocation, I got into a conversation with several people about my niece who was born with her hipbone out of the hip socket.  She was put into a body cast and even it with, she managed to “crawl” around the floor. 

One of the women there then told me of a story about her daughter and the bone she grew because she was born without the supporting bone for her leg.  She said to me, “I wrote it for “Chicken Soup for the Soul” series and I will send you a copy.

I got home and while going through the mail, I opened my issue of Woman’s World and there in the weekly series of “Chicken Soup for the Soul” stories, was her story.  I emailed her and said, don’t bother sending it.  I already have it.

The Universe arranged for it to be published just for me right after we had had that conversation.  How wonderful!

It doesn’t matter what the “thing” that is asked for, the Universe always supplies.

Consciousness

"Life will give you whatever experience is most helpful for the evolution of your consciousness. How do you know this is the experience you need? Because this is the experience you are having at this moment."

-       Eckhart Tolle –

I know the above statement is true but it sure does bug me at my innermost being.  Since this is true for most people, how do they handle all this with ease and grace?

Since being in Oklahoma City, I have gone to church and have been a guest speaker there.  At the end of the service, some woman came up to me and told me that the area I was living in did some great things in recycling and could she bring her recycling to me to take home to dispose of properly?

Wow!  How apropos!  Most people bring their garbage to their ministers to change, handle, or dispose of. 

My answer to her was that “I would certainly think about it.”  Think about it I did!  And I almost rolled on the floor laughing when I got the cosmic joke. 

In the evolution of my consciousness, I am having to rethink some of the instances that have come up for me.  I really wanted to tell her that I have enough of my own garbage to handle that I really didn’t need hers too. 

And don’t we all.  Some of what we have may not be garbage but we certainly have memories, beliefs, attitudes, habits and all else that we could do without because most of them no longer serve us. 

I have jettisoned about half my books before we moved and I have gotten rid of more as I unpacked.  Some of them just went into my recycling bin, some to Goodwill, and some to the garbage.  But even then, I would not have the courage to ask someone else to dispose of them properly for me.  I have decided it takes a lot of audacity to just even think its okay to ask someone else to take care of my junk.

The lesson for me is to be aware of my conscious thoughts around what I have accumulated and to really see what can be disposed of properly.

With unpacking from our move, I am down one last room – our guest room, which has been the depository of whatever doesn’t fit anywhere else.  So, now it is time to find hidey holes for additional linens, pillows, extra patterns for woodworking, a fine set of wooden TV trays and more than enough extra of everything. 

Time to clean up my own consciousness.

May

The month of May is a favorite for many of us because it celebrates and stimulates us to colors, growth, and mild temperatures.  All of which makes me want to walk the parks, listen to beautiful music, play with my puppies, and do what gives me pleasure.  All of this in an effort to remind us what is important in our lives – to nourish, nurture and support ourselves into our highest and best.

The April issue of the Science of Mind magazine has an article by Dr. James Rouse in which he mentions a line, “Live by design.”  How wonderful!  How many of us know don’t know what that is? Do we live our lives by design or by default? 

Sarah Ban Brethnach reminds us that, “We may need to reacquaint ourselves with the material and deeply comforting dimensions of Divinity, in order to learn how to mother ourselves.  And the best way to start is to create, as an act of worship, a comfortable home that protects, nurtures, and sustains all who come there – including you!”

We need to nurture ourselves in order to enrich ourselves and others, to have reasonable expectations, to give more than we receive, to feel comfortable in receiving, to receive with great feeling and gratitude, to indulge and take pride in ourselves and others, and knowing that the good we receive is deserved and owned.  The more alert and sensitive we are to our own needs, the more loving and generous we can be toward others.

“Learn to praise yourself for the qualities you want to develop,” Ernest Holmes tells us.  “Be as kind and encouraging to yourself as you would be to anyone else working to improve.  Your whole life - thought, body and emotions – will soon respond to the praise you give it and you will develop the good qualities desired!  Remember, you are always planting something.”

In order to take better care of yourself, here are some points to think about:

1.    Believe in yourself.  Make a list of your best qualities and focus on them.  Read it often to remind yourself how wonderful you really are.

2.   Do something new.  Doing new things reminds you that making changes are in your hands.  You are in control. 

3.   Laugh and play a lot.  Laughter jump-starts the immune system, so never feel guilty about having a good time or having fun.  Put off the chores if necessary, they will always get done – eventually.

4.   Treat yourself.  Doing something special for yourself sends a powerful message, “I am so worth it.”  Pedicures and foot massages are wonderful.

5.   Renew relationships.  Call a long-forgotten friend.  Remembering your past is like renewing your soul.  Take advantage of it.

“The essential element in nurturing our creativity lies in nurturing ourselves,” teaches Julia Cameron.  Through self-nurturance we nurture our inner connection to the Great Creator.  Through this connection our creativity will unfold.  Paths will appear for us.  We need to trust the Great Creator and move our in faith.” 

All of this assists us to “live by design.”  And all of this helps us to create a higher quality of living.  Take the time to think about your life and where you are headed.  Create a life that is worthy of living.

Moving day

The long awaited day has arrived and I will be off line until mid March.  Today will be spent with last minute packing, tiding and cleaning up and anticipating arriving in Oklahoma City next week.  The movers will be taking a week to get 497 miles.  I don't get it either but that is what they have scheduled.

Hopefully, between now and then, spring will have arrived and the snows and really cold weather will be a thing of the past.  I plan to hibernate and read for the next several days.

Join me next month.

It Always Works

You throw out into Mind an idea, and Mind creates it and places it on the path of your life.  Ernest Holmes

Recently, having made the decision that some of our furniture is too old to move, I wondered how I was going to get rid of all of it before the movers arrive.  Do I have to call “Haul Away Junk?”

Some smaller things just went to the curb just before garbage pickup.  While I was moving a small hallway table out, I went back into the house for the glass insert, and when I got to the door, I saw a man moving the table to a trailer.  I asked him if he wanted the glass to go with it.  Yes.  He asked me what else I was getting rid of and I invited him in to see.  He told me that he would be back the next day with some of his buddies to help me move the items.

The next day, an old television set, a leather sofa, recliner, a kitchen island and a few miscellaneous of clothing all went out the door.  The gentlemen said that he had relatives living in Mexico, who were not as fortunate as he was, and that they would love all of these items.

As one of the guys on the A-Team always said, “I love it when a plan comes together.”

Back to the quote of Ernest Holmes, it is truly fitting that I was a Religious Science Minister.  I needed the inspiration and inspiriting more than anyone else I ever taught in how to use the Principles.  God sent the right man at the right time to the right place and we were blessed. 

Life is very good. 

Adjusting to change

 "The first step towards getting somewhere is to decide you’re not going to stay where you are.”

-       John Pierpont Morgan –

These kinds of life changing decisions are hard on the body, mind and spirit.  We live in the times of having too many choices and so making a decision can sometimes stop us in our tracks.  It has had me stymied that it was doubly hard to overcome the inertia to move forward.

My living areas are now cleared of my usual clutter and comfort.  I am living in a sea of boxes, Spartan furniture and I am feeling the vast discomfort of change.  The area I live in is very diverse and so when we decided that some of our furniture was not going to make the move, I wondered where it was going to go.  I started carrying some items to the curb for our garbage pickup and before I could get more items out there, there was a man already loading up the discards.  When I talked with him, he was more than willing to come by the next day with his buddies and load up the rest of the furniture.  The house is now filled with echoes.

In my past life, I know that every move I made was an upward trend into something bigger and better.  I know that this move will be the same but I am still feeling the loss and the grief about it.

For instance, we bought this beautiful piece of furniture for this house to use as an island for our kitchen.  It had a butcher-block top with lots of doors and drawers for storage and a pull out half table for extra servicing space.  Our new kitchen doesn’t have room for it and when it went out the door, I wanted to cry because I haven’t gotten enough use out of it.  I know that one of the guys will make sure it gets a good home and I am glad that I could feel the generosity of the gift to move on.  But…for now, I am sad.

I know some people thrive on change.  I know, I know.  Change is all there is in this Universe, but I don’t like it.  But for now, more packing…

Life

“Your thoughts do not create reality, but they do create your experience,” says Alan Cohen in his daily inspirational quote to me this morning.  I had to stop and think about that for a minute.  Reality is just what it is but my thinking about it makes it personal to me and thus creates my experience of it. 

There are times when I get caught up in wanting life to be more or less than what it is at the present time.  When I am super busy, I want it to be more routine, calm, peaceful and serene.  When I am relaxed, calm and peaceful, there are times when I crave more excitement. 

What I have to remember is that I can experience all of it at different times.  The secret for me is to stay in the present moment.  Right now, it is okay for me to be inspired to write this essay even in the midst of having lots of things on my needs-to-be-done list.  It is okay for me to sit back and contemplate my navel while waiting for the next thought to be written. 

What I am noticing about my life right now is that I have this need to fully enjoy and experience all of what is about me, around me and is still coming to me.  When I am in a stressful state of mind, I don’t seem to be in the present nor can I enjoy what is going on and when it is done and over, I have difficulty remembering what happened during that time.  I don’t like having gaps in my memory and not being able to remember what happened to me during those times. 

My intention is to think thoughts that create a wonderful experience for me in my reality in order for me to slow down to the speed of my life and to be able to savor all of it as it happens.  My life truly is blessed.  Make yours too.