A Family Thanksgiving Gathering

TUES., NOV. 21, 2000, 1:16 PM
FARM, STUDY

Your son, Bob, and his family from South Carolina have arrived, and Lenore’s kin are on their way. Then you have two sons and their “families” here… and a few others who want to celebrate with you. Thus, it is a large group that is, at this season, called family. You are fortunate, but you don’t truly enjoy all of this as much as you should.

The family gatherings of your childhood and youth were, at most, about 1/3 of what will gather in a few days. And even though you have been involved in these big family “affairs” for over 30 years you still are not completely comfortable.

You had success as a teacher, dealing comfortably with both large and small classes. You were rather gregarious, and you enjoyed the student gatherings, as classes and as social groups. You have been an active Christian churchman for most of your life, taking… and succeeding in… many leadership positions.

But you no longer are an active teacher, you haven’t been to a convention for several years, and you’ve given up all official positions in the church. You are on the off-ramp of a busy, engaged, active life. And thus this coming-up gathering of “family” doesn’t have the “promise” that such has had, in the past. You’re somewhat uncomfortable with this, but you’re also reluctant to “fake” joyful involvement too fully.

You had a task to do, that had to be done, so you didn’t go along on the trek to Carbondale. Now you are all alone here, for the bottling and this Teaching. (But, yes, you’d better be sure the fire in the fireplace continues.) ( 1:35 / 1:39 ) It is a fine Fall day, but cold. Fires do help such days retain their pleasures.

You have much to be thankful for, and of course this includes the big family. There are many unique personalities in this family, which is wonderful… but not easy to relate to each as you want to… and should. Yes, it is the “down-side” of this gradual withdrawal from active relating with many personalities. It becomes more difficult, even frustrating… and more and more you must consider… “how hard should I try?”

You had an enjoyable, rewarding career, in each of the three “sites” for your development as a teacher and as a unique servant of Mine. Your own “Russell Family” is rather large and diverse, more AND less like you have been and are. You are thankful for all of them, but it becomes more difficult to relate to each, easily and appropriately. In one sense you’d like to be considered “the Patriarch,” but you have an equal feeling of not being willing to “try” for such a “role”… of not deserving it.

You do wonder how many more of such gatherings you will be able to attend. You are in better total health than your brother-in-law, Bob, and he is still “attending.” So as you observe him you’ll consider whether you, in a future condition similar to his, now, would still want to “be included,” or would you “withdraw,” as your parents did in their “old age.” I’ll help you consider the merits of several ways of “being Bob Russell” in these last years of yours. ( 2:01 / 2:06 )

You are thankful for this Farm-place, where there can be a gathering such as this approaching one. You are thankful for the health you still have, and I want you to focus much more on what you still have than on what you have lost. (Just sneeze, when you have to… and enjoy it!) Remember that you have “opted for” a gradual, deteriorating life process, rather than the “sudden death” way of Peter and Michael… at least this is how you “see it” now. This is not necessarily “the easy way,” but it CAN BE rather “easy” if you focus on the positives rather than what you’re losing or have lost. You have been quite positive during your life thus far. Can you keep it up as it becomes harder to see “the good”?

As you gather for the Thanksgiving meal offer your prayer of Thanks but also invite a few others to join you in such a prayer… and a final “Praise God…” in song.