A Time Of Family Thanks

SUN., NOV. 27, 1988, 5:53 AM
FARM, STUDY

You just have experienced a time of unique thanksgiving. Your family, immediate, was gathered here at this Farm for this time of holiday, and it was a warm, beautiful time, in spirit as well as in weather. It was difficult to find uninterrupted time for My advice to you, and you spent your energies rather well as father and grandfather. But I did have to get you up this morning for a return to this meditation. Sorry the first call was so early. Hear Me, o son, on a bleak Sunday morn.

The gathering on Thanksgiving Day was without accident or serious incident, and you were properly thankful for that. Though all did not experience perfect, exuberant health no one was truly sick or injured. All in all, it was a rather healthy time, and this was a definite blessing.

All came, as they had promised. There are good reasons to be doing other than gathering together as a family, but these were not heeded. The differences in the ages of the children, even though not extreme, made for some conflicts and disharmony, but you can be thankful for relative fellowship among the cousins. Your grandfather role was a demanding one, at times, but you did as well as you could. Your contribution to the next generation is one to be proud of, even as it is excessive, from a theoretical perspective.

The weather was just about perfect through the Day of Thanks. If it had been cold as well as wet, which combination would not be unexpected, there would have been more hassles and frustrations, with the house not quite adequate for the satisfactions of all. I rarely bestow such weather directly, but thanks for this meteorological blessing certainly are appropriate and deserved.

Time for long conversations was hard to arrange, what with the demands of children. Yet some did so gather, and you can be thankful that there is willingness to build family spirit and remembrances, through the human capacities to converse and to remember. You were not in on all of these, but your time, spent in other ways, was not ill-spent.

It was good that you spent time with Matthew and read the Teaching to him. Discussion of it could have been a bit more pressing, but your “feel” for the situation was generally good. Continue to let him know that you care for him and are more than just a provider of substance. Encourage him in his attempts to develop a more stable lifestyle. Appreciate his strengths rather than focusing on his departures from the usual. Continue to let him know that I want him on a path much closer to Me, and that I shall welcome him whenever he is ready.

There were no times of fiery discussion of relationship with Me and other theological questions. It is not truly pleasant to air differences, but you must not feel comfortable in withholding all talk of My way with you and in having your sons do the same. You consider the ideal of all of your family being on the same spiritual path, with comparable knowledge and styles of worship. You must be satisfied that most are rather strongly Christian and do share relationship with Me, even as the details diverge. Be thankful for this Sunday morn at your church, even if all of the family cannot be present.

It was good that you included Michael and Samson as part of your thanks celebration and eating ritual. This is still a difficult time for them, and it was good of Lenore to be sure that they were with you. In one sense your family and this Farm is special to them, and this inclusion helped solidify that. I bless their presence with you.

Later you shall have an opportunity to share with the large family and with special friends a written rendition of this time of family thanks. It, rather than the celebration of My birth as Jesus, will be the family gathering of this year, and many will be pleased to hear of this, so you must write it with love and faithfulness.