Half Way Through

FRI., JULY 18, 1997, 6:39 AM
FARM, STUDY

This is the last day of the first half of this, your last class as a full-time professor. Retirement comes closer, and its reality will be somewhat different than its “contemplation”. (You really do need to see someone in Personnel and make sure you’ve done all that’s necessary for a smooth transition to Emeritus status.)

Earlier this year you envisioned that you might have the opportunity, in the future, to teach this Death Education course again, after retirement. Now you are almost assured that this will not be. This is the final group that you will lead through this learning adventure, predictably. It shall be a loss, and be prepared to feel that loss, when it is actual.

You shall have to decide whether… or to what extent… you shall continue some ties with your Department and its students or sever them rather completely. As you think about the colleagues you have had over the years who have retired you see a pattern of almost complete severance, while some from other Departments have kept some ties. You, like the others, can be easily and quickly forgotten. As this present group of students moves through the program and on to something else you shall be only a name and a fading reputation. This will hurt some, so be ready for such a loss.

You do have the opportunity, with these young folk who have evidenced interest in the spiritual as an aspect of health to form a group to consider, through Our Teachings, My observations about this time in your culture. You like some aspects of such a “plan”… of continual involvement… but it would require some organization, and you’ve never been strong as an organizer, even when you were going “full speed”.

Yes, there is something rather scary about being non-involved and therefore forgotten. But this is part of this coming aspect of your life, and We’ll have to decide how to face it. How often will you go to the campus? Will you encourage any of this next “generation” of students to know who you are? Will there be some who come out here to the Farm, at the slightest invitation?

Or will you, like most of your colleagues before you, move into a new way of life, detached from the university, except for games and other special events? You have a responsibility to continue Our Ruminations, and this shall be some tie with at least some in your field. I have told you repeatedly that you are not a prophet, with dire warnings about the future, if certain changes don’t come about, in individuals and in your culture. But you can continue as an educator, informing those “who have ears to hear” of the concerns I put upon your heart and mind.

It all ties together, through your favorite courses. Put quite simply: a time to be born and a time to die. Death is an essential part of life, both as a balance in life on this earth and as a balance in spiritual development. Your culture is quite close to doing more harm than good for life on this planet. One of My possible, even probably, interventions in the future will be an increase in deaths. You can still contribute, in some ways, to more reasonable acceptance of this as a blessing rather than as tragedy.

My life as Jesus was certainly short by your present “standards”, but it was significant… partly because I willingly gave it up as an assurance that you… and others who accept My Gift… might continue life with Me beyond the death of your present body.

The essence of life is spirit, and spirit is everlasting. I am Spirit, and I am everlasting. The purpose of spiritual life is to realize the many ways of relationship with Me, so that life can be lived fully, day by day.