In The Midst Of Summer

FRI., JULY 11, 1997, 6:02 AM
FARM, STUDY

Yes, o son, you are in the midst of summer, that warm, moist season with the long periods of daylight. It, of course, is quite a special summer for you. First, you will be having 3 of these concentrated courses, with which you are quite familiar… and these last 2 are “back to back”… you finish one today and start another one next Monday. But the main reason it is special is that it is the last full term of your long career. At the end of next month you shall be Emeritus.

You’ve accepted this change in your status, for doing all that is necessary as a responsible faculty member is becoming burdensome. Oh, you’ll still miss these responsibilities when they’re no longer yours, but you’ve accepted that it is time, in the midst of summer, for your full-time career to end… and I am telling you (as One who knows your life… even lives… better than you do) that this approaching time of transition is just right.

Today is a cool morning, relatively for the date, but this is a sweating season for you and a growing season for much that is around you, including weeds. It is a season in which it is easy to feed your animals, for the earth provides rather abundantly. Yet all of this actual and potential activity does not make it easier for Me to feed you the “spiritual food” that I have in such abundance. You had this pad and pen ready, but your getting up was for other, more mundane, reasons. As you move into this next portion of your life, there should not be these myriad demands on your time and attention. I recommend that you “move Me up the ladder of priority”… and I expect that you will.

I am not demanding, but I clearly see how you use your time, and I can’t approve of all that you do. Having chosen you for this special relationship I want you to come often for these lessons that are so important. We call them Teachings, partly in honor of the profession that has been yours for these active years. You count these years as being 48, and during these last 18 your teaching has been bolstered by My Teachings to you… in every season.

There is no question, in your mind and spirit, that these Teachings are both important… and fun. It is a process with which you are quite familiar, and We carry it out together quite famously. You “hear” Me rather well, even when I use words that you wouldn’t expect… except now you almost expect the unexpected. And that is fun, for Me as well as for you.

Summer should be a time for work, in this time when growth is evident. The grass grows and should be mowed. The weeds grow, and they should be pulled and used for feed, when possible. But now summer, with all the seasons, should be a time of a slower pace, a season to enjoy for its warmth, its humidity and its long periods of light.

I recommend, also, that this “new” season in your life be one of more appreciation. Take time to appreciate sights and sounds, relationships and ideas. Let your spirit guide you more than has been your practice during these working years. Even onerous tasks, and there will be some of these, can be appreciated and accomplished with… how about joy!?

I realize that the move from your spacious office on campus (one of My favorite places for Teachings now, too) will be a difficult one, and this room could become even more cluttered. I want it less messy, and you do, too, but such is hard to maintain. That will be the task of your Fall season… deciding what goes where and how the clutter can be prevented.