Mirth… And Death

THURS., DEC. 13, 1990, 9:46 AM
FARM, STUDY

You are having two different and balancing experiences in the days of this week. Last evening you spoke to a group about mirth… fun… humor… joy, and it was rather well received. Tomorrow you shall conduct a funeral/burial for the father of a good friend and a good servant of Mine. Is there some connection between these diverse opportunities? With this Teaching commencing in this way you suspect there is. Continue to hear Me.

The “good” events of life elicit happiness, which leads on to feelings of joy! Births are joyous. So are promotions, moving to a better place, warm, sunny days… Yet you can attest to the happy feelings that come from staying where you are, in the job you have had, for years, having sufficient relatives and grandchildren. So balance and “things as they are” can bring forth joy as well. But what about death? You did not know this man, but you must develop a small service the reflects something like knowledge. What is the key?

The key, of course, is Me. I knew this man from his youth, his times of professional competence and respect… and then on into his days of drunkenness, rage, and despair. I saw part of a life wasted, and yet his spirit still struggled to break forth and grow. Now it can. It is loosed from a body, an addiction, a view of earth life that could not be changed. He is not proud of the last portion of his life, but he is now in a realm where he can balance that more effectively. He is proud of Mark and of the family he heads. He died with both a sense of relief and of some satisfaction that his life goes on, in symbol, in Mark and in these children. That is a joyous realization, and I share it with you… to share with them.

A few deaths are almost wholly tragic. Most are some combination of tragic and relief… to the person or to others. And many are “just right” or even overdue. Death is a normal part of life as I have created it… and hold to the knowledge that what I create is good. I have always done it with a smile. (And I always shall.) The Biblical proclamation that earth life for humans shall be three score and ten, with an extra ten for “good behavior” shall not be repealed. Individual causes of death shall diminish, but others shall increase. You must see that death is, ultimately, part of the joy of life. It is an appropriate subject for humor, say I.

I have offered you this analogy before, but I run it by you again. You look out, on this cool, gray day at trees that are barren of leaves. In this state it is difficult to distinguish a live tree from a dead one. They all look dead. The leaves are dry and dead on the ground. Soon even the remaining green grass shall go dormant. And yet you know that as winter passes and spring arrives life and growth will be evident. The leaves deteriorate and become nourishment for new leaves. Out of apparent death comes new life. The life of spirit is like unto this. A body dies, but the spirit moves on… to some new possibility of growth and development. Death is only as real as the apparent death of these trees you see.

But trees do die, and their material returns to the earth. You burn wood, and the ashes are strewn to enrich the life of the land, after providing you with warmth. Spirits merge back into Me when it is a proper time. And this is done in joy!

And still I affirm that grieving can be a proper human response. Earth relationships are important, even as many of them are “short term.” When the spirits of two persons have been in real communion, and then one “moves on” to some other realm there is real loss and grief. The mature spirit sees this, however, as an opportunity to remember… and to love others. There shall be other chances for relationship. The loss should be an impetus to give of yourself, in appreciation for remaining life.