See It As An Adventure

TUES., AUG. 17, 1999, 7:11 AM
FARM, STUDY

No, o son, I shan’t leave you now, as this adventure, in the last portion of this earth life, is now underway. (The inclusion of two “nows” was not a mistake on your part nor on Mine.) This is a time to focus on the “now”… using the two concepts I offered you some years back – awareness and appreciation. Be as aware as you can be of all that you’re experiencing and appreciate the spiritual content of all that you experience.

I assure you, yet again, that life in the spirit continues on, in a wider and deeper way than you can imagine. That which can be called “death,” then, is the end of this earth adventure, but also the commencement of another, which shall be quite familiar to you. It is quite like the use of the term “commencement” in the university tradition – the end of one good, important aspect of life, but the commencement of another, with new challenges.

It was good for you to offer that brief resumé of your life for the parishioners at Marion on Sunday. You shortened it for them, but for yourself you practiced a longer version… of your life and how it has been, to this point. It has been a fine adventure, from that comfortable San Francisco Ave. neighborhood of your childhood, to the achievements of high school, through the combination of Navy and university experiences, through those wonderful years at Punahou… and then at Stanford, on to this long leg of the “journey,” here in Southern Illinois.

And you are now in your 21st year as one who hears directly from Me, Holy Spirit. It has been a bit more than ¼ of your life… and not quite 1/3. I’ve explained to you before that I wasn’t willing to offer you this “gift” during the portion of your life when your professional and parental responsibilities were considerable… and heavy. I wanted you to be a good writer, and that required some “practice.” Oh, I know there were times, in the early days of Our active relationship, when it was almost a chore to get up and hear Me, in the rather lengthy way I preferred. But we both persisted, and there is much quite tangible evidence of Me as Teacher and you as learner.

You have been telling the story of three deaths in your family, and of this I approve. Peter came across quite suddenly and unexpectedly, and when you encounter him again, in spirit form, you shall learn to what extent there was some “intent” in that accident. Michael’s life was longer, but he wasn’t yet at a time to ponder his life, lived thus far, and be conscious of its end. When you encounter him again, in spirit form, you shall “hear” to what extent he had some foreknowledge of a possible early “departure.”

Your Dad’s earth life extended “overlong,” and, like your Mother’s, his spirit left his body at times, for some “pre-adventure.” The quality of his earth life was low in those last years, but buoyed by the love and care of Joanne and Howard… and

It now looks as though your final experiences will be more “ideal,” in terms of awareness and appreciation. There is a battle going on in your body now, and your physical health is now prevailing. But these “killer cells” can be tenacious. Part of the adventure may be radiation… to kill in order to prolong the life process. If you decide on this, then you’ll have to decide how side-effects abet or hinder the adventure. At some point you’ll have to decide whether the adventure should be prolonged.