You’re Losing “Time”

THURS., JUNE 28, 2001, 8:18 AM
CAMPUS LAKE, BOAT DOCK

You are here on a beautiful morning, a bit disappointed that there was no Bible Study this morning. You didn’t remember that the “meeting “was cancelled for today… and you were fairly well prepared. You’ve gotten his old, broken pen to work, if you handle it carefully, but you must get a “substitute” today… this one won’t even last for this Teaching!

In general, life is good for you in this whatever year it is of your retirement. You have few responsibilities, and only this Thursday morning group and Sunday morning as continuing focuses for your time and attention. (This obviously won’t work…) Don’t let this happen again…. although I’m not terribly bothered by this blue color.

It’s difficult to know, in these days, what is important to plan for, to do… or not to do. You are right, of course, in giving me a major priority with these Teachings, and you’re pleased that John Patrick continues to put these in wonderful, printed form. You are fortunate that he and his family live close and that you are and shall be more of a presence in the lives of these grandchildren than you have been in the lives of the 7 others, the families on opposite coasts.

This is a pleasant time of year, and the campus is quiet and beautiful… and it is semi-deserted, at least at this early hour. This was “the place,” this University, that was best for the majority of your career, BUT the years at Punahou and at Stanford were necessary, for balance.

You were “invited” to Punahou because there was need for another low-level football and track coach. But this “job” gave you experience teaching junior high kids, as well as coaching. You were reasonably successful as a coach, but you then realized this was not to be your career. But would you have elected to go to Stanford for your doctorate if you hadn’t been at Punahou, with its influences?

Then it was back to Punahou, with less Commitment to coaching (which did result in a championship J.V. football team!) and more to a “career” at that Island school. But you had had a taste of University teaching, and you liked (and reacted well to) the relative freedom from “scheduled time,” as compared with Punahou. So then came the offer to return to Stanford as a potentially tenured faculty member. I say… that was obviously best for you, and those next years were productive and fun.

But then came the announcement that Health Education would not continue as a Department, and so there would be no tenured job for you. All of that worked, “just right,” for your being selected for the position here, and so the move was to this area, first in town and then to the Farm.

Naturally, you were well-suited for the position here. You enjoyed your teaching, for you did it well. You developed the courses you wanted to teach, and the last portion of your career was appropriately spent in teaching what you were most interested in.

It was a busy life, and often you were pressed for time, having to decide how to use what time you seemed to have. I came to you in this “unique” way, and you soon had “volumes” of My Teachings to you, in written form. Then came Our Ruminations… and, finally, your retirement. You realize that you’re not likely to have much more time, as Bob Russell, here in this pleasant portion of My earth. So I advise – contemplate your life and the events that are part of it, in the past, present, and “projected” future. The experience I led you to, last evening, should encourage you to re-read many of the thousands of Teachings you’ve heard and “recorded.” It was 10 years ago, but the words were so pertinent to the “now situation.”