—MOMarch 22‚ 1973NO.235—GP

P.O. Box 31, London 7LX, England or GPO Box 3141, San Juan, Puerto Rico 00936

1. I DREAMT WE WERE LIVING ON A FARM, SORT OF LIKE THE RANCH. It was a lot like the Ranch, but it didn't seem to be the Ranch because things were different. There were new houses, but we still lived in one of the old ones. I was walking across one of the fields—you know, I never like to walk on the road—when I noticed this beautiful rose bush growing right alongside the road with this lovely rose overhanging the road, besides a few other rose buds. But this one had a beautiful red-and–yellow blossom, mostly yellow. It was right at the end of the limb over the busy road. It extended the furthest out over the road, and it was getting all dusty and dirty from passing cars. The bush was growing in the ditch, and I thought, "I'd better go down there and pick that beautiful rose and take it home, or one of those cars will hit it and ruin it!"

2. SO I CLIMBED THE FENCE AND CROSSED THE ROAD AND PICKED IT and jumped back over the fence again, and as I was walking across the field with the rose in my hand, some grouchy, gruffy old farmer, like one of the neighbours, came roaring along on his tractor. I thought he was coming up the main road‚ so I jumped quick back across the main fence and started across the field, but instead he was coming right down our little farm road that ran right through the field and through a gate out onto the main road. When he saw me walking along with the rose in my hand he yelled out real loud‚ not real mad, but sort of grumbly and disgruntled, and he said‚ "Imagine that!"—And somehow I knew he was referring to Mom who was up in the house: "She says I can't use this road any more, that this land belongs to you now!"—And I just smiled and said, "Well, funny things do happen!" It's like I knew it did that we owned the place now, but I didn't want to make him any madder‚ so I walked on up to the ranch house, sort of chuckling and happy about it—thinking how the Ranch was ours now.

3. MOM WAS THERE ALONG WITH SOME OTHER PEOPLE IN THE FAMILY, and I puttered around till I found a nice little pot with some soil in it, and I planted the rose in it. I watered it and took it in my hand into the house and showed it proudly to Mom and said, "Look, isn't that nice?"—And she said, "Yes, that's nice!" And smiled like she was real pleased that I'd saved this little rose. And I said‚ "What was that old farmer fussing about?" And she said, "Oh, he was roaring along our little driveway here‚ and I told him to please not use it any more—that this is our property now—and he roared off in a huff, muttering to himself about it!" And I said again, "Well, funny things do happen!"

4. I SAT THERE LOOKING AT THE LITTLE ROSE right in the middle of the flower pot‚ and I was just thinking how pleased I was that we had this nice ranch now and that I'd saved this pretty rose! There were other roses on the bush, but they weren't in full bloom yet. They were just beginning to come out, and I thought there wasn't any point in picking them yet. But this one was getting dusty‚ and every car that passed blew it around violently, so I thought I'd pick it. The rose was hanging over the road kinda frightened, even scared of me when I picked it. But when I got it home all nice and cozy in the pot, it seemed to be very contented and happy.

5. SOUNDS LIKE WHAT I'VE DONE WITH SOME OF YOU:

I brought you home and set you in a wee wee pot,

I planted you safely whether you wanted it or not!

'Cause otherwise you could have suffered a lot

If you would have stayed on that dangerous spot!

No telling what you would have got,

'Cause it was getting pretty hot!

And I loved you a mighty lot,

Whether you wanted it or not!

Otherwise you would have rot,

Or got hit by some old sot!

And I know that's true, I wot!

But that's all we've got to jot,

So let's end it here with a little dot.

6. IT'S KIND OF LIKE OUR WORK. It's a little story the kids would understand. They know they're true‚ and they know they could happen, 'cause with Children anything can happen. They believe anything God says! Only when some people grow up they don't believe anything any more, like the old mean 10:36ers! But the children all think they're possible and nothing's impossible, and so they believe my funny little tales, and I think they enjoy them, too! I know they do, 'cause you're a little kid and you enjoy them!

7. THE ROAD IS THE OLD HIGHWAY OF LIFE THAT RUNS THROUGH GOD'S KINGDOM. The Farm is really God's Kingdom, and the world doesn't know we own it‚ but we do!—And it makes them mad to tell that! And the little rose, of course, is every beautiful soul along the highway that we need to rescue from all the dirt and the raging winds and the mean old drunken drivers!—And we gotta take them home and plant them in a new habitat in a safe little pot in the Lord's House with the Family.—Amen? You were a rose contaminated by the System, so I took you home and cleaned you up and replanted you in a safer spot. The System was going to get you sooner or later, so I plucked you!—Aren't you glad? Hallelujah!—I love you! You're my little Rose!