Beloveds, mothers and fathers give a great many toys to their children. The children play with the toys. The children use their imagination. From blocks they build tall buildings. They play with dolls in a doll house and create families and playact. Trains go around, and the children pretend inanimate toy cars have engines, and the children make the engine sounds and zoom the cars around the floor and maybe in the air. The children have joy from the toys, and so the parents take joy in their children's joy. What a wonderful thing for parents to witness their children's wholehearted acceptance of abundance. What else can equal the joy a parent takes in the joy of his children? What other gift would a parent want than this of drinking in his child's joy?

Can you imagine a parent bringing home wonderful toys for his children, and the children open them up and then toss them away, perhaps stamp their feet, complain they wanted other toys, perhaps the ones their friends have? Has this not happened? The child is not happy, and the parents also glower.

You realize I am making a comparison between God in Heaven and My children on Earth. The comparison is not perfect, beloveds, for My joy does not go up and down according to the pleasure or displeasure of My children. I have a wiser knowing. And yet the comparison does hold water.

Look, dears, what I have brought home for you! A bright yellow sun. A blue sky to put it in. Soil to put flower seeds in and vegetables to grow. Trees to bear fruit and give shade. Look at all the colors and textures. Look at babies! Furthermore, I gave you snow to play in. Deserts to be hot in. Oceans and rivers and puddles and water to drink. I gave you the five senses and more. I gave you hot and cold. I gave you two feet to trod the ground with and hands with which to bless the world. I gave you all kinds of animals to teach you love. I gave you nooks and crannies in the world. I gave you other people, mirrors of you. I gave you language to speak. I gave you hearts to swell. I gave you pencil and paper on which to express appreciation of all you receive. I gave you music and art. Tell Me, beloved children, what did I not give you? What manner of gift have I left out? Is there anything I forgot?

I gave you a myriad of ingredients from which you can make cakes and pies and bread and puddings and chop suey. Perhaps there is something you can make that was never made before. Perhaps you make something that isn't as edible as you wanted, but yet you made it. You made something. You gave it a whirl.

Young children will even take stones and make castles from them. They will take a rag and turn it into an animate doll. They will take mud and make pies! What will young children not turn into fun?

And then, every now and then, there is the child who will say, "I wanted what Johnny got. I don't want what you gave me. Get me something else."

My children on Earth will sometimes get down on their knees and beg Me for something they feel they have not been given. Beloved, what will you make of the ingredients of life I have given to you? Will you accept My blessings?

And what you cannot see as blessing, can you just move on from it and turn your eyes to greener pastures?