Merry Christmas Everyone!
The image to the right is an image of Christmas Past.
This Christmas Day marks a season of Christmas Firsts for yours truly. Firstly and most significantly for me is this is the first year in five years that I am physically spending Christmas without my old family, Artemis, Taylor, and Jordan. I am with them in spirit sending them all the love, peace, and joy in the universe. I know the girls will feel my efforts because these girls are goodness magnets. Artemis did call me this morning. I was able to have nice talks with all three girls, and we did wish each other much goodness.
The second significant first for yours truly is this is the first Winter Solstice Season with me being diagnosed with brain cancer. People have said wonderful things to me such as, "Jack, you have many powerful spirit guides around you.", "God is strong within you.", "You are physically very healthy in your eating, drinking, and exercise habits.", "Jack, you do not sweat the small stuff and all stuff is small stuff to you." Jack is a trained U.S. Army Special Forces Medical Sergeant, a Martial Arts Black Belt, an advanced yoga practitioner, a level 2 Reiki Healing practitioner. A highly skilled Mountain Biker. A Pacific Crest Trail Association Steward, and some other stuff. Why did Jack contract brain cancer?
I suppose another way to ask the same question is, "Why Not Me?". Strong with the Force Am I, but not so strong as I was able to side step Brain Cancer's probing first blow. Perhaps a Jedi Knight (me) is exactly what "The Force" intended in choosing a human to contract the deadliest manifestation of brain cancer, gioblastoma multiforme? I am meeting this challenge with courage, love, wisdom, patience, restraint, compassion, understanding, skill, and the most powerful of allies, The Force.
The Force to me is life force energy or the divine light that is within all of us, and all around us in everything. The life force energy is in our air, water, rocks, trees, animals, people, ideas, and in the heavens. As you can see, a very powerful ally I have indeed. George Lucas may wish to copyright these concepts but the concept of "The Force" has been around forever, in many traditions, and well before somebody ran down to the U.S. patent office with their wallet on fire and greased the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for exclusivity.
Miracles happen and I have witnessed one "According to Hoyle, Miracle." Artemis and I witnessed a miracle and created a miracle together in June, 2006. We were walking our female, Great Dane, Jolly, and our male, German Shepherd Dog, Mojo, on the King Castle hike. I had let the dogs off leash and they were exploring King Castle. Artemis had a premonition of things to come so I immediately called Jolly to "Come". I was more concerned with Jolly because she is not as strong or coordinated as Mojo. We safely got Jolly to the top of Castle Rock after an anxious moment of encouraging Jolly up the steep, shale covered, mountain side.
Artemis, Jolly, and I then heard Mojo whine and his paws scrape deeply on the loose shale rock below the peak. Artemis and I heard the sound of Mojo panicky, cry for help, the wrenching, whimpering yelp of pain as he hit a rock falling off the cliff, and then the eary, heart breaking silence.
Artemis and I looked at each other knowingly that Mojo was gone. We verbalized to each other that we would not make a bad situation worse by getting ourselves in a jam or by injuring another of our party. Artemis and I made the nearly half hour hike around the mountain to the bottom of the cliff. Looking up at Castle Rock from the bottom drove home that Mojo was probably gone. We called for Mojo and I commanded Mojo to "Speak". There was no sign or sound of Mojo and nothing but the chilling sound of our own voices, foot falls, and the beautiful quietness of the Willamette National Forest.
After about an hour of fruitless searching, Artemis and I hiked back to the top of King Castle and reoriented ourselves to where we last remembered hearing Mojo. Artemis remained at the top of King Castle to direct my efforts at the bottom of the cliff. I remembered Artemis once saying, "I am going to throw a rock where I think Mojo may have fallen." I responded with, "Please, throw a very light stick." Artemis said, "I think I see Mojo." I investigated and what Artemis saw was rotting dead fall from an ice or wind storm.
I did check out the level Artemis had seen the dead fall which was about 15 yards from the base of the cliff. I did the math and physics. If I was a 93 pound, 8 year old, un-neutered, male, German Shepherd Dog and fell about 100 feet off a cliff, where would my energy have taken me? I investigated the altitude that Artemis had seen the dead fall and I saw some fur. I then saw that the fur had a pink tongue, and was sitting.
I cautiously approached my 93 pound, muscled, injured, big toothed, powerful jawed, beloved pet. I know an injured dog can exhibit unpredictable and even dangerous behavior. I just knew Mojo had a broken back or a limb sticking out of an ear or some other hideous, ghastly injury. Mojo looked intact with no deformities other than he was sitting with his back and tail bone a little curled under as if he was being submissive. I petted Mojo and palpated his spine and limbs and I did not palpate any deformities. I then helped Mojo to a standing position and we started walking out.
I was overwhelmed with love and joy and burst out, "Artemis! We have found Mojo! Mojo is OK and we are walking out together." Artemis and I were just balling and overwhelmed with the miracle we had witnessed.
Later that year I bought a Suunto altimeter, barometer, thermometer, compass watch to guesstimate how far Mojo's fall from grace had been. Mojo fell at least 80 feet and up to 120 feet off of King Castle. My best estimate is Mojo fell 100 to 110 feet. He suffered about 5 broken ribs and a hemothorax but he does not limp to this day.
Artemis took care of my beloved, miracle, amazing flying dog, "Mojo" while I played in a Member Guest Golf Tournament with my father in June 2006. Dad and I won our flight and many Lake Wildwood members still sing my praise with the endearing term, "Sandbagger".
Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, Wonderful Winter Solstice, and the best wishes to you for your personal, winter time celebration.
Peace and Love,
Jack Burton
"You were not put on this Earth, to 'get it' Mr. Burton."
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