The mind is an amazing thing. The way it takes stuff from our waking hours and mixes it together to make a little movie for us during our sleeping hours is really a gift from God.

This was so real: I was at a memorial service for ol' Jona. A bunch of us rode deep into a mountain canyon in the Rockies to a little roadside campsite. (The faces all you RSC folks seemed familiar to me, even though I haven't really met any of you guys. Honestly, you all looked like the cast of Swamp People. Haha!) Jona's daughter (the one in his picture) was there to meet us, and, after parking our bikes, we all hiked back a little ways to a skinny creek by a five foot waterfall. She said it was the place that the family had spread Jona's ashes. Everybody was silent- like that sadness you only get at a graveside- and after a few minutes I said a prayer. We milled around a while, remarking about the beauty of that place, and then we mounted the bikes and rode back to the daughter's place.

When we got there (the house was so familiar to me) we stood around this little kitchen table and ate chicken and coleslaw and joked about Jona and his posts. Although we had never physically met him nor seen him without his white sunglasses, the talk was like that of lifelong friends reminiscing about their fallen comrade. When we were all full of chicken and memories, we left the house and went to a little carport (shed?) and stood around looking at Jona's bike. There wasn't an inch of chrome on the thing. Then I woke up.

I have been wondering more and more about dreams lately, perhaps it is because the older I get the more vividly I remember them, and some of them even seem like they have messages in them that I need to hear. After a couple of days of sorting this one out, the best I can figure is that a mind needs some kind of finality- an end to a dangling story. The story of Jona and the Clinic was never really settled in my mind. I remember when he first came here he said that his time on earth was short- that made me listen to him, in a way. I've know lots of dying people, and have buried dozens, so I know that dying folks usually have something to say. We all know how Jona said anything without reservation, but so will I when I have nothing else to lose.

When he was off the Clinic, the talk about him remained even up to his death, but somehow my mind never got the other book-end on the Jona story. I'm glad I had that dream. I don't know how he was laid to rest, and since he lived on the water he may have had a mariner's farewell, but it seemed right to me that he is by that little waterfall in the mountains somewhere.

Thanks Churchdog...for sharing that... Kai

I'm glad you shared that Churchdog, that was nice.

Thanks 'ol Dog. RIP Jona. That would be Ride In Peace Jona...

Thanks guys. I like that picture, Kai!

Milateket wrote:
Thanks 'ol Dog. RIP Jona. That would be Ride In Peace Jona...

I really like that Milateket. Ride in peace Jona.

Sent an e-mail to his daughter to ask for his final resting place location, let you know when I know.

Kai, that pic is very nice. Thanks for posting.

Excellent churchdog, thanks for sharing, very well said.

Good read.