Today I was reflecting on being in Israel with my best friend and spiritual teacher, John-Roger, sitting next to him on the couch in his suite overlooking the outer sunlit walls of the old city of Jerusalem. I had been there many times, but after 17 years working and traveling with him, this would be our last trip together before he passed away.
Given the frailty of his health, I was concerned if he would make it through the trip, but as fate would have it, I was the one who ended up needing medical attention soon after arrival. The doctor and medics came to my room, and after some treatments I was on the mend. I got better only for him to end up in an Israeli hospital a short time later.
The hospital was utilitarian and sparse. They seemed especially ready to handle a large influx of people quickly. No frills, just brass tacks. Not a comfortable experience, but it got the job done. He was out of there quickly and back to the hotel.
There were times toward the end that he would have trouble speaking, and you would need to be very close to hear him. In his final months, he would indicate he wanted to tell me something with his hand. I would get close enough to hear, and struggling to get the words out he would say:
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Transcend with Nat to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.