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On the morning of his departure, I picked him up at his apartment. He was in a weakened state and could hardly navigate down the flight of stairs to the car. I had to hold him firmly for support. As we le his apartment, he wondered where he had placed his key. Aer searching for a while, we found it in the door lock. It was unusual for Jack to make this kind of error, and I felt that it was a sign that his mental strength was weakening along with his physical. Worried about his condition, on the way to the airport I asked Jack if he should be making this trip. He simply replied that Swami told him to go and Swami would take care of him.
At the airport I arranged for wheelchair assistance to get Jack to his next plane. Concerned that he might not like this arrangement, I approached him gingerly. In a maer-of-fact way he said, “Do you think I need it?” I said, “Yes,” and he said, “Okay.” I was impressed with his detachment.
Not only did Jack arrive in one piece, he gave 35 talks in 10 days. I don’t know how he did it while being so physically ill. You should have seen Jack when filled with excitement about Swami. No maer how debilitated, he was charged with energy when telling of his experiences with Swami.
Jack returned to San Diego quite depleted. I was alarmed one morning when calling to check on him. He said that he had fallen the night before and could not get up. He had lain on the floor all night until he was able to li himself in the early morning.
Devotees in the region responded quickly. I took Jack to the emergency room for evaluation while other devotees went to his apartment to clean and stock it with food. Jack was unusual in that even though he was financially secure, he and his wife lived simply in a small apartment furnished with lawn furniture. It appeared to me that Jack’s life of devotion and service had made him humble and unpretentious.
During the examination, Jack and I sat side by side talking about Swami. He related many of the marvelous stories that he had told people all over the world. These stories brought both
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