Tonight's picture was taken in December of 2006. Mattie was four years old and truly got the whole concept of Christmas. In fact, one of Mattie's favorite parts about decorating for Christmas was taking out and assembling his Christmas train. He loved to have this train go around the tree. This train played Christmas music and also puffed out smoke from its stack! As many of my faithful readers know, I spent a great deal of time cleaning out Mattie's room and closets this fall. However, the Christmas train is still with us. Not that we have a tree, but I know how much this train meant to Mattie, that I just can't seem to part with it. This photo was featured on our Christmas 2006 card!
Quote of the day: There are three classes of people: Those who see. Those who see when they are shown. Those who do not see. ~ Leonardo da Vinci
It is rather timely that soon after learning about Jack and Charlie, I would be introduced to another beautiful story of Jack the Christmas Mule. This is not an actual photo of Jack, but I think seeing this cutie enables us to follow the story along a bit better. Or at least it makes our friend Jack the mule a bit more real.
Peter and I had the opportunity to meet Mary Jo, a respected psycho-oncologist, in February of 2013. Mary Jo works closely with Mattie Miracle to develop a psychosocial standard of care for childhood cancer. Mary Jo knows I am an animal lover and emailed me back and forth yesterday about a stray mule that found a way onto her property.
After hearing the story about Jack, I felt inspired and renamed him the Christmas Mule. This seems like a very fitting name for this fellow because at the end of the day there are many moral, emotional, and meaningful messages his journey can teach us.
Jack lives down the road from Mary Jo. His owner is away for the holidays and recently Jack's mule friend died. Jack seems to be out of sorts and escaped from his home on a journey. Jack walked his way to Mary Jo's farm. Now I realize Jack and I are a completely different species, yet I am intrigued by the notion that under times of stress and grief, we both turn to walking. I relate to his need to escape his place filled with memories and the desire to seek out some sort of comfort somewhere or with someone.
Any case, when Jack showed up unannounced at Mary Jo's, animal control was called. It took awhile for the authorities, Mary Jo, and several neighbors to piece together where Jack ran away from and lives. The authorities literally walked Jack back down the road to stay at another neighbor's farm. This was decided since animal control had no space in their facility for Jack to spend the holidays. In essence there was NO ROOM IN THE INN! However, in the midst of deciding Jack's temporary home (until his owners returned), he got to spend a night in Mary Jo's stable. It was there that Jack met Winnie, Mary Jo's horse.
As we all know, sometimes we immediately connect with others and feel they understand us, but what I find so fascinating is that this same type of camaraderie can happen in the equine world! After spending one night in Mary Jo's stable, Jack and Winnie developed a friendship. So much so that when the authorities walked Jack back down the road the following day to stay at a neighboring farm, Jack escaped again! However this time the escape was purposeful. He was coming back to see Winnie and spend time with him. What Jack points out to me, and perhaps my lens is skewed, is that seeking out support, comfort, and friendship after the loss of a loved one is so natural. Almost like a survival instinct.
Other than walking and being physically active, I would say that the only other way to survive a devastating loss is through meaningful connections to other people. People who understand and accept us. Why I refer to Jack as the Christmas Mule is because of the symbolic nature of having no room in the Inn (because of animal control), and then Mary Jo opening up her stable for Jack. Any one familiar with Christianity would see the connection right away. But in addition to this, the welfare of Jack has united Mary Jo's community. They have all come together to discuss where Jack should live and how to help him. To me this is the ultimate Christmas gift, when people are working together not to buy things, not to out-decorate their neighbor, or get the best material presents possible. But to work together to help something or someone. I have found that through this unity we uncover life's greatest gifts and in the process learn more and feel better about ourselves.
May we all glimmer something from the story of Jack the Christmas Mule and may each of us have a Winnie to turn to in times of grief, despair, and feeling loss and disconnected. For it is within this type of connection that survival and getting re-invested back into the world are possible.
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