Jump was the eighth track on Confessions On A Dance Floor.
When my birthday rolled around, July 22, 2006, I turned 45 years old. It felt great to be 45, living in Portland, and finally living my life as I had envisioned. The summer of 2006 turned out to be one of the most amazing summers I had experienced in many years. I had worked hard to think positively and create new, exciting realities for myself, my family, and everything around me. I felt very prosperous.
My Sister and Me: My sister and brother-in-law visited me in Portland for eight days in July. It was the first time in my life that my sister visited me at my house or apartment. She had never been to any of my apartments previously. We had a fantastic week together, and my relationship with my sister continued to improve. I realized that our link was one of the most significant in my life. We had differences in the past but had always managed to make it through.
10-Bridge Bike Pedal: On Sunday, August 13, I rode with 15,000 other bikers from Portland, including my boss and his wife, in the Providence Bridge Pedal, benefiting the Portland’s Providence Women and Heart Disease Program & Bicycle Transportation Alliance. It felt great to give something to the Portland community.
Lydda and Me: On Saturday, August 19, my oldest niece, Lydda, visited me from Wilmington, North Carolina. She stayed with me for a week. Dolos, Lydda, and I drove to Montana, where we visited Glacier National Park for three glorious days. She told me that it was the best trip she had ever taken. We did have an incredible time together. On our return, we also stopped by Mount St. Helens, Washington, which was utterly breathtaking. We drove through Mount St. Helens National Monument, which looked like something from another planet. Since there continued to be a lot of earthquakes in that area, rocks of all sizes scattered the roadside.
Abigail and Me: At the end of the month, I returned to North Carolina and visited the rest of my family and friends. I stayed for five days. It felt great to be home with my family once again. We had a fantastic five days together. I gave my niece, Abigail, my copy of Madonna’s Confessions On A Dance Floor CD. After listening to it several times, she said “Jump” was her favorite song on the CD.
September 11 and Me: After attending a conference in Madison, Wisconsin, for work, I spent a few days in Chicago and then returned to Portland on September 11. I wouldn’t say I liked the thought of flying on September 11. The flight was uneventful, however, and our approach to Portland was utterly breathtaking. It was a clear day, and during our approach to the Portland airport, we could see The Three Sisters, Mt. Jefferson and Mt. Hood to our left, Mt. Adams, Mt. Rainier, and Mount St. Helens to our right. I thought to myself, this has to be the best place to live in the United States. It was so gorgeous!
My Mom and Me: Rewind to 2000/2001: About a year after my mother passed away, I suddenly started seeing the numbers 1-2-3 everywhere I went. For example, when I would rent a car, the odometer would have 132 miles on it. Or, I’d be driving down the street and see 231 on the side of trucks or license plates. It happened so much that it made an impression on me, and I brought it up in one of my readings with Chuza. At that point, she informed me that someone from the other side was trying to get messages through to me and that whenever I saw the “123, 321, 132” or any combination of those numbers, I should pay close attention to what I was thinking. This soul, on the other side, was trying to offer me guidance. When I asked who this soul was trying to communicate with me on the other side, Chuza informed me that she didn’t have permission to reveal that information. It was important in my growth to figure this one out for myself.
About six months after that reading, I visited my family in North Carolina. My sister and I paid a visit to our parent’s grave, and as I stood at the head of my mother’s grave, I looked down at the dates on her headstone. I know I must have turned white as a ghost when I looked down and saw the following numbers:
“Born: 2/12/1923 Died: 01/10/2000”
At this very moment, I realized it was my mother who was trying to communicate with me from the other side. Then, a few weeks later, I remembered the night she died (see Mer Girl) and the fact that I woke up at 1:23 in the morning. Suddenly, all of the pieces of the puzzle started coming together. So, from there on out, I knew that whenever I saw any combination of those numbers, my mother’s spirit offered guidance.
“I’m going down my own road and I can make it alone I’ll work and I’ll fight, Till I find a place of my own.”
A great example occurred several years earlier, on July 4, 2004. I was living in Washington, DC, and woke up that morning, remembering Madonna was scheduled to perform in Philadelphia that night. I decided to log into Ticketmaster.com to see if I could find a ticket for her show. I wanted something close to the stage. I ended up with a ticket for Section 1, Row 2, seat 13. (see Nobody Knows Me) I was so excited about being on the 2nd row that I didn’t recognize the 123 code until several months later. That’s when I realized that the ticket was a gift from my mother. I believe she had something to do with me getting that second-row ticket, and the 123 code confirmed that for me.
If you look at the tickets for the Confessions tour (see Get Together), you will notice the numbers 1, 2, and 3 in those tickets as well. This sort of thing didn’t happen just with Madonna tickets, but it did happen with things that were very important to me.
I’d made this fact known to several of my friends, and they started noticing it, too. It was amazing. It made my journey in metaphysics that much more exciting and unique. It was nice to know that my mom was still around, watching over me like she did while alive. If I’d learned anything through metaphysics, it was that there is energy swirling around us all the time. We must open ourselves to understanding that energy and teach ourselves to trust the information we receive. There was a lot more to life than just what we experienced on the surface.
Back to Present: My plane landed safely at the Portland Airport, and I met Dolos at baggage claim. It was terrific to see him. We waited a few minutes for my luggage; then we messed around the airport while catching up on the last sixteen days I was away. As we walked towards Dolos’s car, I shared with him the incredible view of the Cascade mountains and all the volcanoes. I told him that today (September 11) was my mom and dad’s wedding anniversary, so I often thought about them during my flight.
No sooner had we gotten in his car than I looked at the clock on the dashboard, which read 1:32. I pointed at the clock, looked at Dolos, and smiled. Dolos smiled and said, “Hi, Mom!” I knew it was my mother’s way of letting me know she was with me during my trip home and flight back to Portland. It was nice to know that my mother had become one of my guardian angels.
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JUMP
There’s only so much you can learn in one place
The more that I wait, the more time that I waste
I haven’t got much time to waste, it’s time to make my way
I’m not afraid what I’ll face, but I’m afraid to stay
I’m going down my own road and I can make it alone
I’ll work and I’ll fight, Till I find a place of my own
Are you ready to jump?
Get ready to jump
Don’t ever look back, oh baby,
Yes, I’m ready to jump
Just take my hands
Get ready to jump
We learned our lesson from the start, my sisters and me
The only thing you can depend on is your family
And life’s gonna drop you down like the limbs of a tree
It sways and it swings and it bends until it makes you see
Are you ready to jump?
Get ready to jump
Don’t ever look back, oh baby
Yes, I’m ready to jump
Just take my hands
Get ready to, are you ready?
(Spoken:)
There’s only so much you can learn in one place
The more that you wait, the more time that you waste
I’ll work and I’ll fight till I find a place of my own
It sways and it swings and it bends until you make it your own
I can make it alone(my sisters and me) (repeat 7x)
Are you ready to jump?
Get ready to jump
Don’t ever look back, oh baby
Yes, I’m ready to jump
Just take my hands
Get ready to jump
Are you ready to jump?
Get ready to jump
Don’t ever look back, oh baby
Yes, I’m ready to jump
Just take my hands
Get ready to, are you ready?
