Have you ever set out to accomplish something only to find yourself wondering if you are even going in the right direction? Are you like your kids. Are you saying, I’m I there yet? Some people say: “Success is a state of mind.” What is a state of mind really?

I recently read a blog regarding journals. You can read it at: www.attractingyourgoal.com. You might want to check it out. It’s a good article. I mentioned that I have six journals in the comment section. Some people have asked why so many? The reason why, I thought might make a good article.

Goals are not a destination. Is anything really in this life a destination? You’re probably wondering what is this woman talking about. Let me give you an example. Can you touch a rainbow? If you saw one, can you go over and touch it? If you are sailing or driving towards the horizon, can you ever reach it? Can you touch the horizon?

We know that you can’t touch a rainbow or the horizon. With each step, the horizon moved away from from us. Our goal and successful can work the same way. If you want to see your successes, then you must look stop and look backwards. You need to look back and see what you have accomplished. What have I really accomplished? Journals help you do that very thing. They build self-love and worth within us.

I keep six journals that cover the different aspects of my life. So I go back and see my growth. We are always evolving even if we chose to hibernate and hide from the world. If nothing else, we are getting older and we can’t stop it.

The greatest secret of a journal, it builds self-love and worth. They teach us to be a better communicator. If you keep one, you’ll learn to appreciate you. You can go back and see your growth. How you got through a dark or a joyous time. What you learned? You can see how it changed you. Journals give you an opportunity to express yourself and guess what? Someone is truly listening.

In the process, you might find yourself and learn how wonderful and unique you truly are. Have fun with your journal!

Last week, I was diagnosed with a grade three Invasive Ductal Carcinoma or in other words—Breast Cancer. Everyone knows Cancer is a hard and lonely road. The disease combined with the treatments is rough. Everything, I have experienced in my life has prepared me for this moment. I found myself feeling humble, knowing just how to handle each and every moment. I’m so grateful for my past because now I can draw on it to guide me through these dark days.

Hearing the word Cancer, I associate death to it. I’ve heard other people say when you are faced with a possible death. Your regrets flash into your mind and I had one. My one and only regret was that I hadn’t had enough fun in my life.  I saw that I had wished or worried most of the time away. I hadn’t really enjoyed each and every moment.

Before I was always thinking about what I needed to do and wishing I had something done or I was at another stage of my life. Kids can push you to wishing that you were at another stage of life.

Worry is a haunting thought. It’s easy to attach worry to everything, especially when it is out of your control. I’m so glad I finely had learned how to eliminate it from my life. I wasn’t even tempted to go there when I heard the word cancer.

My heart ached to have fun and I knew that I couldn’t experience the two emotions at the same time. I had to choose. It took me all of ten seconds to choose fun. I decided that I was going to have fun with every moment and focus on the small miracles around you. A grandchild says his first word and accomplishes his first step. I’ve learned years ago that a positive attitude gives you peace and incredible strengths. Negative rips you apart and can destroy your life.

My choice of being positive has humbled me. It is so powerful. You need to experience it to completely understand it. Being positive, I’m witnessing small miracles all around me. I might see fear in the eyes of those I love and it gives me something to compare my growth too. It feels wonderful to know that how power handling adversity properly. I’m grateful for this experience.

In my book, HOW TO REBUILD SHATTERED DREAMS, I talk about how to do it and it is wonderful to know that the principles are very powerful in your life. When you embrace your shattered dreams, you have peace. Fear, anxiety, depression, and anger all trap you in a cage. It is humbling to be able to measure how much freedom I am experiencing. It doesn’t matter what I go through, I will just fine. Everything is just a moment if you know how to embrace it.

I do not know if I’m going to live long afterward or how the medicines will affect me from getting rid of the cancer. It really doesn’t matter. What does matter is I forgive myself for developing the cancer and accept with love the moment. I feel peace with every possible path this cancer might take me into.

I’ll write a week article on how what is happening in my life with my Breast Cancer.

I want to thank everyone for your support and prayers. It has been so humbling to see how many strangers care. I deeply appreciate it and I want you all to know it. My life has really been a roller coaster and I really need to get you caught up.

There are different kinds of breast cancer and I have a very aggressive and fast moving cancer. It is called Her2+. They need to run a base line tests so they know how to attack the cancer and see how my body is being affected. The cancer doesn’t want to wait. It has its own agenda.

It has quickly moved to a stage four. This means, the cancer is out of my breast. The pet scan showed it is in bones and liver. They are not doing a mastectomy first. We are starting with Chemo and it will start tomorrow.

Since, I last wrote. I have had a brain MRI, breast MRI, soft tissue cat scan, complete bone scan, heart scan, specific areas scan, bone biopsy and surgery for a port to be placed in my chest underneath the skin. This cancer is unforgiving and they need to stop it now. I’m looking forward to Chemo tomorrow. I have just two scans today and I’m finished for a while.

Another reason, I didn’t write. I went to Disneyland for the holidays. We had it planned to go there before I learned about cancer. I was going with two of my children and seven grandchildren. It was really special even though, it was a little hard. I had my bone biopsy on Tuesday and flew out Wednesday for the magic kingdom. We returned on Monday just in time to have two more scans.

Again, I want to thank everyone for your prayers. I need them. This is going to be interesting to see just how my life will play out. They want to put me on Herceptin and according to the paper they gave me. You are very tired. They are also trying to get me into a study where I will be able to receive some new medicine that isn’t on the market yet.

With me having chemo, I’ve had sometime to think. Thinking can be dangerous to your health! At least, I’ve heard that phrase somewhere. Since, I feel like I’ve been out of the loop of what is going on. I’m not talking about the news. I’m talking about the things that are important to you. What is the consensus of people today? I’ve put together a short survey. Do you dare take it? Will it put you over your stress level?

I titled this blog: How Important is your money because we seem to find it very important. But what about other areas of our lives. Are hobbies important? I think they make life worth living at times. Other time, they are be heavy and almost a burden. How do you feel?

What about cooking? Are we really that interested in foods? Or are you interested becasue we can’t  live without it. I would really like to know what ticks on the inside of you. So I have a challenge for you. Let’s see what interests you and see if you are in the majority or minority. Click here to take this survey.

When I used birth control pills, I had a constant yeast infection for some reason. I solved the problem by using three products. Once I stopped using the birth control pill, I didn’t need to take the three products unless I was putting a new chemical.

With Taxotere having yeast infection as a symptom, I didn’t wait but started to take the three products and I never had a problem. This is what I took:

• The picture to the right is called Treelac. It is live microorganism that are good and what we need in intestines. The box consists of 64 packets. Your body needs microorganisms and they are easily destroyed. If they are, you will get yeast infections or thrush.
• I used active digestive enzyme. The bottle is designed to help people who may experience lactose intolerance, indigestion, IBS, diarrhea and other digestive problems/ concerns.
• The other product I used is a Oxygen Element. It detoxify, energize & oxygenate. A very unique Patented product

The three products have worked wonders and they were great during the Taxotere. You can purchase them here.

Lemons help decongestant a toxic liver. At the same time, it alleviates conditions that are often associated with an overworked liver, such as nausea, headaches, irritability and insomnia.

This is what I used:

• One table spoon of fresh squeezed lemon juice. (Most of the time, I didn’t have the strength to do it. So I used Minute Maid – frozen lemon juice.
• One drop of Lemon Oil.
• One drop of Peppermint Oil.
• I did it every night after I received the taxotere. On the last week before the infusion, I would do it every other night.

I would use the lemon and peppermint oil in a sits bath with epson salts. It seemed to help to do with every other month. You can order the oil here.

Pink Orchads

In nine weeks my cancer almost disappeared. I went from a stage four, having three lymph nodes invaded by cancer, along with ninety percent of one breast, with Invasive Ductal Carcinoma being GONE. My cancer was a very aggressive carcinoma, which allowed it to be in other places outside of my breast. I had it in my bones and liver. They both had four separate places of cancer.

After nine weeks of chemo, they gave me another CAT scan.  They found it gone in my bones, lymph nodes, and breast. My liver still showed cancer, but it was smaller. So the radiologist measured the difference. They found the cancer had decreased by 70% in nine weeks.

There is more wonderful news. The doctor can’t feel any hard material in my breast and lymph nodes. The CAT scan indicated that it couldn’t detect a dead tumor in my breast or lymph nodes too. So how did it happen? I will share with you what I did and you can decide for yourself.

It was a combination of events. The one I feel had the most impact on me removing the cancer is a new drug that I’m testing for the FDA. I’ve also programmed my mind to work with the chemo to help destroy and eliminate the cancer from my body, by creating additional chemical.

There is more, and this part is important! I kept myself in a state of love for my situation and myself. Fear, worry, and doubt weren’t an option for me. I stayed in a state of gratitude and love for my situation. This is crucial when you are dealing with your body and mind. Negative thoughts pull you away from the healing powers of your Creator and His help. You need a package deal to pull this off and I’m pleased with the results and so is the doctor.

Another very important part of my package was I had hundreds of people praying for a miracle and it worked. All of the above acts played an important role, including what you eat. During this time, ninety percent of my diet was food that has been proven to heal. I felt the difference in my life and I plan on continuing it into the future.

In the very beginning of my cancer journey, a dear friend gave me a book put out by the University of California, San Diego Medical Center, Moores Cancer Center. They research healing foods. It’s called Discover the Healing Power of Food.

I quote: We believe that food nourishes the body, nurtures the spirit, and is essential for health and healing.

Vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and legumes have long been recognized as good sources of vitamins, minerals, and fiber. New research suggests that many of these plant-based foods contain other healing substances called phytochemicals (plant chemicals). These phytochemicals help protect plant-based foods from disease, and studies are revealing that eating a diet with plenty of phytochemical-rich foods may help protect humans from disease as well.

If you want more information regarding this book, you can find it at www.healthyeating.ucsd.edu. All proceeds from the sale of this book go to the Cancer Prevention and Control Program of the Moores UCSD Cancer Center.

Another act I did was to use essential oils to help sooth the effects of the chemo. I highly recommend them to be used properly. I plan on writing a separate article regarding them in the future. There is a lot to say about this and I found the oils to be very soothing. I deeply appreciated the knowledge that my son had about them. He and his wife had attended numerous classes. I felt very good about my complete routine and it helped me to enjoy the process, and that is saying a lot. Cancer and chemo can be rough and hard to handle personally.

Have you ever wondered how your life could change if you wrote a novel?

People are starting to know me as a novelist. I’m surprised to learn how many people want or are trying to become an author of books. It surprises me because it wasn’t my goal to be an author. Before I wrote my first novel, I never ever thought about writing. Instead, I went to great lengths to avoid it.

From what I hear from other authors, I think my story is unique. Most people, I’ve spoken too thought about writing their story a lot. They planned out what they were going to write, the genre, and the outline of how the story unfolded. For me, my story is different. I accidentally discovered a story that was inside of me. Then I couldn’t’ stop it from coming out.

I’ve found people fascinated with this story on how I became an author, So I decided to write about it on my blog, rebuild shattered dreams. Maybe it might inspire someone to discover a hidden talent that they might have been buried deep inside, like me. Sometime, we have no idea what we can do until we have no choice but to walk through our fears and do it. This is what happened to me. I’m so grateful for the experience. It showed a side of me that I didn’t know existed.

Before I tell you my story, I need to point out one more thing. This is important to know. I found writing anything to be emotionally painful. In my book, “How to Rebuild Shattered Dreams,” I go into detail about why a simple note terrified me. Today, I’m going to tell something that I didn’t put in the book. How I was forced to face my fear of writing.

For five years of my life, I had been a real estate agent and enjoyed it. Finally at the end of my fourth year, I decided to get my real estate brokers license. After, I received it. I made the choice to go out on my own. For me, it was the smartest thing, I ever did. What happened next made it possible for me to deal with the changes that were about to take place in my life.

It was November 2000 and for the first time in my career, I had sold my entire inventory. It was strange to have no buyers either. In my area, November and December are traditionally our slowest months in real estate. Ever though, I have written and presented offers on Christmas Eve. This year, it was going to be different. I was tired and grateful to take a break.

Five days into my vacation, I had the most bizarre event take place in my life that has permanently changed my life. I woke up discovering that I couldn’t speak. My voice was gone. When I tried to force a whisper, it caused my lungs to go into long coughing spells. If I laughed, the coughing spells would appear. It sounded and felt like I was coughing up my lungs.

The problem didn’t make it easy for me to go out into public. I wasn’t sick. The doctors couldn’t find anything wrong with me. They just called it a virus assuring me that I would have to ride it out. Little did I know that it would take me ninety days for my voice to return and my lungs be able to take a deep breath again.

The winter was long and cold. We had little wind and storms in our area. When you live in the tops of mountains, you can easily get an inversion where the cold air is trapped to the floor of the valley. This happens when you have little wind or storms. Even if no one lives in the valley, it can happen. Our inversion spread from Provo, Utah to Pocatello, Idaho and it was thick.

I struggled to go outside and breath the air that winter. Never in my life had my lungs been a problem for me, so why was the winter of 2000 to 2001 different. My health problems trapped me inside a room in my home. I couldn’t be away from the humidifier or air purifiers without my lungs coughing to hard it could cause my bladder to have problems. They weren’t portable. So every morning, I picked a room and stayed there all day breathing fresh, moist air.

In November 2000, I did not have an email address and I don’t think I knew someone who did. Maybe, I did know someone. I just didn’t use them because I was terrified to write. I do know they weren’t as popular then as they are today. Either way, I had to write down my thoughts on a note pad if I wanted something. Remember, I told you earlier that I found writing emotionally painful and it terrified me.

This virus seemed to perfectly design to force me to face my fears. In the process, I discovered something very special regarding me. Those ninety days, I spent trapped in a room with a humidifier and air purifier has forever changed my life. It changed my career and how I view the world in away, I cannot ever go back…

This post is getting a little long. In my next post, I’ll tell you what happened, during those ninety days. My hope is it inspires you find something special about yourself. I’ll see you next time.

You can link to part two from here.

Jasper tried to shout, but the hand didn’t move. He started to fight his captor when he heard the same sonorous voice. It sounded so deep and rich as it spoke to him. “JASPER, DON’T MOVE. YOU’RE IN GREAT DANGER. BY STANDING STILL, YOU’LL LIVE.” A wonderful, peaceful feeling consumed him, and he relaxed. He didn’t realize that it was the white Stone talking to him and affecting his emotions.

Looking up, he found a small hole that showed him a small piece of the sky. A streak of purple light filled the hole and then he heard a whining sound. The whining became higher as it started to sound like a baby crying mixed with high-pitched cries.

Quickly, he surmised there were words mixed in with the weird sounds.
*
Buster had entered the house soon after he saw Jasper running through the backyard. His mother was sipping a cold drink at the table. Seeing him, she asked, “Are you hungry? I should have lunch ready soon.”
“I’m starved,” Buster replied, looking around the kitchen. Stopping at her, he added, “Do you want me to get Jamie?”
“Yes, and would you get your brother?”
“Oh, Mom, I don’t want to chase him down, too!”
“What do you mean? He’s just up in his room.”
“No, he isn’t. I just saw him running through the backyard a few minutes ago.”
“You what?!”

Buster tried not to smile. If Mom didn’t know Jasper was gone, then his little brother had broken his timeout. I guess there’s a first time for everything, Buster thought with a grin. He’s in for it now!
She ran from the room while ordering Buster to get Jamie, his sister. When she arrived at the top of the stairs, Jasper’s mother found his door slightly open. Pushing it open, she saw the room was empty.

Running to the window, she wanted to see where Jasper had gone. Immediately, she saw the smoke from the crash swirling heavenward. Now, she knew what had lured her son away. How could he just run off like that? She knew he was having a tough day, but sneaking out was not like Jasper.

Not seeing him, she decided to go look for him herself, when a shadow fell across the yard. She pressed forward against the glass, looking up. Her heart almost stopped beating. Above their house, a huge ship slowly glided over them, moving toward the grove.

Even though she didn’t share her younger son’s enthusiasm for the military, she knew what it was. She had been a teenager when the war broke out, and had spent many sleepless nights wondering when a Galaxy Creeper would come and destroy everything she loved. That was the reason she had insisted that her family move to the countryside. It added a long commute, but maybe—just maybe—if the war reached the planet Suzair, the enemy wouldn’t bother to hunt down every little farmhouse.

Maybe it’s one of our ship’s doing a training exercise, she told herself. She bit her lip to keep from panicking and watched the massive ship move menacingly overhead. The Galaxy Creeper was the largest ship flying in the war. It had a crew of over a thousand people. They didn’t sport outer markings that quickly identified them as belonging to I-Force or KOGN. Still, there were ways that one could tell. She watched, trembling, looking for the clues. She let out a cry when she saw the small marking that said the hovering monstrosity was clearly part of the enemy KOGN and not I-Force.

The planet Suzair was under the protection of the Interplanetary Force or I-Force, for short. For a ship from the King of the Galaxy Nations or the KOGN to appear so brazenly could only bode ill. She ran from the room, wanting to protect her son.

Please Jasper, this time I hope you didn’t go to those trees, she thought, sliding down the stairs. She regained control without falling and moved to the last step. Immediately, she headed through the kitchen and out the back door. She ran into the backyard yelling Jasper’s name. Behind her, Jamie and Buster huddled at the kitchen window, watching the Galaxy Creeper.

Her voice caught in her throat when she saw the sudden purple flash of an indigo transport beam arc from the ship to the ground. Tears came to her eyes. “Please, don’t take my child,” Jasper’s mother cried in a weak voice.
“Mom!” Buster’s voice cut through her despair. She quickly returned to her other children and joined them inside. They all gathered at the window in fear, clutching each other. Little Jamie had tears streaming down her cheeks. Buster was pale.
She hugged her other children, wishing their father were home.
*
Jasper was frustrated listening to the high-pitched voice. It was irritating and he couldn’t understand everything. The men talking to it stopped yelling, and they all seemed to be silent.

A different sound was now heard around him. It was a clinking sound that he had never heard before. The sounds let him know that there were a lot of people walking among the trees. The clinking sound seemed to get louder and closer to him. Then it seemed to go past them and faded off into the distance.
The high-pitched whine of a huge engine overhead replaced the other sound. Jasper tried to twist his head to look up at the sky, but the man held him tighter, warning him not to move. Suspecting a spaceship was near, Jasper wished he could see it.

He jumped when he heard, “We found it!” Then he heard feet running past them. Jasper could feel his captor breathing in a slow, measured rhythm. It seemed to comfort him.
He heard, “It’s just the box! Where is the white Stone?”
Another voice countered, “We aren’t picking it up.”
A new voice said, “There’s a house nearby, sir. Do you think they found it?”
Someone interrupted, “Sir. They say I-Force has entered the atmosphere.”
“Secure the structure immediately, and anybody within a half-mile radius. I want that white Stone now. Move!”

Jasper wondered what they meant by secure the structure. His attention was diverted to a noise in the distance. It made a rumbling sound, and the ground underneath their feet trembled because of it. Jasper so wanted to see what was happening and struggled to get away. Looking up, he saw the sky was purple and then it turned a light amber. At the same time, a mechanical shriek pierced the grove, followed by a swishing sound. Then everything fell silent.

The hand on Jasper’s mouth loosened and the man holding him stepped back, pulling his cloak away from Jasper’s body. Jasper’s knees buckled from the sudden release, and he slumped down to the ground. Quickly, he turned around, leaning against the tree. Before him stood a man that he knew had held him.

The man was tall with white hair that he wore a little long in the back. His eyes were a still blue, with small wrinkles at the corners that reminded Jasper of his own grandfather. The man looked to be in his mid-sixties, but Jasper knew that his body was lean and strong. There was concern in his face, and Jasper wondered what would happen to him now. Was this man with the others? If not, who was he? … Was he the KOGN?

Jasper wanted desperately to go home. The drive that had pushed him towards the forest was gone. Watching the white-haired man carefully, he stood and started to run.
The grove of trees that he knew so well seemed to whisper he was going the wrong way, but it didn’t stop him. His desire to get away brought him to the edge of the trees. At last, he halted. Amazed at what was before him, he thought for a moment that he had stepped into another place and time. There at his feet lay a wide, black swath cut into the soil that seemed to go for a long way. At the end, Jasper could see the smoldering wreck of a Star Skipper. The trees were right; he had gone the wrong way.

In his heart, he knew that he should start running in the opposite direction, but his curiosity was getting the better of him as he stared at the wreckage. It was the closest he had ever been to a real spaceship. As he looked at the twisted metal and the half-melted shell, he found the scene hypnotic.

Jasper jumped when he heard feet walking behind him again. Whirling around, he saw the white-haired man had followed him. This time Jasper recognized that he was wearing an I-Force uniform, his cloak flowing with each step.

Stopping in front of the boy, his eyes seemed to sparkle with life as he spoke. “Son, you can’t stay here. It’s too dangerous for you now. They’ll come back for you.”
“Why?”
“Because you have the white Stone that they are looking for.”
“I don’t have a white Stone. I don’t know what you are talking about,” shouted Jasper with all innocence. He had no memory of the white Stone. The man’s voice gave Jasper the courage he needed to run again. His desires were strong to get to the safety of his home.

Entering the grove, he headed for his house. Quickly, he realized something was wrong. The grove of trees was covered in a cloud of dust. Everything looked eerie and unrecognizable. He choked and coughed, picking his way among the trees. Trunks and branches loomed through the grayness. Evil shapes and shadows seemed to taunt him.

Finally, he stopped for a minute to pull the bottom of his shirt up over his mouth to breathe more easily. He stood peering through the dust in search of something that looked familiar, but recognized nothing.

As his tears formed little trails in the dust on his cheeks, despair felt more stifling than the air settling over Jasper. I want to go home, he cried inside.
“TURN TO YOUR RIGHT A LITTLE AND START WALKING. YOU WILL FIND WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING FOR,” soothed the Master Stone in his pocket.

Jasper didn’t question the voice as it kept him quiet and feeling calm again. He headed to where the voice told him to find his home. The voice kept encouraging him every time he felt discouraged. The dust had thinned out, when he reached the stream that ran across the meadow. Jasper knew exactly where he was. He jumped it and excitedly ran towards his home.

Coming out of the dust at his backyard, Jasper stopped stunned. This was his backyard, but the shed and the house were gone! In place of the shed was a smooth patch of dirt, as if the whole thing had simply been picked up. Where his house had been, there was a giant hole.

Jasper walked to the edge of the hole. It was several feet deep. The sides and bottom were smooth except where a stream of water was dripping out on the far side. The water was coming from the underground pipe that ran to the house, and it looked as if it had been sheered off as cleanly as the dirt and shrubs and grass at the edge of the hole.

Jasper just stared at the water as it continued to splash into the hole. Where was his house? Where were his mom and Jamie and Buster? Jasper began running around the yard searching for any sign of his family. Nobody answered his cries. After several frantic minutes, Jasper collapsed on the grass in fear, shock, and fatigue. His mind kept repeating his wonders. Where was his house? His family? His father wouldn’t be home for hours yet. How could he get word to his father? Does he know about this?

A soothing familiar voice interrupted his thoughts. “Son, you have to leave now.”
Jasper faced the same white-haired man walking across the lawn toward him. “Come with me to my ship, and we’ll find your family,” assured the man.
Should he trust this stranger? The man was wearing an I-force uniform.
“JASPER. GO WITH HIM. YOU NEED TO HURRY AND GET OUT OF HERE.” It was the same calming voice that calmed him in the grove of trees. Jasper didn’t move and the voice added, “HE WILL PROTECT YOU AND KEEP YOU SAFE UNTIL I-FORCE CAN BRING YOUR FAMILY BACK. YOU WILL FIND YOUR FAMILY, IF YOU GO WITH HIM.”

Jasper felt peace from the hypnotic voice. Standing, he headed for the man as he left for the meadow. The white-haired man led him back through the meadow, but in a different direction.  Jasper followed the man for some time in peace as they wandered in and out of the different groves of trees. He stayed very close behind him. Eventually, however, Jasper grew tired of the silence.

So he ran up to the man’s side and asked, “Where are we going?”
“My ship,” the man replied with a smile.
“Why aren’t they coming for you?”
“I don’t want them to get shot down like I was.”
“Was that your Star Skipper?”
“Yes.”
“Was anyone else on board?”
“No. I was the only one.”
“Where did all of the other men come from?”
“My, aren’t we brimming with curiosity.” The man paused as if considering something. “The other men were from a Galaxy Creeper,” he finally said.
“Did they take my family?”
“Yes.”

The man started to walk again with Jasper staying beside him. He continued, “I heard people walking around us and they were afraid of I-Force. Why couldn’t they see us?”
“You’re full of questions! And bright, too. How old are you?”
“I’m seven years old. How old are you?”
“Old.”
“You look old.”
The man smiled. “Thank you.”
He repeated, “Why did the KOGN come here and take my family?”
The man knew he couldn’t tell him if he didn’t remember the white Stone. He had already asked him about it and the boy seemed to not remember it. The man expected it and wanted to make sure the Stone was safe, with Jasper forgetting about it. He took the boy all because of the Stone. He saw him pick it up.

Changing subjects, the man asked, “What is your name?”
“Jasper. What’s your name?”
“My name is Dapper.”
He pointed at the insignia on Dapper’s uniform and stated, “You’re a general in I-Force, aren’t you?”
“You are right.”
“Someday I’m going to join I-force and fly one of your spaceships.” Dapper’s lip twitched at that. Jasper repeated, “How come the KOGN soldiers didn’t find us?”

“You’re persistent,” stated Dapper, looking at him. He told him that he had a secret weapon that enabled them to be unseen. Actually, the general had the ability to become invisible for himself only. Knowing the boy had the Stone, he chanced the Stone would help him hide the boy too. It did.
He didn’t want the boy to know that he had mastered the ability. It was a secret that only a few knew about. For the boy’s safety, Dapper didn’t want to tell him the complete truth.

After Dapper told him what he did, Jasper seemed to stop questioning him. They walked on and Jasper seemed to lag behind. So Dapper stopped and asked him if he was hungry or thirsty. Jasper’s head bobbled up and down. Dapper reached into a small compartment on his belt to retrieve something for him.

He pulled out a white substance that Dapper called field food. Jasper quickly took it, but Dapper pulled it back. He saw blood on the boy’s hands. He motioned him over to a tree and they sat. The general put the food back and took out a disposable wet cloth. He wiped Jasper’s hand, seeing it only made the cut bleed more.

Jasper told him that he got it earlier in the day and his mother had put a second skin on it. Somehow, Jasper had torn it off and Dapper guessed it happened when he tried to fight to get away from him.
The general applied medicine and a second skin over it so it would be protected. Then he gave Jasper the field food. Jasper ate while he watched Dapper take the washcloth and rub it between the palms of his hands. When he pulled them apart, it had disappeared. Jasper wanted to know how it happened and Dapper explained the friction changed the washcloth into solid gases and disappeared.

Dapper explained that I-Force never left anything behind so they couldn’t be tracked easily. Jasper asked him questions while he ate. He was surprised that the field food took care of his thirst and hunger.

They got up and Jasper noticed other objects on Dapper’s weapons belt. It started him on a new path of questions.
He asked, “Dapper, in one of my books it says I-Force soldiers carry six knives. I don’t see any knives on your weapons belt.”

The general removed a short four-inch stick that fit nicely in his hand. Suddenly, a knife blade appeared and it was replaced with a new one. Dapper went through all six blades. Jasper didn’t see him touch anything that would cause the blades to appear and disappear. So he asked how he did it.

Dapper explained to him about harmony. In the military especially, a person needed to feel the energy waves of their equipment. Once in harmony, they would ask the equipment to perform.  He told him that he would see it a lot on the ship. Everything the captains did to fly the ship was done that way.

The general was impressed that the boy knew their blaster had military purposes. They could fire a laser blast, project a time, or just light up so they could see in the dark. He was even aware of their field glasses. Dapper showed him how they could activate them to talk with others in the field. They could ask them to show things from a great distance up close. This was called long view. Jasper even knew about the glasses’ abilities to form a black light to show them metallic substances that were hidden. He didn’t know about the glasses’ ability to let someone see perfectly at night, and they protected their eyes from the sun’s rays.

There was another thing Jasper knew about that surprised Dapper. They had a red stone with their equipment that made the knives leave and go. They called it an energy stone and only the military had them.

Dapper felt the signal of his ship getting stronger. He knew they would be there soon. He glanced at Jasper to see the boy wrapping his arms around himself. The general looked over at the sun quickly disappearing behind the hills. He sighed to know that it would be dark soon and they wouldn’t make it to his ship in time.

Looking at Jasper, he told him to come in close and he would share his cloak. The boy clung to it, relieved to get some warmth. When the last golden rays of light slipped behind the horizon, Dapper said, “Stay very close to me, Jasper; I can’t give you a light. There are spies out and about, and I don’t know if they are KOGN or I-Force’s.”

Jasper cuddled in closer to Dapper after his words. He was afraid of spies. Johnny and he had made up some great story about spies in their games and adventures. With cloud cover, a storm seemed to be coming in. It was going to be a cold night and with the two moons being hidden, it was going to be dark.

Dapper went slower than he wanted. It was very important that he got this boy back to the ship, since he was carrying the white Stone. The general wondered how long it would take for the boy to remember the Stone. He knew he couldn’t touch it. The Stone would come to him when it was ready.

Suddenly, they reached a small clearing. Dapper stopped abruptly and acted nervous. Jasper couldn’t hear anything but…a soft humming sound. He sharply looked up at Dapper when he started to hum softly in a different tone. It almost sounded musical to him. The general surprised him by pulling him in and wrapped his cloak completely around him. Jasper was about to ask what they were doing, when he removed his cloak. The boy immediately grabbed a hold of it and wrapped it around as best he could. He wanted back the warmth from being underneath Dapper’s cloak.

He could hear people walking, but he couldn’t see anyone. Dapper hummed in a musical tone and it was returned. With the sounds coming closer, Jasper was scared. He moved closer to Dapper and asked, “Are they spies?”

He didn’t answer but he put his hand over the boy’s mouth. The cloak went around him and he stopped breathing to hear footsteps. They became louder with each minute. Jasper wondered what it would feel like to be shot with a blaster. He could feel Dapper reaching for his.
Suddenly, the humming started again and it sounded like it was right next to them. Dapper let go of Jasper and said, “I’m here.”

Jasper peered up at a group of men surrounding them. One of the moons started to rise from the clouds, allowing him to see something. One of the men moved his hands quickly and Dapper responded to him the same way.

Dapper looked down at the boy and whispered, “Stay with me. We need to hurry. There are spies in the area.”
Jasper nodded as he looked at the rising moon.