Operation 365 - Jefferson Jay - Archives - 363 Jefferson Jay "That Morning" 8-19-2009

Operation 365 - Jefferson Jay - Archives - 363 Jefferson Jay "That Morning" 8-19-2009

Friendship is one of the truly precious things in life. It's one of the things that matters most to me. Without friends to share our life with, to love, living seems hollow. Loyalty and support of friends is one of the most important traits you can have, I believe and I try to live that way as much as possible. Ideally, we would see everyone int he world as our friends and treat them all that way, accordingly.

So, today's song brings with it, a long story. That morning sucked. That mornings was January 13, 2009. I received a call form the police. They were calling regarding my friend "Donald Truesdail." They didn't want to tell me what happened til I go over to their house, but I assured them I was coming and made them tell me. They said he was dead. I walked over slowly. I felt a slight sense of relief with the thought that he had an accident and it was cut ad dry, In the past, when my best friend, Tony died, the mysterious and unclear circumstances involved made it that much mroe intolerable.

I arrived at their house. I won't describe the scene out of respect for how emotional and painful it was for all involved, especially Don's wife nancy, but it was beyond grim. Eventually the police came and brought with them the hideous insinuation that Don was somehow involved with the ending of his own life. Nobody who knew him was buying it. Several hours later, I went home and took a shower, His music was blasting and it was an emotional and raw time. I felt his voice in my head tell me "Don't believe that bullshit," just as I began to contemplate the officer's unconscionable assertion. My instinct was to believe that voice. I did, but moments late, gain I entertained the notion for a heartbeat that the police might not be entirely full of shit here. and then as vociferously as I heard I heard it the first time, probably more I heard those same word in my head. "Don't believe that bullshit." From that moment forward, I agreed to heed that wisdom. It made more sense. That's for sure.

The newspaper printed that "information" the next day. When I called them, all kinds of angry, they informed me they got it off the police's website. Nice. The investigation had barely begun and the police posted on their website that the cause of death was suicide. So much for that relief I imagined on my initial walk over. For the next week, I spent every second I had helping Nancy and trying to find proof that Don didn't kill himself. So many other things happened in those subsequent days, the kinds of things most people never experience and probably wouldn't believe. That's why I don't tell those stories. I'm not out to convince anybody that my spiritual road is for them or even legitimate. It is my journey. It's how I learn to live and while I would be happy to discuss, I never intend to defend any of it to anyone, because it has nothing to do with them really.

But I gained a lot of wisdom for the universe during that time. It kept me going on my pursuit of the truth and my grieving on next to sleep for awhile. The following Saturday, 5 days after the accident. I found proof in Don's car that he had an accident in OB prior to his jaunt down the 5 on his way to work to teach kids music. That pretty much destroyed the police's genial version of the truth in which Don drove down the highway so he could leap in front of a garbage truck. If they had look at all for a note or not ignored the damage to his vehicle from the first accident, none of my little heroism, would have been necessary. It's a much longer story, as you might imagine.

This version of "That Morning" was recorded at The Belly Up Tavern in Solana Beach, CA on Don's mom's birthday, August 19, 2009.


To learn more about Don, or check out any of his awesome music, please visit

http://truesdailstudio.com

To hear the CD version of "That Morning" or any of the other tunes off "Gift To Be Alive," please visit

http://jeffersonjay.bandcamp.com/

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