The Heart and Soul of Bernard Jensen

March 25, 2000, the third day

of Natural Products Expo West

was Dr.Bernard Jensen¹s 92nd birthday. He never made it to the show. He washome in bed, semi-paralyzed, unable to walk. At the 2001 show in March, I heard ofhis passing, February 22, 2001. A man who loved his raw, fresh warm goat's milk more than others love a hot Toddy, I name Jensen among the top five men of his time who turned more people on to organic living than anyone else over the last 100 years.

Speaking from a wheelchair at this his 92nd birthday celebration,

surrounded by those who loved him, Dr. Jensen was happy as a lark.

Forprobably the 100th time, he announced that his NEXT seminar

would probably be his last.

Five days after his birthday, he was teaching a seminar two hours a day

for three days on Iridology and nutrition-- two of his favorite subjects--to 75 or more doctors and health professionals who came from around the world to hear him. Once again, he was finding new ways to demonstrate why white bread simply doesn¹t cut it as far as good health is concerned.

In January, 2000, Jensen had told his son Art to make alternative plans

in case he died before his birthday talk. As usual, though, Jensen showed

up, gave his message, received the love his students, beamed for photos, and was ready to take on life again.

Dr. Jensen, one of the truly LIVING elders of the natural food Industry,

goes down in this Enchanted Gardener¹s Guinness Book of Good Housekeepingas the man most told he had only six months to live. He was told this no less than four times between the ages of 89 and 92.

As his wife of 40 years, Marie once said, "My husband was always hard of

hearing. " This was, of course, unless there was something beautiful to be

heard, someplace incredibly beautiful to go visit in search of ageless

wisdom, or one more book that simply had to be written to add to his list of more than 50.

Jensen goes down in history as a man disease simply could not take.

Reeking with cancer at age 89 (which he sometimes attributed to working too hard, or to one too many airplane meals on the way to the inner realms ofouter Mongolia) Jensen¹s healing is proof that heart, soul, and passion

are stronger than any human disease.

He is living proof that when heart and soul and passion are hooked up

with natural foods and organic living, God can do anything.

An Aries ram born at the onset of Spring in 1908, the twinkle in

Jensen's eye has inspired more than 350,000 patients over more than 50 years of practice. His writings and influence infused life into a whole industry.

Once offered a job as a preacher, Jensen came to church and gave a talk

on bowel management, one of his favorite subjects. In his early days, one audience threw ripe tomatoes. Jensen gathered them up and made tomato juice.

Two weeks later I went to survey the scene. I stood with one foot deep

in black soot from dead trees. The other foot was on lush green. The lush

green ran the perimeter of his property for more than 1/4 mile. The fire

simply knew better than to cross the line.

Although trained as a chiropractor,

he preferred looking into the eye to

see what foods the body needed. Jensen often said, as Hippocrates might have, "The food healed them. I never touched them."

Jensen has always relied on foods and growing in harmony with nature

as two of his favorite remedies. He has always been one of nature!s best

friends, and she one of his.

Around the same time he was about to go down with cancer, 100 mile an

hour winds created a fire storm on the outskirts of his Hidden Valley Health

Ranch in Escondido.

Stunning the medical establishment with his complete recovery from

cancer, Jensen went on to walk again after a devastating and paralyzing car

accident. A year later, he was in a wheelchair again from old

age and overwork, and he was unable to control his own bowel. Jensen again stunned his conventional medical doctor by taking his own

medicine--natural foods--to completely cleanse and return to improved

bowel health-- at age 92.

I was one of his 350,000 patients. I am grateful to call him my spiritual father when I felt I had no other. I acknowledge him for carrying

me from bed to bed, when I myself could not walk.

As we walk down the aisles of Natural Products Expos to come, choosing products and produce that serve the deepest needs of our customers, I know the spirit, heart and soul of Dr. Bernard Jensen will always be walking with us.

Leslie Goldman, Your Enchanted Gardener,

SEES and plants SEEDS of success for super RIPE people and their DREAMS.

An ambassador of heart and soul, his influence is expressed through poetry that inspires intimacy and photo images that record the history of Peace on Earth. Leslie was given a U.N. Peace Medal in 1982 for the work he would do in his life. His mission is growing the Enchanted Garden, a name for our Renewed Earth. Coming off two Hip Revisions in 2001-2002, his project GETTING HIP aims to inspire Health care to GET HIP to being all it can be. His Poetry Plaques, words men need to know and women want to hear, are called alimony insurance by doctors and health and nutrition Industry executives. Vitamin "L"--for Love is his game. He promotes it with fresh fragrant herbs and heirloom organic seeds. He says, "Gardeners make better lovers."

Do you know a person and project upholding and expressing the Heart and Soul of the Natural Produce

and Products Industry?

mailto: Plantyourdream@cox.net

and see:

www.Lesliegoldman.com

Would you like some Job's Tears,

the Seeds of Life Fulfillment grown

by Leslie Goldman, Your Enchanted

Gardener?