Holding Out

June 25th, 2009. That afternoon, I was at work, when my supervisor suddenly declared from his desk, "Michael Jackson just died!" I couldn't believe it. In fact, I didn't believe it at first. I was determined to prove to him that he was wrong. But, the shocking news was real and I immediately felt devastated and heart-broken.

Michael Jackson was an incredible performer. His music moves you, and, as I heard someone say once, when you listen to his music it's like you're swimming in it; it's like you're a part of it. When you watch Michael perform you can literally see and hear his passion. You know that he is singing something he believes in and it moves him. He wanted to make a contribution to this world and he wanted to change it for the better.

My fondest MJ memory... I will hold onto it forever. After I graduated college my commute to work was about 45 minutes, and it was on back-roads through a beautiful countryside. At the time I had a red convertible 1985 Chrysler LeBaron. In the warm months, I would put down the top and blare a Michael Jackson mix CD I had put together. With the fresh air, the beautiful countryside, and the sound of Michael singing his heart out with grooves that you can't help but move to, those were some incredibly spectacular times.

Michael, we will miss you forever. No one will ever fill the incredible void you have left in our hearts. The impact you made on music and on the people of the world was extraordinarily one-of-a-kind. I hope you have finally found peace as you leave a world in which you were both loved and scrutinized; a world that you never seemed to settle perfectly into. We will carry your legacy with us and into the future.   

Like a comet blazing 'cross the evening sky; gone too soon.
Like a rainbow fading in the twinkling of an eye; gone too soon.
Shiny and sparkly and splendidly bright; here one day, gone one night.
Like the loss of sunlight on a cloudy afternoon; gone too soon.

Like a castle built upon a sandy beach; gone too soon.
Like a perfect flower that is just beyond your reach; gone too soon.
Born to amuse, to inspire, to delight; here one day, gone one night.
Like a sunset dying with the rising of the moon; gone too soon.

Gone Too Soon.