Growing Up with Michael Jackson

I have noted the death of Michael Jackson with a huge amount of nostalgia. You see, Michael and I were very close in age, with me being just a bit older. I remember the young Michael of the Jackson 5 with my childlike fascination of him and his song "ABC." I never thought the "J 5" even came close to being my favorite group. In that era I much preferred the Monkees or even the Partridge Family.

Still, as I grew, so did Michael. His talents as a singer and as a dancer reached the stratosphere. Even those with no real appreciation for his particular brand of music would be lying if they said Michael Jackson was lacking in talent in those areas. The "Thriller" album ranks high in every collection of popular music in the twentieth century. The videos of Michael Jackson will forever be among the most innovative and well designed of their time or of any other.

By my own, admittedly limited, standards, his song "Billie Jean" is clearly the best of the best work that he contributed to his industry. Every image of Michael Jackson that ever passes through my brain contains at least a few flashbacks of that video, with Michael displaying that superior footwork that helped make him the king of his musical era.

My tastes have grown and evolved over the years (okay, decades. . .), but I, along with millions the world over, will miss Michael Jackson and his eccentric, tabloid style existence. In spite of his quirky, possibly insane, way of coping in the world, the man was a talented genius who will not easily be replaced in style, skill, talent or level of expression.

His passing brings my own mortality just that much closer. It is good to be reminded that it is later than we think. That, in addition to the memories of his great music, is Michael Jackson's final gift to us all.

Hello Summer

In these first gorgeous days of summer, just let me say - "Welcome back, my long, lost friend!" I love summer. I love everything about it. I love heat, I love sun, I love summer rain. I may not love humidity, but it comes with the package from time to time, therefore I will accept it.

I feel myself soaking up the glorious heat, storing it away for some bleak day in January when I have forgotten what the sun even looks like. Daylight arrives so early and lasts so long these days that I almost feel I am never asleep. Strange, summer-induced insomnia has no ill effects on me whatsoever. I want to take in every moment of it before it fades away once again some crisp fall morning.

Summer brings to me every hope, dream and aspiration that ever possessed me in my lifetime and makes everything seem possible and new once again. The most youthful part of my being exists right now, each year, in these few wonderful months where the sun rises high in the sky, the air is warm and inviting and there is a lightness in my step that surprises even me.

Yes, welcome home, dear summer. You were well worth the wait.

Simplicity

By some standards, I live a simple life. I eat and sleep, work and play, make time for my husband, go to the gym. I have interests and ambitions. I like to know what's going on in the world. Yet, somehow, I often view the world as a complicated mess with me stuck squarely in the middle of it all.

I don't want the deserted island scenario, to be sure. Yet, somehow, I am always searching for a simpler world. So, what do I throw overboard? I need my job, I like my married life, I have to go to the gym or risk being a flabby, weak, little old lady some day in the not too distant future.

And so, it seems, I am stuck with my lot in life. The "things" of my world aren't the problem. The "people" of my world aren't the problem either. The problem, the real source of clutter in my world, is noise. Everywhere I turn, someone has something to say, whether I want to hear it or not. Should I be an informed citizen or a closed off recluse with no contact to the outside world?

Neither scenario is simple and workable. Everybody wants a piece of me. And, sad to say, pretty much everyone gets a piece of me in one form or another.

Simplicty is not so simple after all. Just an observation, I'm afraid. Tomorrow I will face another day, and the script will be pretty much the same.

Humility versus Arrogance

A good man, who is a close member of my family, is facing what will likely be the final struggles of his life right now. A grueling major surgery for a cancer that cannot be cured was followed by a massive stroke. At the age of 84, my fear is he will not be strong enough to rally and fight back hard enough to win. He will leave this world with a greater faith and more strength than almost anyone I have known on my walk in life.

He is a humble man. In his life he did not know wealth or fame or fortune. But I can tell you for a fact, he knew happiness. He is a man of God, unshakable in his faith. He loved his God, his family, his work and his friends. He labored hard in his life and took great pride in the labor of his hands.

For me, he has epitomized everything that is great in humanity. That virtue I will sum up in his humility. He is great, but he would never have said that. He is smart, but he was always eager to listen and learn from others. He has never needed to push his way to the forefront of life. But, for me, he will always be there.

I place this man ahead of every arrogant, self-serving, "Hey, look at me!" person I have every encountered.

Greatness is what I find in someone, not what they try to tell me exists in them. In one humble, kind man I have found this greatness. He will always hold a place of honor in my heart.

A Salute to Susan Boyle

So, the angelic voice of Susan Boyle has been relegated to the number two position by those "in the know" who judge such things on the basis of an artificial facade or a false set of standards. Instead, top honors have been awarded to some group by the name of "Diversity" who have apparently conformed to the mold a little more closely.

Sigh . . . I have only one thought here. That is to salute Ms. Boyle on her magnificent talent. She is number one in this silly amateur review of wannabees, could-have beens, and never-had-a-chances. Next week, when "Diversity" slips into the background, Ms. Boyle will continue to ring out as the voice of every aspiring hope and dream that has never been allowed to see the light of day. She will be remembered for what she brought to the heart of every human being blessed to hear her voice - the chance to "dream a dream. . ."

The world will not be so lax as to let this huge talent slip into obscurity once again, of that I am sure. This dream has been unleashed and, like Pandora's box, the lid cannot be closed again.

Best of luck to you, Ms. Boyle. You have risen to the height of greatness by doing what you love to do. Fame and fortune will follow. This minor disappontment will be only a slight smudge on the stellar record of your emerging career.

I eagerly await your next move.