I don't think I quite realized the impact Michael had on my life until the afternoon of June 25, when the news anchor at the t.v. station in my city told everyone Michael had died.
After the shock, and the surrealism wore off, and as I began my personal mourning/grieving process, I soon developed a profound sense of nostalgia which lead me to feel (as I told Michael's mother in a condolense card I sent to her through another fan website) that I had just lost a 'good friend'.
Having been born three years after Michael, I had always felt blessed to have been born so closely in age to him, and to have had the opportunity to grow up with him and his brothers. During those early years, I remember listening to the Jackson Five on the radio; seeing their Saturday morning cartoon show on t.v., and hearing Michael singing his classic solo hits 'I'll Be There', 'ABC', and 'BEN' (among others) on the radio. I even remember watching 'BEN' (the movie by the same name), and relating to the lonely little boy in the movie...
After his "Thriller" era, I lost track of Michael for awhile what with being busy with work, and other activities necessary to sustain my life. It wasn't until June 25, 2009 that a window of opportunity was opened for me to reacquaint myself with the beautiful man, and his music, and to realise a deep endless love I have always had for Michael, his music, and who he was/is as a human being...a love which I now express (when the opportunity presents itself) through my fan fiction characters in my stories on this website.
As I watch what is happening in the world, I can't help but give Michael a silent, heartfelt "Thank you" for the inspired lyrics in fantastic songs dealing with racism, and human relations especially "BLACK or WHITE" (where he says "I'm not gonna spend my life bein' a color), and 'They Don't Care About Us' (where he says: "If Martin Luther was livin' he wouldn't let it be...).
On the anniversary of what would have been his 60th birthday, I'm wearing one of my favorite MJ tee shirts, (one with an image of him from a concert performance of 'Thriller' during his BAD concert tour, and I will be expressing my endless love for Michael with more words on paper in one of my current fan fiction stories :).
Happy Birthday, Michael!
Chapter End Notes:
Hope everyone enjoyed the birthday greeting entry, and will enjoy future entries in which I will be including my thoughts on Michael's music/his short films, and the events of my life that had taken place during each decade of his career :). Reviews are welcome :)