JUNE 25, 2012
Michael, you were with me my whole life, but I didn’t really know
until that day. I kept track of you, but I didn’t realize until that day. On that day, I was
finally stopped in my tracks and could look back at each moment in
time that I shared with you.
You had a glow of light around you. A smile, a warmth, a
mysteriousness that enveloped you. I see you in my mind and you’re moving,
shimmering and spinning. I can’t touch you or put my finger on you because
you’re in constant motion.
You brought so much joy to the world.
On that day, time stood still. I remember people coming out onto
the streets to mourn. We all cried together in
our homes, in record stores, on the internet. The whole world stopped for a few
minutes that day.
With your beautiful voice – the most beautiful I had ever heard,
you told us stories. You made us feel the deepest emotions inside, like no one
else had ever done. You sparked a place that can’t even be named because it has
no words. You did that for
forty years, even before I was born.
You created a timeless place, a refuge, where I can be myself – one
hundred percent.
You invested in art. You put your own time and money into making
some of the greatest works of art – pieces that will live on forever and have
changed the world.
You told us what mattered – children, the earth, animals, peace,
justice.
On that day, I mourned for the
passing of youth. Your inner and outer beauty were so incredible. Beauty fades
with time, but the inner light continues to shine. People said you were broken,
but I knew you were always ready to thrive and show us your power. And you would
have done it again.
You made my heart stop, made my jaw drop, made me feel alive, made
the juices flow.
I’ve learned so much from you. Learned that passion
is important. Learned that whatever I am doing, it has to be meaningful to me,
it has to matter. You led me to some wonderful people, other souls who were also
touched by your lightening.
I learned that music is one of the keys to human existence. It’s
something that is strictly human and speaks of our vulnerability and ability to
love, to share emotion. It comes from the divine.
Michael, I wish I had known all of this before that day. I wish I
had known you were there and that I needed your music – that it completes me and
moves me forward. But now I know
that you were always there for me, waiting for me
to discover you. And you will be there
forever. You’ll always be in my heart. This time, I promise I will take note of
it everday, and
I promise I won’t keep it to myself.
Love, SO
