today
is the memorial service
and
the celebration of life
for michael jackson
~~
not everyone loved him
I'm not even sure I did
but
I do know he made me smile when I heard his songs
and
he made me want to try the moonwalk even if I looked foolish
and
when I hear his music today
I seem to know most of the words even though I never
owned any of his albums
~~
so even though he wasn't for everyone
he was a human being
and
today he will be remembered
*
11 comments:
Beth, this is the truth. And, it says accurately what I have felt all along. I always feel, despite how tortured and awful a Human Being may act, that at one point they were the cherished child of some mother who had hopes and dreams for that child.
And, regardless of what I may or may not feel about him, his passing should give us all pause to wonder what more could have been done to help him. Care for him. Not just think about all he had and did.
Thank you for this gentle tribute.
i was telling brac that i feel proud that we have been listening to and dancing to his music for the past eight+ years that we have been married. m.j. does not fall under the favorite category for either of us in our music tastes. but we did recognize his great beat and catchy tunes and the way his music just made you feel so good and feel like dancing. so we would put it on from time to time and turn it up really loud and dance . . . well, i would dance, and brac would just stand there and watch me with a big smile on his face. anyway, when he died, i felt glad to know that i had been enjoying his music and the things he gave to the artistic world while he was alive, and that i did not only come to appreciate him just because he died and became an even larger than life icon. not that anyone who becomes a new fan now is to be ridiculed—some people just might not have known his music until now. but i'm glad that i appreciated his craft while he was still here. i can't wait for the next time that we put his music on again and boogie!!
a lot of people have been critical of him in his later years—even i was. but it is sad when people still are—almost heartless about the face that he died. no matter what he did {allegedly or not} and no matter what he looked like, he was still a human being and an artist. i think he deserves respect at this time, and not so much criticism.
whoa. i think that is the longest comment i ever typed. :)
great post, beth.
{oh, and i'm trying to picture you doing the moonwalk and it is making me smile.}
do I think he was talented. yes
do I love his music. yes
do I think he was a tortured and sad individual. yes
do I think it was sad he died. yes
was I shocked. yes
was I sad. yes
am I sad for his family and children. yes and yes
do I think too much has been said and done about it. yes
what is sad is the way we as a society give so much honor and dignity to a celebrity but when someone like mother teresa or the pope dies, it goes without notice mostly. days and days of media attention is not paid to it. we do not ask large cities such as los angeles to foot the bill for use of facilities such as the staple center or the untold hours that police officers will be put on security for this. money than could be paid to the already bankrupt state of california - a state that cannot pay back individual income tax returns and is laying off teachers by the hundreds.
I'm sorry - my opinion is not everyone. I do honor and respect the artist and recognize he was a very troubled man that had too much before he was equipped to handle it. I wish him peace at last and hope he has found that.
I can watch his "thriller" video all day long. What a mover he was.
Thanks - this is a thoughtful response to what is both a very human story and a media circus at once. Overhearing (through the cubicle wall) the service today, I had to think that it was, even with the splash and dazzle, just a down-home recognition of the human condition and the mystery that attends it.
Beth - this is my first visit and I'm so glad I stopped by because I LOVE your blog! Peace, Glen
Hi Beth,
I think you expressed the thoughts of a lot of people, very eloquently.
I think there has been far too much hype and believe that the Jackson family could behave with more dignity and in a more private way.
Have a memorial concert; have a service of thanksgiving for a life; but let the man be buried first.
he was an artist of great talent with many problems ...I am sorry he is gone.
Very well put. He was a son, a brother and a father as much as he was a public figure I'm not sure that life served him well but he gave us such a lot, he will be remembered.
Oh Beth so true. He was a human being and in his way trying to 'make a better world'. I hope he'll still sing up above and make people smile. May he find some peace. And my heart goes out to every one who misses him here on earth.
Thanks for putting this out here.
i loved him as a young teenager, even had a poster on my wall (until it fell and our cocker spaniel puppy chewed it up)...but i fell out of love for awhile and now? i find myself gravitating towards his music more and more now that there will never be anymore.
i find is so strange how humans (myself included...duh) can get so caught up in someone when they die, even though they had little interest while they were alive... regardless, i genuinely feel sad knowing he died so young and left behind so many that love him.
sigh.
the photo here today is gorgeous! so happy you got to get away and spend time with your love.
xoxoxo
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