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Back from a long hiatus and so much has happened. We returned from a most incredible trip to Hawaii and witnessed my brother marry the love of his life. After such an exuberant celebration, we touch down on the mainland to find out that one of my all-time idols, Michael Jackson, had passed away. The juxtaposition between events could not have been greater. Initially, I was in a state of denial. We would hear from him/about him sporadically as a reminder that he was still there, but this final “breaking news” would inform us that he wasn’t. It took awhile for the gravity of the news to set in and it wasn’t until I started to watch old footage of his performances and appearances did I finally realize we wouldn’t get to witness that again. He was mesmerizing on stage and intriguing off of it. There was an interview in which he stated that “Childhood” was his most autobiographical song he has ever written. In the song, he laments about a childhood he missed out on and pleads, “before you judge me, try hard to love me.” After listening to it again, I couldn’t help but feel sympathetic and trapped for him at the same time. Michael Jackson was not ours to have, but he gave us everything he had. Its really sad that it took his passing for the media to reflect on the positive things that he contributed to our world. My hope is that Michael is remembered and loved as the amazing entertainer that he was and not judged as the monster the media made him out to be.