Tears in Heaven
Today I awoke at 3 a.m. feeling ambitious. I decided to be productive and begin writing letters to my favorite people, rather than staying under the covers trying in vain to fall back to sleep � that never works for me anyway. My letter writing is long overdue. I�ve gotten re-organized and felt the need to commit my thoughts to paper. I�m big on feelings and emotional expression. Little did I know, what would unfold once I arrived at my office.
-----Original Message-----
From: SS
Sent: Thursday, November 14, 2002 11:25 AM To: MS
Subject: RE: Hello
M:
Mike* is gone. You are at the tech center. I am not sure if you knew.
S
I read that email over and over and over and over. It didn�t make sense to me. Don�t get me wrong, I comprehended what I read, but what did it really mean?!
I sprung to the tele and called S�s extension � no answer. I immediately picked up my planner, frantically flipping to the �S� section for her number. Quickly I dialed her home phone number. I prayed silently that she would answer � she did. I swallowed deep and paused. For the next 29 minutes we laughed, joked, shared memories and cried. Mike* had gone to Heaven the early part of this week.
Resonating in all of her words, and her memories was love.
When I was President of the Youth Choir, The Expressions of Christ, we used to sing a song entitled �Love Is The Reason�. It was a song that was guaranteed to get the congregation out of their seats and onto their feet. We�d sing every stanza, then we�d go accapella with the hook. Sopranos: Love is the reason; Altos chiming in: Love is the reason: Tenors: Love is the reason; Bass: Love is the reason. We�d continue singing the chorus in a round. Most of us would be overcome by tears. After we�d finished singing and would offer praises to God, I�d scan the faces in the congregation, there were a great many tear stained faces. The song reached deep down into them, as it always did me.
Antonio wrote an entry in his diary entitled �I Love You� you can find that entry at www.soulofaman.com, he mentions how precious and uncertain life is.
I had a brief conversation with E, she said ��you have to be open to love where you find it�. She and I both agreed how precious, short and un-promised this life is.
Mike* and S are two of the most open, generous, loving, kindred spirits I�ve ever met. I�ve known S for nearly a year, and I feel as if I�ve known her my whole life. Mike I�d met some 3 short weeks ago. S had been inviting me to their home for the past year. Work always got in the way. My friend G from Birmingham, AL and I went to their home and shared some of the best home made Italian cuisine, Merlot, and home made pumpkin cheesecake & vanilla ice cream that I must go on record admitting it was all out of this world. Mike* is like Emril only better. He is warm, loving, and honest. If he likes you; he loves you. If he doesn�t well, let�s not talk about that. Handsome in a Tony Soprano way, well er, more handsome than Tony Soprano because Mike* was a real person, not a personality. I was blessed to spend 3 hours in his company and shared many memories from his childhood. Things he hadn�t thought of, much less spoken about, in decades.
Aside from the spectacular, flawless meal which was created by Mike* and his son, desert specially made by S; what I�d come away with that night - if I were a rudderless ship, aimlessly drifting the ocean of life, that night I not only found my compass, I saw the North Star. To be quite honest, I saw the face of God, that night, in Mike. I don�t know if he knew it, but he touched me in such a way. I was captivated by our conversation. I left their home feeling completely content and at peace. By the way, this is not the condition in which I entered their home.
Mike*, God has His reasons for taking you. I�d like to be so vain glorious to say I think I know why. You were a man of integrity, and high morals. You loved, and lived your life without boundaries. You prized your relationship with God and your wife and children above any material possession. He was an intoxicating man. One whom you could never tire being in the company of. Friendly, warm, sincere, genuine, loving, intelligent, charming and funny. Michael* I know you are in Heaven watching over S and the kids, and all of your friends. Do me one favor and hold all our seats for us, until we see you again.
With love unending, many hugs and heartfelt prayers Mike*, I miss you and love you.
May God Bless You and Keep You in His Grace.
Amen.
Take the time today, to share with your loved ones, the love that is within you.
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