Goodbye, Michael

ichael Jackson gave to us.  Joy, love, connection and music.  And so we celebrate not only his life, but our own.

In an interview, Michael admitted to feeling at ease only on stage.  Around other people, not so much.  All he wanted was to entertain, to be loved by us in a way he never seemed to be loved by another person.  But his eccentricities and crimes pushed his audience away.  Understandably, we made him a freak and an exile.  We branded him irrelevant, the truest way to kill an artist. 

But if you’ve been around long enough, you know people don’t do bad things because they’re evil, but because they’ve got a lot of pain.  Of course, your allegiances lie with the victims, but one can’t help but feel for someone whose life has been horrific.  And so, part of this celebratory funeral for Michael Jackson is about forgiveness.  

More from YourTango: Ex-Wife Of Exonerated Man Wants Cut Of Restitution Money

I don’t want to be sad, in part, because I believe Michael Jackson sought in life the kind of release he now knows in death.  I’m sad for the people in his life who truly loved him, and hope there were many.  I’m sad he never had the chance to redeem himself.  But I’m thankful he was with us.

I have trouble with the concept of an afterlife and am still struggling to decide what happens to the spirit when it leaves the body.  But right now, I hope there is a Heaven and that this phenomenally gifted, phenomenally generous, phenomenally tortured person can see us down here singing and grooving to his music. 

More from YourTango: Do Men Want Children More Than Women?

Yes, you meant something to us, Michael.  We were moved by your story and your work.  We do love you.  And will never stop dancing.