I remember that he was doing the Thriller tour and I had gotten in trouble calling some boy making toll calls running up my parent’s phone bill ’cause he lived so far away AND he was way too old for me. I was on punishment BUT my Mom refused to not let me go see Michael Jackson in concert. I remember we stood the whole time in the stadium. We had floor seats kinda to the left side of the row. I remember dancing and smiling the whole time that I joked that my cheeks hurt after the concert.

This man, this phenmenon, moved people throughout the world for decades. and in his death I don’t why, but he has moved people to live, and be kind to others, and look at themselves first, and love one another.. He brought the whole world together. He’s made me rethink what I can achieve and my expectations of just me. To be fearless but with integrity, and kindness, and to reach for the stars because life is really too short. I don’t know why a lot of us though he would live forever. I understand he’ll live forever thorugh his music, but really live forever, because he was the real Peter Pan, never growing old. It was such a shock to this system to hear that he ahd died. No way, no way!
About 10 years ago, I had the opportunity to see him upclose just walking by with a group of kids at Universal Studios during one of their Halloween Haunt nights. I went crazy…”That’s Michael Jackson, Michael Jackson!!!” The rest of my crew looked at me like I was a fool to be going crazy over seeing Michael Jackson just walk right by me. He only had about 9-10 people, mostly children, around him. It was crazy and it really was him as we confirmed later with some or the workers at Universal. It was during a time when his popularity wasn’t at it’s height in the states and I guess he didn’t need much of an eunterage or security.. I wished I had had the courage back then to get his autograph or just say hello and shake his hand.

I had his posters on my wall in my room when I was elementary and junior high. I had that one with him in yellow and white, which was my favorite, and the one where he is doing Billie Jean and the sidewalk lit up. He was still chocolate brown back then with the whitest teeth and and awesome smile….awwww my Micheal Jackosn crush. I remember crushing on this boy at school who looked like him at this time and who could break dance, his nikname was “Captain.” LOL. So funny the things you remember with certain music. I conjuers up the time period in your life when you used to listen to that song over and over again.

Oh and the Thriller video. It seemed lik every kid in our neighbor hood was at my house during the premier of Thriller and even after seeing it 16 times you still wanted it to come back on so that you caould do the whole dance routine to it. Could you imagine that today you could go on a thing called YouTube and watch Korean prisoners doing the Thriller video dance for exercise in the prison yard? Crazy isn’t it!!! I can go on and on and this would just not stop about all the memories I have of Micheal Jackson’s music, being intertwined into my life.
So, in his memory he has inspired me to achieve anything to which I put my mind and focus…to keep on singing, my passion, and even losing weight to look and feel my best, and be healthy.