A Year Later and you are still the Greatest of ALL TIME!!!

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A year ago today, ultimately and in my opinion the GREATEST Artist to ever grace this earth passed away. I was working with AU's New Student Orientation program, when I received a text message stating that he had died. And at the time my coworkers knew that I was a big fan and kept sending text messages to let me know the news. I like many were just destroyed. This was a rough day as it was, my nieces (twins) were born on this day 2 years ago and we lost one of them a before her first month. Alexa Grace will always be a big part of our family, even though she was with us for a few short weeks, she had more love than anyone could have asked for. So I was already emotional from this day knowing what it meant to have lost someone in my family as well.
And I mean it's hard to explain, I never met MJ, but he was a big part of my family and my childhood. My Saturday mornings were spent listening to my dad's MJ vinyls as we cleaned the house. We would watch MJ Music Videos that my dad had recorded, we would wait until the MTV Premieres for MJ's movie like music videos. I mean my life straight down to my room was MJ. I had posters of MJ, one in particular was a puzzle with MJ and Bubbles that my parents had framed to hang in my room. My aunt one Christmas bought my a red leather vest so I could rock out like MJ. My cousin and I would have singing contests to various MJ songs and try to get my father to judge who was the better singer (HILARIOUS!) I sang MJ songs in talent shows and my best friend and I would have dance contests in her living room to MJ songs sliding up and down her coffee table.
Oh man those were the days. Up until his death my embarrassing story with my Orientation Students was MJ related. My first concert, that I remember was an MJ concert. I was wearing this black skirt and we weren't really far from the stage at all. Anyways, I really had to go to the bathroom. Like really bad! But the intro to Thriller came on and I wanted to see the performance. I mean as a kid I freaked out watching the music video. I used to hide behind a wall, those Saturday mornings and peer around the corner to see the video for fear that I would get to scared. Anyways, the whole arena when pitch dark and the intro starts and then all of a sudden this wolf head takes center stage, well needless to say that was enough for me. I lost it literally- let's just say I didn't have to go to the bathroom to actually use the bathroom after that one. Thankfully my mother brought a change of clothes and I was able to change, but it was crazy. I think that night I bought another poster to add to my collection. Now I have no idea where these videos, or posters are. During the divorce, it wasn't just my life that got screwed up, but my memories and my dreams(again, a story for another time).
I read MJ's book by the time I was 10. I had my own copy (also lost in the divorce) I was lucky enough to buy a copy after they re-released the book after his death. Anyways, I listen to his music and I miss the artist. He had a great heart, one of the best humanitarians I have ever learned about. I just think so much of who he was was misunderstood. And people wanted to see him destroyed- and sadly I think it broke him.
I saw the documentary of what was to be his greatest concert This is it! twice in the theater. Each time I cried like a baby. My dad and I had plans to go when the tour got to the U.S. I was so excited when I heard that MJ was preparing this concert. My one wish was that he would have been able to live just a little longer, to just perform one night on that stage. This is it the documentary only gives you glimpses of his musical genius, I have to tell you watching that and knowing how great an artist he really is- ARTISTS of this day and age need to be scared!!! He was about to do something so amazing!
Well MJ <3 I hope now that you are able to have your Peace. We miss you and we love you still.
As I close I want to dedicate this song to MJ and to my little angel Alexa Grace and all the other ones that have "Gone too Soon"