This piece is in response to fans and to your letters:
Being the Change
First of all, I am so proud of those of you who have become mature, reasonable spokespersons for Michael Jackson. Thank you for not allowing the media to bait you into placing yourself in a bad light. And to those who have succumbed to the temptation– please rethink your position. Michael would not approve. And thank you to those fans who stood outside the courthouse and sang Michael’s songs. That is the message– it’s in the lyrics. The vibe is in the music. Brava!
I know fans are hurting. I know the advocates and those promoting vindication are disheartened. What is heartening is that you all are seeing through the charade. Do you understand that this work, and what you are witnessing, and what you will do with what you have witnessed, is part of your life mission? Do you know how valuable your contribution is to the future?
If you, as advocates for Michael Jackson, will broaden your vision, you will change the world so much so that the children of the future will NEVER have to be bullied again. They will never have to feel like orphans of a culture that rejects them. If they are artists, they will never be made to suffer because they are considered “different.” They will never have to give up that innocence that helps them to stay in their hearts, to come at the world from that heart-centered perfection.
Do you know how powerful you are? You can be powerful. You can have a voice. You can be listened to and taken seriously. You only have to learn the formula for how to do that. It can be done. Until then, watch and take notes and keep complaining LOUDLY about what you do not like and will not tolerate. But it must be done with dignity, maturity, diplomacy and kindness if you can muster it. You can be angry and be emphatic without being a bully.
If you want people to walk all over you, then lie down. If you want to be jerked around, find someone who is determined to control you. If you want to be passive, whine and complain and do nothing. If you want to be dismissed as illegitimate, sound crazy and delusional. If you want more shadow in your life, invite it; it will be only too willing to intrude.
But if you want to change the world in the most effective way there is, do it non violently and do it with as peaceful resistance as you can manage. Violence invites more of the same. You must have a voice and you must use it. People will treat you badly if they can get away with it, it you allow it. They will stop when you educate them on how you may be treated and what you will not allow. Draw boundary lines (think lines in the sand) and state loudly “You may not cross this line; if you cross this line there will be a consequence.” And back it up with action.
Have you not been watching the “Occupy” movement? Occupy the Middle East. Occupy the Wisconsin capitol. Occupy Wall Street. There is the potential for a movement here. When Marilyn Tukovich from Voices Education Project and I spoke about what our vision is for Voices and for the ‘Words and Violence’ curriculum and where it was going, we both saw the underpinnings for a social movement, for a revolution. The third edition fo Voices will be magnificent if we can have our way and things fall into place. And you can all be part of that. I will reveal some ideas and plans shortly.
The way to have the most impact is to use a collective voice and to demonstrate with action how things could be better. You must be willing to be a role model and to role model a “how to do it” prescription. Do you understand why you are attracted to Michael Jackson and his work? Look at his videos. Look at the lyrics. Look at how he lived his life, or tried to. Listen to his last words.
I know we all get angry. I know we try. I know we get discouraged and sometimes we despair. And sometimes we slip from dignity and we behave badly allowing our anger to get the best of us. I am guilty of that too. But we have to try to keep in mind the vision. Someone send me a message saying that how they are getting through this phase of the Michael story, for it’s not over by any stretch of the imagination, (I was going to say ‘it’s not over by a long shot’ and then recognized how violent that language is– see how insidious this is?) this person pictures the scene in Black or White where Michael stands head down into the wind as all the garbage comes at him. And when he looks up, it is still with the eyes of conviction, compassion, vision and belief. I recommend that you stand steadfast in that Michael place.
This Is It
Three words. ‘This Is It.” Prophetic words, those. Michael said them. They would prove to be prescient and they would prove to be true. But even then, that moment was not what it is now. “This Is It.”
The world is once again and for the last time with focus, fixed on Michael Jackson. This opportunity will not come again, so the time is now to be the legacy.
Michael Jackson died from being anesthetized too much. Do you see any irony in that? He comes back round yet again to show us what happens to minds that are anesthetized to the extent and the scale of our current myth. America especially did not treat it’s native son well. Its collective consciousness is assaulted with images, myths and narrative about Michael Jackson yet again that stand suspended between the poles of truth and assumption.
“We” assumed “we” knew. “We” didn’t. “We” assume we have the story now; “we” don’t. Michael Jackson always brought us irony and contradiction. His work speaks loudly. He death speaks even louder as he lays still on that table and bids us to look. Look! he seems to scream– look at what you have done to me. Yes, the image is disturbing but then we’ve always found Michael images disturbing. But this one… screams at us of our guilt, our complacency, of what we did to a soul who we condemned but who may not, after all, have been guilty. That’s ‘a hard pill to swallow’ and that is exactly what the defense in the Conrad Murray trial wants to prove- swallow the pill, consume the anesthetic. More irony.
The image of Michael’s body, discarded like yesterday’s clothes seems to say: you may have looked away before when they were bullying me, crucifying me on the stage of the world, but look now! This is what happens when you bully people to death– when you dismember them metaphorically, humiliate them, steal their soul and suck out their spirit. We (the collective) took from him what made him live! Will we take what made him die? Will we, the culture, redeem ourselves? This is it.
Here was a man trying to be live again after being brought to the precipice of death a few years ago– using a drug to sleep and get relief that brings him to the precipice of death again and this time, snatches him away never to return. How many times shall we take a man to the precipice of his death and steal that which breathes his soul to life? How many times?
Perhaps infinite wisdom said, “this is it; you have bullied enough. I am bringing him home.” What will remain then, in the collective consciousness? A man, a near-suicidal wreck with possible past perversions or demons? Or a man so bullied, he was driven to oblivion BEFORE he met death? And still, in that state and before his last breath, he uttered a prayer to the children of the world to– one last time, give the children the gift of healing. But that is what he always did. That is what his life was about. When someone asked him ‘isn’t feeding the starving children of the world an impossible task?’ he cried and would not be consoled. He wrote “We Are the World” instead.
He was a man full of contradictions who confounded us, amused us, invited us, teased us, pleaded with us– to bring the light. To dare to ignite the dream of a better world. To grab hold of that brightness we all long for.
Once again the media, thinking it represents the majority, unable to resist its own shadow and unable to desist from its own perversions, reveals the impulse to desecrate and diminish those who would ultimately give a hand and ask it to rise and to step into its mind of compassion, to change the dialogue, to examine the conviction that darkness is what we seek– to measure if it still applies. It does not.
I will be there; will you be there?” Coded message to the fans
It may be up to us to demand a more humane narrative on this planet. It may indeed fall to us, the legacy, to finish what was begun– the humane conversion of humanity to heal the world. It begins with the words we choose; it begins with the images we hold– of ourselves, of others, of our planet. Sometimes it begins with saying “stop!” “You don’t care about us!” “We’ve had enough!”
Sometimes it begins with pointing out: “look how dark it is where you are! Don’t bring that darkness to me! Are you sure you want to stay there? If you stay there, keep your darkness to yourself. If you want to come on out here into the light, I will tell you how and give you my hand and pull you to me.
What image to you aspire to? For you? For us? For the planet? Be it. Be the change. ‘Ready or not, here I come… I double dare you.’
When the world is at its darkest is when the light is needed most. When his world was dark, Michael held onto the light and held the light for us. He stayed strong and resolute and he stayed as long as he could. Has anyone withstood so much? for so long? His life is the very definition of courage. Perhaps tired from being asked so much, his soul, weary simply slipped away. He gave as much as he could. Until the end giving was on his mind. He would have given more. Listen to “The Lost Children.” Listen to the end. “They” is us. It’s getting dark. We should be getting home. This Is It! Show me the light. Pass it to me, please.
What I am about to do here may be controversial to some. It is not meant at all to be disrespectful to anyone, to any group, any religion or any belief system. I had the same shocked, saddened and sick feeling when Michael’s autopsy photo was shared in the courtroom. I wished that it had not been seen as necessary. What was NOT necessary was replaying it over and over in the media.
Understand that THAT is a commentary about us. (The collective) It is designed to appeal directly to the shadow part of the human ego–the part that cannot look away when there is “speactacle.” Entities will use it (TMZ, the Sun in Britain, and yellow journalism and tabloid sites) in order to: draw attention, satsfy a sadistic appetite, promote Schadenfreude, ‘bring him down to size’ because some still feel he did crimes against children, get the fans riled and coming to their websites, or to buy their newspapers or magazines and to excercise the power to do it simply because they can or to get some covert sexual gratification (yes it appeals to that too for some.) It is the deliberate dissemination of darkness. It is both Machiavellian and Murdochian (a new and effective descriptor.) It is deliberate for two reasons: 1) To get an action or reaction and 2) to make money.
Aren’t you tired of that? Aren’t you tired of being jerked around this way? Aren’t you tired of being used and abused? OK, what are you going to do about it? It is time? Keep in mind that ‘there is nothing so effective as a technology introduced to a planet when that planet is ready for it’ and remember where you heard that for there WILL be a test later. You will be tested.
When I saw the photo of Michael Jackson on the autopsy table, as I said, I was shocked that it was used and released. And then I saw something remarkable. I saw a parallel and this is what I saw.
That needs no comment and no explanation.
And the other remarkable thing that happened this week is this:
On Dr. Drew’s show there was a dialogue between Dick Zimmerman and Dr. Drew:
Dr. Drew said this to Dick: “You have an opportunity to set the record straight. How do we understand this man? Let’s break it down; he had some charges about having being a p…..hile and you’re quoted as having said he was very childlike. But that’s not necessarily healthy, right? Being childlike in my world– that’s pathology. So how do I understand all these aspects of him?”
And this is where Dick Zimmerman read his prepared statement (view it in the previous post.)
It is also where my eyes widened, I gulped, shook my head as if to dislodge the cobwebs, sucked in a deep breath and … when I came to my senses… laughed out loud for the irony of that. (And it would be legitimately laughable if it weren’t so sad.)
In that moment I realized the true disconnect among some memebers of our society, culture and world. It highlighted the division and drove home succinctly how truly disconnected we are from our spiritual natures and our souls. In my world, being childlike is the ultimate goal to be spiritual and to connect with your soul.
Apparently Dr. Drew (and many others, for he is not alone) have never read the Book of Matthew in the Christian Bible where it clearly states that the kingdom of heaven is only available to those who are child-like. Michael’s lyrics, art collection in paintings, sculptures and commissioned works and Neverland itself were tributes to children.
Apparently “they” have forgotten that Michael Jackson was a Jehovah Witness and a very spiritual person who admired Jesus and tried to model his life after his heroes. There have been countless parodies of Da Vinci’s “Last Supper” painting. Michael commissioned one as well. If he were to host his heroes at dinner and gather around him those whose work he admired or who changed the world in ways that he respected, it might look something like this:
So tell me please, Drew crew and Jermaine Jackson’s rent-a-pundits, what is wrong with hanging out with your heroes or emulating their lives and accomplishments? What is wrong with admiring children because they are recently come into the world, their light and spirits bright and not yet indoctrinated? What is wrong with seeing God in the faces of children? What is wrong with holding on to your childlike qualities and innocence to navigate through a world become dark and cynical? What’s wrong with creating a world for yourself that seeks to embrace the spiritual instead of temporal, the etheric instead of the corporeal? What’s wrong with cultivating a heart that like a child’s is open and free from avarice? What is wrong with caring for your brother, your sisters, your planet, its species?
You can keep your pathological world where being childlike and embracing those qualities of bright shadow is pathological. Michael Jackson and his “crazy” fans, advocates and researchers will leave you to it. We will take our open hearts and enlightened minds and step into the world of which Michael speaks; if only we could remember it and express it as well as he did.
If you ever want to know who the real Michael Jackson was, this describes him better than anything I can say:
A Review for Drew
Oh, and Dr. Drew et al: Here’s a little lesson about enlightenment for you; it’s all for love:
Enlightenment: “action of enlightening,” from enlighten + -ment. Only ever used in figurative sense, of spiritual enlightenment
The philosophy of Enlightenment insisted on man’s essential autonomy: man is responsible to himself, to his own rational interests, to his self-development, and, by an inescapable extension, to the welfare of his fellow man. For the philosophes, man was not a sinner, at least not by nature; human nature — and this argument was subversive, in fact revolutionary, in their day — is by origin good, or at least neutral. Despite the undeniable power of man’s antisocial passions, therefore, the individual may hope for improvement through his own efforts — through education, participation in politics, activity in behalf of reform, but not through prayer. [Peter Gay, “The Enlightenment”]
And in case you’d like to check our sources, begin here: Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. ~Matthew 18:3 Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. ~Matthew 18:4. Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these. ” ~Matthew 19:14.
25 Comments
I do wonder what world it is that Drew Pinsky lives in where being childlike is pathological? It is not the world a very great Chief of Psychiatry of a respected hospital I am well acquainted with, lives in. He too respects and delights in what Michael stood for, and his own glorious children are, like Michael’s, a great testament to the efficacy of those beliefs.
Reverend B, nothing has helped me “be like Mike” and move on down the road to a higher, more dignified, less self-centered self than YOUR beautifully erudite writings. When buttons are getting hot, I am now more able to stop and remember Michael’s loving, humorous, dignifed way, let that infuse me and come from THAT place, rather than the fiery Mother Bear I have learned to from the past.
YOU deserve great credit for this improvement in myself, and I am here to say so. Yes I have been a long-time self-examiner – of SORTS – but that really accelerated when beginning to struggle with your challenge to face shadow, be like Mike and be the change I want to see in the world. My name Gertrude, translation: “Warrior Maiden,” has held weight with me, and now when battle must be done I hear your quietly commanding voice saying Fight Smart, Gertrude, Fight SMART.
If all is connected it was truly Michael who brought me to this elegant and powerful station of yours; maybe he thought “this one’s salvagable, and I know just the teacher she needs to be confronted by.” Ups to you Rev B; BIG ups for your awesome work here.
Thank you, Rev. B. Love and peace.
Now if I can just get the hang of it myself! ~B
Yeah … that’s the hard part! 🙂
Thank you Rev. Barbara. I can’t tell you how many bugs I’ve walked outside in order to not hurt them after first calling out to “Security!”. The footage of Michael calling out for security to help save a bug just warms my soul. That footage really is the best way to explain the kind of man he was; his spirit still is. I am forever inspired after seeing that. There are times where I need to step back and check myself. It’s happened quite a bit during the trial these past couple of weeks. I really have taken a step back because I realized that if I am to represent Michael Jackson in any manner, I truly need to emulate his actions; courage, humanity, humility, grace, compassion, love, strength, empathy, etc. Need I say more?
I do not want you to think I’m going to tell you is flattery, is simply that I have wondered where I would be in that unhealthy emotional conditions I used to be, but for your advice and your beautiful words of encouragement expressed here, I would be perhaps without hope and devastated. I see how some fans have given up because they do not support more … the autopsy photo was “the straw that broke the camel”, was something heartbreaking and unprecedented in the history of media: Not even Osama Bin Laden was so humiliatingly displayed for money as Michael was … they broke the code of ethics and morality, which for millennia had been respected as a tradition of respect for the dead and their relatives.
Some fans no doubt many, simply parted, disconnected from everything that remember Michael because they lost hope and no longer believe in this world without Michael and that this society “sucks too much.” Instead, I am reluctant to give up. I do not want Michael’s dreams to die in oblivion and indifference; while I live I want to be an extension of Michael´s love to this world. I wish with all my heart because I have two children that he would love to hug, and I desire a better future for them. Thank you very much for your patience and fiendship Reverend Barbara.
Thank you: You helped me deal with the viewing of the autopsy picture. Wow! Now I understand better why it was shown in trial – the deeper reason why. This weekend – I had breakfast at a wonderful restaurant I sat indoors by a window and when I looked out I saw a glass of sweet beverage and bees were drinking out of it and they were also dying in that glass. Now this troubled me, I’ve also been bothered when I see ant trails and people walk on them – not over it. It hurts into my core – I feel sad. I thought I was the odd ball. Then I discovered the very video you posted and it made my heart sing. I’m going to re-read this post as it holds many lessons and opportunities to grow. Thank you again!
LJ: I am so glad the post helped you. Yes, we need to develop a respect for all beings on this planet. I encourage you to go here at Voices- you will enjoy this piece that is part of our curriculum now. http://www.voiceseducation.org/content/native-american-talking-circle
Michael is in the company of Chief Seattle and their messages echo one another. Know that there is a deeper reason for all things surrounding Michael Jackson. That will unfold as time passes and I will help unfold it. That’s a promise. So keep the faith and hold space for miracles. ~B
Thank you so much Rev. Kaufman. I have enjoyed reading your posts or quite some time now and I must say that I am a completely different person, thanks to your teachings and of course because of the influence Michael has had on my life. Shadow is everywhere and by employing your principles and teachings I have been able to make the right decisions in many instances.
I am a part of many groups focusing on Michael, his legacy, justice and simply enjoying what he left us. I am so appreciative of the friendships I have made and I always try to add something positive to whatever discussions we are having. We are all trying our best to be strong and I will admit that sometimes it is not easy but like you said, we must remain dignified in these trying times. Thank you or your insight and for helping each of us to think and act differently but positively. God Bless you!
Namaste` Julis ~B
Dear Rev Barbara,
Thankyou for this message. I vow that I will be there and look forward to continuing this mission with you and all the other heralders of the light that have been called to take this journey in the reformation of the humane planet we were originally created to be. I am excited with what you will announce to us in the future.
I also wanted to thank Gertrude for her words in the last paragraph of her post. That resonates within my heart also. Thankyou for all you do Barbara. You re-fuel me for the mission. God Bless you. Love and peace to all who spend time here. Namaste
Cool.:)
I never considered Michael’s “childlikeness” (I know that’s not a “real” word but I like the way it sounds) a bad thing. But I admire what Michael stood for. I think that being child-like is something to be striven for. As a matter of fact it’s something that I was taught from the time I was a child using the very scriptures you posted. It’s my hope that the way I use my time and talents can “Heal the World”. Much love to you and yours.
Thank you for this article. Michael is a testament…
Plassing the light…. Shine on~*~*~*
Dear Barbara, you have helped me alot by talking about not letting the darkness in. I think I realized that before but didn’t take it seriously enough If it means never watching HLN again, so be it. I feel kind of a weight lifted off. I know now to go forward it must be this way; I know I will always defend michael. Thank God that Dr. Shafer has come forward out of the goodness of his heart to show the right way to give sedatives, and does it simply because it is the right thing to do. What we can do is hopefully make Nichael’s last wish come true. It would be the best memorial to him. I would be willing to give whatever I could to help build a hospital for him and I’m sure that many, many others would as well. If we all did that it would be possible this year, next year or whenever. Eeven the smallest amt given would make a difference and I’m sure there would be other ways to help as well. We must hold on to this dream and make it ours. Thanks for helping me find the way….
Here is a little story that happened yesterday. I broke my foot (or so it seemed) while playing with my kids in the playground…it was terrible pain and I could not stand and it started hailing (I donno if that is the right way to say it). In that moment of extreme pain and hail and cold with 2 small children by my side, I felt so vulnerable…I felt like a Stranger in Moscow…
To make it interesting, my husband is travelling n I reach home and take stock of my inability to take care of my children…feed them something. I hopped around in pain and felt a connection with Michael’s physical pain (God be kind, I hvn’t suffered much physical pain till date)…how bad it hurts n if ur heart is hurting too to the point of bursting like in case of Michael…how does it feel?
So, the point is…these past 2 yrs I have meditated on Michael Jackson, spent countless hours on him and he has almost never ever graced me with a “dream”, which is weird because I am a very dreamy person so as to say. It is baffling how I can think about a person so much n not even a little dream? I took it as a sign that I was not enough “Mike like” that there is something about me that Michael does not like?
Last night, I was awake because of my pain till 3am then I drifted to sleep till about 6am and he was there all through those 3 hours in one dream sequence or another.
“I will be there”. The promise was kept.
: ) ~B
I have been meditating on this post for the last several days and couldn’t help but come back to it. I think it is because most of us, from what I can tell, don’t take the time to look at the world with fresh eyes, the way that children have to. Young children don’t know anything, because they are inexperienced, so their minds are fresh canvases. Their minds are opened up to all types of positive possibilities.
I want my mind to always be open to positive possibilities up to my last breath, the way that Michael Jackson’s was. He was intent, from every fiber in his being to keep his mind open to every positive possibility. I can’t help but to admire his unwavering faith that in spite of how the world rejected him God wanted him to continue to be a blessing to children by building the largest children’s hospital in the world. I want to always believe that anything is possible.
Reverend Barbara, thank you. As I think back over the past two plus years, I’m convinced that Michael Jackson IS the catalyst for compassion and light. Many fans knew that long before his death. The trial has been a mind-bending experience. I think about the absolute senselessness of his death but I better understand now and the focus of the big picture is becoming much sharper. Everyone has their own story about how Michael Jackson affected their lives. I’m grateful for a new appreciation of and love for children. So grateful, in fact, that I’m now teaching empathy and compassion to 4th and 5th grade school students through reading animal story books. I more keenly recognize their innocence, genuine joy in living, and their carefree accceptance and non-judgmental view of the world.
A colleague once tried to comfort me when I was deeply troubled about how indifferent people can be in their view of and treatment of animals. She said, “An enlightened thinker is always ahead of the crowd and it takes a long time for the rest to catch up.” Genuine compassion never excludes any living being. When I first saw Michael stop his performance to save that insect, I caught a mere glimpse of this man’s unfathomable depth of compassion and feeling. Only God himself could really know the pain and despair that Michael bore so bravely during his brief years of human experience.
I hope not only the fans, but those who care about healing a seriously ill society, will experience that “light-bulb” moment and see clearly that we DO hold the future in our hands. We have the collective power to move the planet forward into the light.
Like many of you who share a deep concern for creating positive change, I cannot imagine sitting in a rocking chair in my twilight years, accepting the status quo. I want to leave here completely exhausted and spent, knowing that only through pouring out my soul in giving and loving will the terrible wounds of a hurting society be healed.
At the moment, I haven’t the slightest idea of how I can help to build that Childrens’ Hospital Michael achingly spoke about in his compromised state. But, I hope I can do something, no matter how small or insignificant. I hope the media didn’t miss his message. If there is still doubt as to the sincerity of Michael’s heartfelt desire to help children, then nothing short of a lightening bolt hitting them square in the head will change their rock-hard minds (and hearts!)
This was beautiful and powerful. Thank you again, Reverend Barbara. L.O.V.E. Strongly… L.O.V.E. peacefully! L.O.V.E. without fail… for Michael!
…Also, I was thinking about the children and food shortage in North Korea. We Need More Love in this World… Without Love,there is no Light… Without Light there is no Life.
So Love, Light and Life – People* Souldreamer
Grief therapists say there is reason in every person’s passing, and this is what will heal the wound of loss. I think, Reverend Barbara, you are exposing the reason for Michael’s passing for the world to see, and in the process healing the global wound of human pain and suffering. This is a very important job, perhaps one of the most important jobs of our time. Michael’s passing (along with his life) was a gift to the world. When Michael passed, I felt a great shift in global consciousness. Sometimes it has felt more like a muddled/confused shift, but a shift none-the-less!
Your posts are helping to shine the light on the importance of that shift, and real change is starting to happen (the occupy movements are no coincidence). Since Michael’s passing, the essence of his energy has been everywhere, reminding the world of his (and the) most important message – it is all about LOVE. The greatest thing we can all do is LOVE – ourselves, one another, and every living thing on this planet, and see the “god-consciousness” in everyone we meet and every tree, flower, rock and bit of soil we see. This was Michael’s gift to the world – his message (his modern day parable about love and compassion vs human greed and selfishness) – in life and death. It is now up to each one of us, what we do with that gift.
Regarding Susan Trout’s message. Susan, I think your comment about leaving the world exhausted and spent is so accurate (and ironic). I believe Michael’s spirit left exhausted and spent beyond belief. His spirit could no longer be in the physical form of Michael Jackson. It had taken everything from him. One can only feel great compassion to hear a nurse quote him as saying he wanted to feel that feeling of sleep (like he did not even know he was sleeping, in reference to being under propofol sedation for a surgery). Some friends of mine say he left so he can return in a physical form that even better embraces the essence of his spirit/energy. Forever the catalyst for compassion and light! Bring on the lightning bolt! 🙂
Precisely. Namaste` Krista. Tell it sista! (Sorry, couldn’t resist) I think Michael’s message was “got” by those who were supposed to “get.” Now let’s see what we do with it. You said it beautifully. ~B
Dear Barbara, you have helped me a lot by talking about not letting the darkness in. I think I realized that before but didn’ take it seriously enough. If it means never watching HLN again, so be it. I feel kind of a weight lifted off. I know now to go forward it must be this way; I will defend michael. Thank God that Dr. Shafer has come forward out of the goodness of his heart to show the right way to give sedatives, and does it simply because it is the right thing to do. What we can do is hopefully make Nichael’s last wish come true. It would be the best memorial to him. I would be willing to give whatever I could to help build a hospital for him and I’m sure that many, many others would as well. If we all did that it would be possible this year, next year or whenever. Eeven the smallest amt given would make a difference and I’m sure there would be other ways to help as well. We must hold on to this dream and make it ours. Thanks for helping me find the way.