Michael Jackson's Memorial Service. How Will You Be Remembered?

Did you happen to see Michael Jackson’s Memorial service today? CNN said this may be the most watched live event in history, with people being able to watch on the Internet and television. Michael was and is a world wide icon. He was called the Greatest Entertainer of all time.

I, myself, grew up watching him on television from the time he appeared on the Ed Sullivan show and was a big fan of his music. I know this statement will date me, but in many ways I grew up with Michael Jackson. Yet, I have to confess that over the past 10-12 years I have been less of a fan.

Watching the service today gave me a renewed appreciation for Michael Jackson, his amazing talent, creativity, the incredible contributions that he made in his short lifetime. I did not realize the extent of his donations, and support for numerous charities and causes through the years. I enjoyed hearing the personal stories about Michael, revealing a side of him that the public did not know.

Rev. Al Sharpton made the statement to Michael’s children; “Your daddy wasn’t strange — what he had to deal with was strange.” I felt sad for Michael, his children and the struggles he experienced over the past 10-12 years. How many of us would want to have lived his life? Who am I to judge him?

Gotham Chopra, Deepak Chopra’s son, who was a good friend of Michael’s made the comment that he did not think Michael realized the degree of the impact he had on the world and how much people appreciated him. The comment was then made, how sad that it is often not until a person dies that people truly appreciate them and what they have done.

Memorial services and funerals are such a reminder of just how short life can be on this earth. You often hear about people who come close to dying, survive, and then their lives are changed forever. They start living life more fully.

Divorce is essentially the death of a marriage. People do survive divorce. The difference is many people do not go on to live life more fully. During my recent trip back to Kansas, I asked one of my girlfriends how her sister was doing? Her sister had gone through a divorce probably 15+ years ago, no children. Her response was, not so good. Aside from the fact that she had just been laid off from her job, she said it seems her sister never recovered from her divorce.

If you are recently divorced or going through a divorce, how will people describe you 15 years from now? Will you be one of those people that decides to make the most out of life and live it more fully, or will you be described as someone who never recovered from your divorce? What about your memorial service, how do you want to be remembered? What will people say about you?

Copyright 2009 Shelley Grieser All Rights Reserved.