~THIS IS THE PLACE YOU CHOOSE TO BE WITH ME WHEN YOU THOUGHT YOU COULD BE IN ANOTHER WORLD~

Michael Jackson

~He’s never let us down.  His religion was decency.  He spent a lifetime fighting its enemies~  A. Sorkin

~He who sings, prays twice~  St. Augustine

October 24, 2014  Foggia, Italy

Parish of the ‘Beata Vergine Maria Immacolata from Assisi

Friar Alessandro D’Assisi

“They have painted him to us in a terrible way.  They have destroyed him.  They have presented this man as if he were a monster, telling us lie after lie.  Do you know why?  Because of envy.  Because Michael Jackson was a man who dedicated his life to good, for charity, and to spread love through his music.  You have to get to know things.  We must listen to those who lived with him.  You have to read what he wrote.  You have to see the facts…foundations which he founded, the money he gave to charity to build structures to care for people in need…his presence in the first person.”

~Many countries pay tribute to and remember their warriors fallen in battle.  Michael Jackson was a warrior of a different kind, who faced conflict and adversity in his own life and fought his battles with LOVE.   He knew that not only personal conflicts, but also those between nations, could be healed if we all tried to understand and love each other more.  Sadly, the world still isn’t listening.   But let us always remember, and give thanks, that Michael tried so hard to make it happen~  MJL

“WHAT MICHAEL JACKSON DID WAS HE ALLOWED US, THROUGH HIS VOICE AND HIS INSTRUMENT, TO SEE A GLIMPSE OF THE HEAVEN THAT HE HIMSELF WAS DENIED.  THAT SACRIFICE WAS THE ULTIMATE SOURCE OF REDEMPTION THAT HE GAVE TO US.”  Michael Eric Dyson

Redemption is the ultimate deliverance from sins and consequences by means of a sacrifice.

It takes both time and spirit to reach understanding fully.  As Rumi said, we feel quietly drawn by the deeper pull of what we truly love.  Reaching the point where our understanding reveals a human being who was designed for giving… with a growing cast of characters, Michael’s timeline underscores our own lives.  The fight is just getting started as we, in mass, come to the rescue.  It is THE MICHAEL JACKSON MOVEMENT…a legacy of protection.

~It starts in this room, and goes all over the world~

Our ritual of love is reborn over and over again as Michael’s artistry binds us together.  We are witnessing a changing landscape.  Education is replacing “prejudice is ignorance” with what some call citizen journalism.  Its universal appeal has infused us with purpose and design, defining who we are by how we live.  Telling the truth, but being painted a liar, is no longer acceptable.  Using words, creating with paint, singing and dancing, we tell our stories, we share our research, we come together from all over the world, finally and completely erasing myth, with our refusal to believe it is never-ending.  Michael Jackson has revealed the secrets of life to us…passionate and persevering, we speak for him.  The historical collection grows, link by link, stronger everyday.  Steering through both shallow and deep waters, our mission is to PAY MICHAEL FORWARD for future generations, seeking justice, and attempting to continue Michael’s charitable works throughout the world.  Years of experience have shown that delivering the truth is in our hands.

~The reality of Michael Jackson’s humanity…the implications and inferences of his art are so monumentally and magnificently global that nothing American television could do to besmirch his character could ever, if you will, deny the legitimate genius that he represents…and, America has responded, as indeed has the globe~

Michael Eric Dyson

“He was the consummate performer, the ultimate showman, the creator of the biggest-selling album of all time…who 3 decades ago crashed through racial barriers on the music charts, ushered in the music video age, and remade the pop music landscape.” New York Times November 2012

“He taught me so many things.  He taught me about loving animals, vegetarianism, animal rights, environmental issues, caring about your fans, how to treat your fans-in fact, that the moment you meet your fans may just be a fleeting moment for you, and sometimes you’re in the middle of things you’ve got to take time for, but to them…they’re going to remember this moment for the rest of their lives…how important it is for that exchange and how to treat them.  He was the big brother I never had, honestly.  The fact that when I did get arrested for drug possession in 1990, even though his image was squeaky clean and by all rights he could have stepped aside and moved me back, he didn’t.  He called me and I got that message on my answering machine which said, ‘Hi, Corey.  It’s Michael.  Is everything OK?  Call me if you need me.’  He was my friend.  He was supportive…and, thank God for that.  That really showed me the value of what type of person he was.”  Corey Feldman

“When Michael was in London in 2005, Paris saw a whole row of balloons in the lobby of a hotel.  She wanted one and hotel staff ran around trying to find scissors to cut her one.  Michael stopped them and said to Paris, ‘I’m sorry, Paris, you cannot have one.  They are not here for us.  They’re for charity.  I love you, but, just because you are my daughter does not mean you can have whatever you like.’  She cried and the hotel staff went to get a balloon.  Michael said, ‘She is my kid.  I’ve told her no, and she needs to understand.”  Karen Faye Make-up Artist

“You know, there was one moment.  I was playing a piano and he was standing next to me.  All of a sudden, he stretched his hands, looking upward.  It seemed to me that it was very important to him.  That’s why I left the room and switched the lights off.  After half an hour, I came back to the room.  He was whispering, ‘Thank you for my talent.  Thank you for everything I’ve got.  Thank you for all the people who love me.  Tell me what I should do and I’ll do it.’  It seemed to me that it was the moment of his communication with God.”  Seth Riggs  Vocal Coach

~the effort to discover an authentic self, to strip away layers of alienation and culturally imposed identity, and find a soul in a clear, unimpeded communion with the sacred~

Cynthia Eller

~Let us not forget…sometimes we all wonder why our life’s journey is not like we expected or wanted.  The most important lesson is, it is not what we get out of it, but what we give back.  Michael spent decades giving back and teaching the world how to love one another.  He did not boast or make public most of his charity giving because he gave from his heart.  Michael left us with an important message…HEAL THE WORLD~ LOVE THE CHILDREN~ LOVE ONE ANOTHER.  Some years have passed and we have shed many tears.  It is time to keep working on Michael’s Humanitarian Legacy~  keep healing the world, keep loving the children and loving each other.  PAY IT FORWARD WITH LOVE.  WE MISS YOU, MICHAEL~  MDF

Each day we are suspended in Michael’s endless optimism as an ambassador of good will around this world, with an influence that lives on.  The events of his life, so real, and so interwoven with ours, continue to inspire and bring hope to multitudes of people.  Refusing to accept nothing less than perfection, Michael has taught us to reach deep down inside for the potential that lives there, to truly understand the range of possibilities open to us…splendidly bright.  He is the source.  We are the messengers.

The ultimate teacher, the truth of his legacy powers the movement we share.  What we have learned completes us and we are taking over…we have the truth…this is our mission…to see it through!  THE MICHAEL JACKSON MOVEMENT!

KEEPSAKES

We are looking around in the lost and found of our hearts…and, each time our eyes and ears discover a precious piece of Michael’s artistry we rush to share it.  Everywhere we go, everything we see, everywhere we look Michael is there.  Lovingly, we tend his memory.

~I have proven my part.  The pain of life touches me, but the joy of life is so much stronger.  LOVE IS MY MESSAGE~  Michael Jackson

October 28, 2009  34th Annual Awards Gala of the T.J. Martell Foundation

Michael Jackson was honored with the first LIFETIME LEGEND AWARD for being the largest donor of the Foundation in its 34 year history.  The Foundation supports research for treatments and cures for leukemia, cancer, AIDS.

Thank you, Michael, for being present in the first person.

We love you.

Jude

Autumn Leaves/Michael’s Autumn

Mimi O’Garren