I was driving home from work today at about 1:30pm, flipping radio stations as usual, and stopped when I hit a Michael Jackson song. When the song ended, the DJ said something that sounded like "Rest In Peace." Huh? I couldn't get home fast enough. Like many of you, I turned the TV on as soon as I got here, searching for breaking news. OK, actually, I immediately asked the nanny if she heard anything, and ran to the TV, before I even greeted my kids.
Daughter (age 8): "How did Michael Jackson die?"
Me: "They think it was cardiac arrest, which means a heart attack."
Daughter: "What happens in a heart attack?"
Me: "It's when someone's heart stops beating all of a sudden. Once their heart stops beating, they pass out - like going to sleep. And they stop breathing. Sometimes the paramedics can come in time to get the person's heart beating again with a machine. And sometimes they can't, like with Michael Jackson."
Daughter: "I thought Michael Jackson was brown."
Me: (the death question was easier than this one) "He was, when he was younger. He said it was a skin disease, but no one knows for sure."
Daughter: "That's how the queen died in Tale of Despereaux. She saw a mouse and had a heart attack."
End of discussion. Sometimes their questions are easy. Sometimes they are excruciatingly difficult. And sometimes kids relate it to a cartoon, and it's over.
There's one thing for certain: whether in real life or a movie (and someone ALWAYS seems to die in kid movies), death sucks.
Amazing how things change in just days. My daughter was making up a little dance routine, and of all the millions of songs to choose from, including the current ones of her day, she wanted to choreograph her dance to Michael Jackson's "Beat It." Long after we found it on YouTube and played it for her, my husband and I continued to listen to our other MJ favorites that evening - Billy Jean, Thriller, Man In The Mirror...
That was just last Saturday. Today, the creator of those legendary and timeless songs is dead, and an entire world mourns the death of a musical icon.
One of my favorite MJ songs, which is much more meaningful to me now that I'm a mother: Man In The Mirror. "...If you wanna make the world a better place, take a look at yourself, and then make a change..."
His passing is so sad. Just last week I had 'Lady in my Life' on repeat on my MP3 player ALL DAY at work. He was amazing and it hurts my heart to hear some of the venom that people are already spewing about him. I didn't realize how much of an influence he had over my life, until he lost his. He had a tumultuous life and I'm grateful that he will now be able to Rest In Peace.
Posted by: Stacy | Friday, June 26, 2009 at 09:35 AM
OMG, my favorite song too! I am sorry to hear about your brother's death. It sucks when a sibling passes especially if you two were the only kids and you got along. We were, now it is just me. The answer to your questions is...it is a secret...actually I gotta look haven't thought about it in forever....Thanks for visiting.
Posted by: adiaha | Saturday, July 11, 2009 at 09:58 PM