Dream Awakener

This blog post is recounting the historical event of Michael Jackson’s Memorial, sharing some photos and ending with some reflections on the Memorial and Michael.  It is more a stream of consciousness, instead of a well manicured piece.  So I had been thinking about going to the memorial, since downtown LA is viewable from my apartment. Here is my apartment view.

But I had been busy and didn’t even realize there was a lottery for tickets for the MJ Memorial.  Then a friend from Virginia  “facebooked” me asking if I would want to go to the memorial cause she could probably get some tickets.  I emailed her to tell her I had an interest.  But come Monday night I hadn’t heard from her.  I called to eventually find out that her friend had given the tickets to a journalist from the Czech Republic.

An hour later a friend from LA calls me asking me if I want to go and that they had two tickets.  They were not just general tickets, they were for the family and friend section of Michael Jackson – floor seats.  I graciously accepted the tickets.  I invited a friend by the name of Jen, because we were supposed to connect that morning and a few days earlier I learned that she was hoping to go.  I have a couple of pics of us, one that I took of us myself at an arms link and the other a pic of us holding the tickets with MJ’s signing poster in the backdrop.  By the way, all had to take all my photos on my iphone, since my Nikkon D70 camera was not welcomed at the memorial service.

I took the metro from my house to downtown, met up with Jen and we walked to the Staples Center.  There was a parameter set around the Staples Center that only ticket holders go through.  At first we were stopped because we didn’t have wrist bands, but we had to inform the police that our VIP tickets didn’t require them.  We finally get through and find the VIP entrance.  The “black” carpet was rolled out for the family and friends of MJ.  Right behind us was Jesse Jackson and his family.

We got our programs and eventually made our way to our seats.

A lot of different people walked right by us, but I didn’t feel it was the place to take their photos when they walked by.  We saw Larry King walk by, Rev. Sharpton, Lou Forigno (The Hulk – TV) Jesse Jackson and family, and the biggest attention getter Kobe Bryant.  But of course all the stars were aligning for Michael Jackson’s Memorial. For it wasn’t too long before Smokey Robinson was opening the time.  He shared some thoughts from Diana Ross and Nelson Mandela.  Then there was a long pregnant silence until things started at 10:30 a.m.

Pastor Lucious Smith kicked things off followed by Mariah Carey singing “I’ll be There”.  Queen Latifah shared some encouraging words and a poem and then Lionel Richie sang.  Barry Gordy from Motown gave a short history of  Michael’s career followed by a short video from Michael’s beginning on the Ed Sullivan show until he died.  When Michael was doing the moon walk the crowd at the Staples Center went crazy.

Stevie Wonder shared some heart felt words before he sung and Kobe Bryant and Magic Johnson had a few of their own.  Magic Johnson comment about Michael and the KFC bucket was quite funny.  Then former American Idol start and academy award winner Jennifer Hudson sang with her typical rich voice followed by some preaching from Rev. Sharpton.  He gave Michael credit for breaking a lot of barriers for African Americans.

During what was probably the commercial breaks the crowd sometimes broke into chants for Michael.  Then John Mayer played his guitar in a moving way to MJ’s “Human Nature.”  This tune became a perfect set up for Brook Shields, for she shared in a real personal way about her and Michael.  She brought us into the special human moments they shared and gave us a little glimpse of what it might be like to grow up at an early age in the media.  She tearfully shared about how much Michael loved to smile, which led into Michael’s older brother Jermaine Jackson singing Michaels favorite song in the world – Smile – a Charlie Chaplin tune.

I would have to say it was during Jermaine song that I was most moved emotionally.  It was if I was able to feel all the love that all these people in the room had for Michael as well as the love from around the world. It was if I were able to connect with humanity in a strange and fascinating way.

After Martin Luther King Jr’s kids shared, congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee shared with a strong message.  Then Usher sang a heart felt song followed by Smokey Robinson giving some hope for an afterlife for those who trust in a BIG God.

After Smokey, a young man who was to be a part of the London show sang in a way to bring the crowd to their feet and then it was the famous “We are the World” with the various world religions flashing and fading on the background screen.

Another very moving time was words from the family, including his daughter Paris, sharing her love for her Daddy Michael, saying as she tried to hold back her tears, “I just want to say, ever since I was born, Daddy has been the best father you could ever imagine.  I just want to say I love him so much.”  Then she burst into tears.

The closing prayer had a fascinating line where the pastor prayed – and now the king of pop is bowing to the King of kings. It was a meaningful pray that was cut off some telecasts and ended the prayer in Jesus’ name. That was the flow of the service, now for some more pictures and further reflections.

First, just after the service, there were different parts of the crowds that were just crying. You could sense their deep sense of loss. Walking around there were a number of people who were wearing the  famous Michael Jackson glove.

Even outside the glove was a popular item, as seen by this lady who had made these huge gloves that she was selling for $20 a piece.

One of the strange things happening inside after the Memorial and after the casket was taken away was different people starting taking some of the flowers dedicated to Jackson, as seen in this picture.  But I guess that is to be suspected.  Some were grabbing them as another way of remembering Michael, others may have had other reasons – any sales on ebay?

As Jen and I made our way outside, there were plenty of Michael Jackson impersonators.  From little fellows like this guy…

To older guys like this…

But probably the best looking impersonator of Michael, at least the last version of Michael is this guy…

While I was outside, there of course were a slew of cameras and media.  I could have probably interviewed with a number of stations, but I didn’t really feel like pursuing that avenue.  But then an NPR radio journalist came up to me and ask if I would talk with her.  I agreed to give her an interview and it was through that interview that I began to reflect a bit more on my experience.

She asked me a few questions, and I don’t remember them all, but one that stuck out to me was:  Do you feel different about Michael Jackson after the memorial than before you came in?  And I said something like, Yeah, I think so.  I think by being at the memorial I was somehow able to connect with many who have a deep love Michael as well as connect to humanity in a deeper way.

There are other things I said and if you check the NPR morning edition, some of my interview may be there, if they used any of it. But as I reflected on my day, that interview and other things, I think through the memorial experience I was able to connect more deeply with my city LA and the world.  Memorials and funerals in LA are quite unique.  There is an LA’ishness to them.  And while they are unique, they also connect to the world in an enchanting way.

The last funeral I did for one of the members of our congregation was for Mauricio who was pretty connected to the industry.  It was a totally Hollywood kind of funeral where when I opened up the floor for people to share, they would often start by sharing who they are and what famous movies they had been apart of, before sharing their thoughts about Mauricio.  But after grandiose introductions, what most said was heartfelt, creative and meaningful.  Some people  shared poems spontaneously, others broke out into a song they just created.  It was different, but it was LA.   When you live in LA, nothing is too strange or too surprising.

More than this, the events throughout the day enabled me to connect to humanity in a deeper way. In some ways, Michael was not just an iconic music figure and king of pop, but has been a public example of a person on a journey in the struggle of life.  Many of us have seen the transformation of his skin and face to the point it is hard to recognize him by looking at his pictures as a boy.  I wonder how much his outer adjustments reflect what was going on inside of him.   I wonder how much his inner struggles resonate with the average person on the street. I wonder how many of those who want to throw stones at Michael for things he was accused of, could have stones thrown at them for sins they have committed.  Reflecting on Michael’s life has caused me to reflect on the brokenness we all share; as well as the love, healing, hope and wholeness that can be found through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.

There’s more that could be said, but I need to sleep.  What kind of reflections do you have?