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A Whole New Outlook, Thank You Michael.

strawberrypie999

strawberrypie999

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Michael has given me an entirely new outlook on my life. I am so thankful to him for that.

I wish I could explain to you all how completely lost I was before his passing. I was seriously praying every night for something to come my way that would knock me in the head and make all the jumbled confusion in there make sense.

When Michael passed, that was the knocking across the head that I needed.

Not only was I absolutely shaken that such a phenomenal person had just left the Earth, but I was so upset that it was done so soon. I felt that his work here wasn't even near being complete.

It hit me like a brick that I couldn't just sit around and spin my wheels 'hoping' for something to fall in to my lap. I couldn't wait for someone to tell me what to do. It's my future, and my destiny and I need to go out and make it happen. You never know when your final breath is, and I didn't want to waste all my time trying to decide which way to lead my life. It was ripping me up that I just couldn't figure it out.

I will be eternally greatful, thankful to Michael for the rest of my life. His passing was the wake up call, but his life was the inspiration that made it all absolutely crystal clear to me. I am destined to instill knowledge in children, and shape them in to beautiful children to grow in to beautiful adults. I am meant to be a teacher, and Michael made it all very obvious to me in the smallest of ways, that made the biggest of a difference.

I can't give millions of dollars to charities to help children survive disease, I can't spend days on end visiting hospitals and bringing cheer to children. But I can have a classroom that is open to diversity, love, caring and nurturing. Every child will be treated with the love and respect that Michael would have given them, and they will feel like they are truly special. I want them to feel like they could come to me with any problem, and I would be totally unbiased and not judgmental. I had a teacher like this, who to this day I still admire. I think she had a good hand in helping to mold my sensitivity to others. She was amazing.

But before Michael's passing, I seriously thought about dropping out of school and just being a 'wanderer'. I know it would get me nowhere, but I was just waiting for something to 'drop' in to my lap. Yea right.

I have been trying to think of ways to involve Michael in my classroom (I won't have one for several years, but I plan way ahead. I have already purchased things for it :) ) It is so important for me to incorporate him in to my career since he is what knocked me back on the right path towards it. I will never be able to thank him enough. He makes me want to do the best at everything I attempt, because he never did anything half assed. I can't do this half assed, I have to do it all the way, or what's the point. Any ideas on how to incorporate him, and have it be appropriate for elementary aged children, since my major is Elem. Ed?

Has Michael had an impact like this on anyone else?? I really hope he has had some sort of affect like this on others, because it makes you love and appreciate him on a whole other level, I believe.
 
And I realized I wasn't super specific on what exactly it was that 'opened my eyes'. It was words. Michael's words. I just can't get over the genius of what this man created and is.

'if you care enough for the living make a little space make a better place. heal the world make it a better place for you and for me and the entire human race. there are people dying, if you care enough for the living make a better place for you and for me'

I so want to do that. I may be one person, but all it takes is one person to start a chain reaction, a revolution of loving and caring.

'it dont matter if you're black or white.'

i wish the world would quit seeing in 'color' and start seeing in 'understanding' and 'unity'...

'i'll reach out my hand to you, i'll have faith in all you do, just call my name and i'll be there.' 'let me fill your heart with joy and laughter'

more children, and people in general, need someone who says this and means it when they say it.
 
beautiful post casey, and i think its really genious to try to incorporate michael into the classroom. i really dont know about how the education and the classroom situation is in america so i dont have to many ideas. but came to think of one though! my teacher in 3rd grade always wrote 'quote of the week' on the whiteboard. it would always be really nice quotes about how to treat another (treat others the way you want to be treated and so on) and that can be a way of getting michael into the classroom. he has said so many beautiful things, both in his songs and in interviews and speeches. thats the one i have right now, but if i come up with other ones i'll let you know :)
 
That's such a moving plan you've got planned out for yourself Casey :) I do hope and wish that you will achieve this dream of yours :)
 
Michael has definitely impacted my life in the same kind of way! I almost feel like a different person now from before I really knew him. He's flipped my whole world...and like you, it really NEEDED to be flipped. It's really amazing how he is continuing to shape and change our world... just by touching individuals such as you and I. Like you said...
I may be one person, but all it takes is one person to start a chain reaction, a revolution of loving and caring.
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Exactly! I catch myself even doing even the littlest of things out of love now, and those actions, however small...go out and affect everyone on a whole. It's like the "pay it forward" movement. Someone does one thing nice for someone else, which brings out love in that person and causes them to do something nice...then that person is inspired...and the next, and the next.....

I think it's wonderful what you are wanting to do with children. And I like with Jenny's comment above about doing a "quote of the day" kind of thing that is either a lyric or something MJ has said. You could even have a "heal the world" day of the week each week...where the kids gather in a circle, hold hands and sing heal the world while listening to the song - the sound of music is so powerful. You can also give little assignments for them to go out and do one action out of love and giving...to help heal the world. Having them sit in a circle and each child say something nice/something that they like about the person sitting next to them would also be effective in teaching them to love eachother...and gain confidence.
 
Aw, you guys these are great ideas! Im going to print this thread off and save it so I have all of your ideas exactly the way they were phrased. Michael would have been an amazing teacher :) lol
 
thats alot of good ideas amygrace, i love the idea of letting them to a good deed, to help heal the world :)

i have another idea, but this will be hard to explain in english lol ;) there are lots of these organisations were you can sign up and donate a small amount of money to a child in another country, to help her make her life better. you are some kind of 'parent' in another country. our class in 2nd grade donated what i guess would be like 2-3 dollars a month each so we could help a little girl in Rwanda. that really is a way of sending out michaels message.
 
Aw, I love that idea too Jenny!

Gosh, I am just so thankful for Michael and his life and all his goodness...*sigh* lol
I can't wait to have a class and just teach them everything that Michael has taught me :)
 
He has definitely inspired me. Just shortly before he passed I was really getting into reminiscing on my childhood, wishing for those innocent times again. I do that on occasion, but I had been doing a lot of that lately. Then he died, and it was the most horrible thing because he was such a huge part of my childhood. It was like seeing those happy memories die away. It felt like a cold reality smacking me in the face. The past is past and this is the present now. So, I began to remember Michael and what he was all about because I had stopped thinking about him. It was also a reminder how when I was thinking about him, how much I actually really did want to be like him. And also how much I really did look up to him. I've been at a low point, a crossroads. Way too lost inside my own head. Now I remember Michael and think what the hell am I doing? I used to be more compassionate and generous, but I've now become too self centered. I want to change things and be a better person and try to make a difference in the world. Because there was one point I really did want that a while back. I want to try to be happier and smile more, and care much less what people think. I want to be more of a risk-taker than I am. I thank Michael for reminding me what I really should be doing, which is to continue to try to improve myself.
 
CaptainEoLove85 said:
He has definitely inspired me. Just shortly before he passed I was really getting into reminiscing on my childhood, wishing for those innocent times again. I do that on occasion, but I had been doing a lot of that lately. Then he died, and it was the most horrible thing because he was such a huge part of my childhood. It was like seeing those happy memories die away. It felt like a cold reality smacking me in the face. The past is past and this is the present now. So, I began to remember Michael and what he was all about because I had stopped thinking about him. It was also a reminder how when I was thinking about him, how much I actually really did want to be like him. And also how much I really did look up to him. I've been at a low point, a crossroads. Way too lost inside my own head. Now I remember Michael and think what the hell am I doing? I used to be more compassionate and generous, but I've now become too self centered. I want to change things and be a better person and try to make a difference in the world. Because there was one point I really did want that a while back. I want to try to be happier and smile more, and care much less what people think. I want to be more of a risk-taker than I am. I thank Michael for reminding me what I really should be doing, which is to continue to try to improve myself.
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That's what I'm sayin!! I related to 95% of what you just wrote...it's time to stop thinking about ourselves as an 'I' and think about the world as a whole :)
 
yeah, and i think its really important that you put that thought into to children, beacuse if they are being brought up with that kind of living, the world will go in the right direction, the children are our future after all.
 
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