Positive websites and videos that celebrate MJ

[MJJLaugh]

Michael Jackson - The Spiritual Teacher

Michael Jackson's stage presence was undoubtedly incomparable. He performed with an energy and a divine ambiance that was clearly not of this world. No one else in our lifetime, will ever come close to the magnanimous and influential powerhouse that was...Michael Jackson. But I now ponder, were we just too enamored with the performer and his image, to realize the profoundness of the spiritual and life lessons he was teaching us all along - contained in the lyrics of his songs?

Michael Jackson's passion, purpose and message was for peace, harmony, and equality in the world. He longed for simple experiences that we, today, continue to take for granted. He wanted normality. He wanted to be accepted as he was. Most importantly, he wanted to experience a childhood. Was his behavior as a "childlike man" a bit strange for some? Yes....Maybe. However, if you have never experienced NOT having a childhood, you have no grounds for judgment. According to the Bible Scriptures - Luke 18: 16-17 states "I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn't receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it."

He said in an interview once, "If you really want to know about me, listen to the lyrics in my song - Have You Seen My Childhood." The Lyrics are as follow: "Have You Seen My Childhood? I'm searching for the world that I come from. Cause I've been looking around, in the lost and found of my heart. No one understands me, They view it as such strange eccentricities...Cause I keep kidding around. Like a child, but pardon me...People say I'm not okay, Cause I love such elementary things...It's been my fate to compensate, for the Childhood I've never known...Before you judge me, try hard to love me."

Michael Jackson suffered greatly internally. The only place he felt free was on stage. When he performed he was "being" and in alignment with his divine purpose. He knew he wasn't being judged by his fans...we loved and still love him. He utilized his God-given talents and abilities with every fiber and cell in his body. He poured his heart and soul into each performance, with fans at every corner and stretch of the world receiving him. Michael Jackson sincerely loved us. He suffered even more at the condemnation and crude perceptions of those who have no conscience. Those individuals who use such cowardly covers stating: "I'm Just A Reporter Reporting The News," or "I Just Want To Sell My Tabloids." These vicious people sought fame and fortune, out of their own envious ways, destroying those to whom the stories are written about. They are so blinded by having the "exclusive story" that they are not stopping to even think about the detrimental effects of their actions. Over the years, they devastatingly touched the soul of one of God's Angels. This, along with his personal issues, had kept Michael Jackson in constant emotional pain, mental pain and lifelong turmoil for most of his life.

Lyrics from his song "Tabloid Junkie" can best describe how he felt: "Speculate to break the one you hate. Circulate the lie you confiscate. Assassinate and mutilate. As the hounding media in hysteria, Who's the next for you to resurrect...It's slander. With the words you use. You're a parasite in black and white. Do anything for news. And you don't go and buy it. To read it sanctifies it."

Michael Jackson did not allow the public scrutiny to keep him from entertaining his fans. He remained persistent in his message and mission of bringing love unto the world, with such lyrics from his song "Another Part of Me" - "We're sending out, A major love, And this is our message to you. The planets are lining up, We're bringing brighter days. They're all in line, Waiting for you. Can't you see.....You're just Another Part of Me."

We are all a part of each other. When you tear one down, we all suffer. Including those who are responsible for the act itself; they just don't know it yet. When one is in turmoil, we all are. When one is crying out for help, we need to answer. Michael Jackson cried and cried and cried. Not with tears streaming down his face; but rather with all the ways he changed the look of his appearance. The way we truly feel on the inside, will definitely reflect those same feelings on the outside. I think that because his childhood was so tumultuous, he maybe set out to take away any signs of how he looked. As this would be a permanent constant reminder. The public also contributed with negative reports of his prominent "African American" features and so on and so forth. What he didn't understand, I believe, was that his fans never complained. We loved Michael Jackson just as he was. I think he expected that changing his appearance on the outside, would also create new emotional and mental feelings for him on the inside. If you haven't learned anything from the Spiritual Teachings of the Divine Spirit that was and is Michael Jackson.....let's remember this Scripture from Matthew 7:2 - "Others will treat you as you treat them. Whatever measure you use in judging others, it will be used to measure how you are judged."

Michael Jackson has served his purpose, has carried out his mission, and has delivered his message. He has entered the gates of heaven where he's entertaining God and his fellow Angels. Now he can finally rest in the comfort and peace of his true father's arms, as he now knows and feels acceptance. He can now be that "child" without judgment. And most of all....he has heard those approving words from his true father in heaven...."My Child.....Yours Is Indeed A Job Well Done!"

In Conclusion.......Lyrics To Michael Jackson's Song: "Gone Too Soon."

Like A Comet, Blazing Cross The Evening Sky...Gone Too Soon.
Like A Rainbow, Fading In The Twinkling of an Eye......Gone Too Soon.
Shiny and Sparkly, and Splendidly Bright.
Here One Day.....Gone One Night.

Like A Castle, Built Upon A Sandy Beach......Gone Too Soon.
Like A Perfect Flower, That Is Beyond Your Reach...Gone Too Soon.

Born To Amuse, To Inspire, To Delight
Here One Day....Gone One Night.

Like A Sunset, Dying With The Rising of The Moon
Gone Too Soon.
Gone Too Soon.
(Source: Dr. Monica Burns-Capers, Ph.D )




Source:


http://mj.vivomi.com/news-mj-the-spiritual-teacher.php

 

[MJJLaugh]

Michael Jackson is the most Astonishing Person I have ever met on the face of this planet

“Michael Jackson is the most astonishing person I have ever met on the face of this planet. I never expected to meet anybody like him; I never suspected there was anybody like him. He lived to give. He lived to give to his audience. He loved his audience.

One day I got a call at 4 o’clock in the afternoon, here in New York saying, “You gotta be out here - meaning L.A. - tonight at 11 o’clock. Michael is cancelling his tour and you’re the only one he’ll listen to.” Michael and I sat down in a trailer that night at 11 o’clock - a dark trailer outside in studio lot in L.A. where he and his brothers were rehearsing for their tour. It was like two prophets going up against each other. Michael said to me, “I will not go out on stage. I owe my audience. I owe them the most astonishing thing they have ever seen in their life. My brother Jackie is the best dancer I have ever seen. And my brother Jackie has just came down with a bone chip in his knee. If I can’t go out with the best dancer in the world, then I will not go out, because I will not cheat my audience.” And I felt as if Michael’s chest, the ribs had opened like gates, and I could see 10 000 kids inside of there. And Michael would not let anybody screw around with those kids. He owed them something tremendous. And I had to convince him on the reason, that cancelling his tour would screw those kids. Because they would cease to believe in him, his tour would be so badly… his tour had already been savaged by the press over and over again. His public would not believe in him anymore. And he could feel his audience in my chest. I never expected to meet a human being like that.

One day we were looking at pictures together for what was supposed to be his next album cover, and his knees buckled when he saw only one inch of a picture in a portfolio, and he made an orgasmic sound. And the further he unpeeled back the page, the more his knees buckled. I knew, I was standing next to him. I could feel his body language. And the more - the orgasmic sounds grew, because Michael was capable of seeing the infinity in the tiniest of things, and I never ever in my life expected to meet that quality of wonder and that kind of extreme generosity. He lived for other people. And when he couldn’t live for other people, he died a little. If there ever was a saint on the face of this planet, Michael was it.”

— Howard Bloom, MJ’s manager during the Victory tour

Source:

 

[MJJLaugh]

Bob Marley Meets Michael Jackson in Jamaica in 1975



We recently did this story George Harrison Meets Bob Marley. We also recently found some photo's of Bob Marley meeting Michael Jackson and The Jackson 5 at Marley's house in Jamaica in March of 1975. Check out Bob & MJ below.

Bob Marley Michael jackson The Jackson 5 Jamaica

Marley had booked The Jackson 5 to open for Bob Marley & The Wailers at National Heroes Stadium before the start of their Natty Dread Tour. The Jackson 5 visited Marley at his home at 56 Hope St. Kingston, Jamaica before the concert. Here's a photo of J5 Mother Katherine Jackson with Marley.

Bob Marley Michael Jackson 5 Katherine jackson

Here's Michael, Bunny Wailer & Jackie Jackson in this photo.
Note y MJJLaugh: looks more like Jermaine than Jackie to me!

I hope that this tree is still up in front of Bob's house.

R.I.P. Bob Marley & Michael Jackson


Source:

http://www.feelnumb.com/?p=10742

 

[Ankita]

A beautiful video of Michael spreading L.O.V.E, laughter and healing in a Netherland children hospital!



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NXVyoVqVe4&feature=player_embedded

 

[MJJLaugh]

Remembering Michael Jackson: The Story Behind His Magnum Opus

Before Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth, before Avatar and Wall-E, before "going green" became a catchphrase, came Michael Jackson's "Earth Song," one of the most unusual, audacious protest songs in popular music history. A massive hit globally (reaching #1 in over fifteen countries), it wasn't even released as a single in the United States.


Yet nearly sixteen years later, its admirers continue to grow. The song's desperate plea on behalf of the planet and its inhabitants (particularly the most vulnerable) remains as relevant and important as ever.

"Earth Song" mattered deeply to Jackson, who rightfully considered it one of his greatest artistic achievements. He planned for it to be the climax of his ill-fated This Is It concert series in London. It was the last song he rehearsed before he died.

The following excerpt is from a 50-page piece entitled "Earth Song: Inside Michael Jackson's Magnum Opus," which details the song's evolution from its inception in Vienna to Jackson's final live performance in Munich:

"Michael Jackson was alone in his hotel room, pacing.

He was in the midst of the second leg of his Bad World Tour, an exhausting, 123-concert spectacular that stretched over nearly two years. The tour would become the largest-grossing and most-attended concert series in history.

Just days earlier, Jackson had performed in Rome at Flaminio Stadium to an ecstatic sold-out crowd of over 30,000. In his downtime, he visited the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Cathedral at the Vatican with Quincy Jones and legendary composer, Leonard Bernstein. Later, they drove to Florence where Jackson stood beneath Michelangelo's masterful sculpture, David, gazing up in awe.

Now he was in Vienna, Austria, music capital of the Western world. It was here where Mozart's brilliant Symphony No. 25 and haunting Requiem were composed; where Beethoven studied under Haydn and played his first symphony. And it was here, at the Vienna Marriott, on June 1, 1988, that Michael Jackson's magnum opus, "Earth Song," was born.

The six-and-a-half-minute piece that materialized over the next seven years was unlike anything heard before in popular music. Social anthems and protest songs had long been part of the heritage of rock. But not like this. "Earth Song" was something more epic, dramatic, and primal. Its roots were deeper; its vision more panoramic. It was a lamentation torn from the pages of Job and Jeremiah, an apocalyptic prophecy that recalled the works of Blake, Yeats, and Eliot.

It conveyed musically what Picasso's masterful aesthetic protest, Guernica, conveyed in art. Inside its swirling scenes of destruction and suffering were voices -- crying, pleading, shouting to be heard ("What about us?").

"Earth Song" would become the most successful environmental anthem ever recorded, topping the charts in over fifteen countries and selling over five million copies. Yet critics never quite knew what to make of it. Its unusual fusion of opera, rock, gospel, and blues sounded like nothing on the radio. It defied almost every expectation of a traditional anthem. In place of nationalism, it envisioned a world without division or hierarchy. In place of religious dogma or humanism, it yearned for a broader vision of ecological balance and harmony. In place of simplistic propaganda for a cause, it was a genuine artistic expression. In place of a jingly chorus that could be plastered on a T-shirt or billboard, it offered a wordless, universal cry.

Jackson remembered the exact moment the melody came.

It was his second night in Vienna. Outside his hotel, beyond Ring Strasse Boulevard and the sprawling Stadtpark, he could see the majestically lit museums, cathedrals, and opera houses. It was a world of culture and privilege far removed from his boyhood home in Gary, Indiana. Jackson was staying in spacious conjoining suites lined with large windows and a breathtaking view. Yet for all the surrounding opulence, mentally and emotionally he was somewhere else.
It wasn't mere loneliness (though he definitely felt that). It was something deeper -- an overwhelming despair about the condition of the world.

Perhaps the most common trait associated with celebrity is narcissism. In 1988, Jackson certainly would have had reason to be self-absorbed. He was the most famous person on the planet. Everywhere he traveled, he created mass hysteria. The day after his sold-out concert at Prater Stadium in Vienna, an AP article ran, "130 Fans Faint at Jackson Concert." If the Beatles were more popular than Jesus, as John Lennon once claimed, Jackson had the entire Holy Trinity beat.

Michael Jackson performs in Vienna, Austria on June 2, 1988, one day after conceiving of "Earth Song."
Photo Credit: Zoran Veselinovic


While Jackson enjoyed the attention in certain ways, he also felt a profound responsibility to use his celebrity for more than fame and fortune (in 2000, The Guinness Book of World Records cited him as the most philanthropic pop star in history). "When you have seen the things I have seen and traveled all over the world, you would not be honest to yourself and the world to [look away]," Jackson explained.

At nearly every stop on his Bad World Tour, he would visit orphanages and hospitals. Just days earlier, while in Rome, he stopped by the Bambin Gesu Children's Hospital, handing out gifts, taking pictures, and signing autographs. Before leaving, he pledged a donation of over $100,000 dollars.

While performing or helping children, he felt strong and happy, but when he returned to his hotel room, a combination of anxiety, sadness, and desperation sometimes seized him.

Jackson had always been sensitive to suffering and injustice. But in recent years, his feeling of moral responsibility grew. The stereotype of his naiveté ignored his natural curiosity and sponge-like mind. While he wasn't a policy wonk (Jackson unquestionably preferred the realm of art to politics), he also wasn't oblivious to the world around him. He read widely, watched films, talked to experts, and studied issues passionately. He was deeply invested in trying to understand and change the world.

In 1988, he certainly had reason for concern. The news read like chapters from ancient scripture: there were heat waves and droughts, massive wildfires and earthquakes, genocide and famine. Violence escalated in the Holy Land as forests were ravaged in the Amazon and garbage, oil and sewage swept up on shores. In place of Time's Person of the Year, 1988's cover story was dedicated to the "endangered earth." It suddenly occurred to many that we were literally destroying our own home.

Most people read or watch the news casually, passively. They become numb to the horrifying images and stories projected on the screen. Yet such stories frequently moved Jackson to tears. He internalized them and felt physical pain. When people told him to simply enjoy his own good fortune, he got angry. He believed completely in John Donne's philosophy that "no man is an island." For Jackson, the idea extended to all life. The whole planet was connected and intrinsically valuable.

"[For the average person]," he explained, "he sees problems 'out there' to be solved... But I don't feel that way -- those problems aren't 'out there,' really. I feel them inside me. A child crying in Ethiopia, a seagull struggling pathetically in an oil spill... a teenage soldier trembling with terror when he hears the planes fly over: Aren't these happening in me when I see and hear about them?"

Once, during a dance rehearsal, he had to stop because an image of a dolphin trapped in a net made him so emotionally distraught. "From the way its body was tangled in the lines," he explained, "you could read so much agony. Its eyes were vacant, yet there was still that smile, the ones dolphins never lose... So there I was, in the middle of rehearsal, and I thought, 'They're killing a dance.'"

When Jackson performed, he could feel these turbulent emotions surging through him. With his dancing and singing, he tried to transfuse the suffering, give it expression, meaning, and strength. It was liberating. For a brief moment, he could take his audience to an alternative world of harmony and ecstasy. But inevitably, he was thrown back into the "real world" of fear and alienation.

So much of this pain and despair circulated inside Jackson as he stood in his hotel room, brooding.

Then suddenly it "dropped in [his] lap": Earth's song. A song from her perspective, her voice. A lamentation and a plea.

The chorus came to him first -- a wordless cry. He grabbed his tape player and pressed record. Aaaaaaaaah Oooooooooh.

The chords were simple, but powerful: A-flat minor to C-sharp triad; A-flat minor seventh to C-sharp triad; then modulating up, B-flat minor to E-flat triad. That's it! Jackson thought. He then worked out the introduction and some of the verses. He imagined its scope in his head. This, he determined, would be the greatest song he'd ever composed..."

Copyright © 2011 Joseph Vogel

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One of Michael Jackson's most memorable performances of "Earth Song" (Brunei, 1996).

The full version of "Earth Song: Inside Michael Jackson's Magnum Opus" can be downloaded at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and the iBookstore (iTunes).

For more information, visit www.joevogel.net/earthsong.


Source:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joe-vogel/michael-jackson-earth-song_b_882740.html

 

[MJJLaugh]

Michael Jackson: The Truth About his 'Final' Photoshoot

The image of Michael Jackson that graces the cover of Q magazine’s August 2009 issue, which coincidentally went to press shortly before Jackson’s tragic death, has been widely circulated as the last authorized photograph of the singer. While that remains likely to be true, photographer John Wright tells the Music Mix that the photo shoot in question actually took place several years ago, in approximately 2007. Guinness World Records hired Wright at the time to photograph Jackson at the company’s central London office, where the star was accepting an award for his history-making album sales. “I got a call, ‘Do you want to shoot Michael Jackson next week?’” Wright recalls. “I said, ‘Yeah, sure.’ I was extremely relaxed about it, because I was absolutely certain he would never show up. But about 2 p.m. in the afternoon, he walked in.”

Jackson was joined by “a fairly large entourage” including bodyguards, management, and a few lucky fans — but no makeup artist or stylist. “It was extremely underplayed,” says Wright. “The thing that excited me was it was an opportunity to do a really, really honest portrait of that face.” Jackson spent about an hour meeting and greeting Guinness officials before Wright got a three-minute window to shoot him. “What struck me was his shyness. He carried himself really quite humbly, I thought. I’ve shot a lot of celebrities, and was pleasantly taken with the fact that Michael Jackson went out of his way to introduce himself and shake hands with everybody on my crew, which was about four people on the day — even crossing the room to shake hands with one of my assistants, which was unnecessary, but he obviously felt compelled to out of a sense of grace and politeness.” Adds Wright, “I want to make it clear: He was attentive, he was focused, he was having fun. That wasn’t an ill man who was in the room with me.”

After photographing Jackson for about 90 seconds in total, Wright had three usable head shots, one of which he eventually sold to Q earlier this year when the magazine put together its August 2009 cover story on the King of Pop’s planned London comeback concerts. Now, as it becomes clear that the Guinness shoot may have been Jackson’s last, Wright says he’s been approached by a number of outlets looking to print the other two photos. While he provided one to a German tribute publication, he’s proceeding with caution. “It really depends on the context of what they’re doing. It will always be the picture that it is, and it’s looking like it could be the last official portrait that was shot of him. I’ve got no need to exploit the situation.” (When contacted by EW, Jackson’s reps were unable to confirm at this time whether this was his final photo shoot.)


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Source:

http://music-mix.ew.com/2009/07/10/michael-jackson-photo-shoot/

 

[MJJLaugh]

Four Candles





The Four Candles burned slowly.
Their Ambiance was so soft you
could hear them speak...

The first candle said, "I Am Peace, but these days, nobody
wants to keep me lit." Then Peace's flame slowly
diminishes and goes out completely.

The second candle says, "I Am Faith, but these days, I am
no longer indispensable." Then Faith's flame slowly
diminishes and goes out completely.

Sadly the third candle spoke, "I Am Love and I haven't the
strength to stay lit any longer."
"People put me aside and don't understand my
importance. They even forget to love those who are
nearest to them." And waiting no longer, Love goes out
completely.

Suddenly...A child enters the room and sees the three
candles no longer burning. The child begins to cry, "Why
are you not burning? You are supposed to stay lit until the
end."

Then the Fourth Candle spoke gently to the little boy,
"Don't be afraid, for I Am Hope, and while I still burn, we
can re-light the other candles."

With Shining eyes the child took the Candle of Hope and
lit the other three candles.

Never let the Flame of Hope go out of your life.
With Hope, no matter how bad things look and
are...Peace, Faith and Love can Shine Brightly in our lives.






Source:


http://www.flickr.com/photos/robin_2711/222912247/

 

[MJJLaugh]

Love and Sacrifice

Have you noticed lately how in all walks of life, all areas, the focus is shifting from FORM to ESSENCE. Many things are happening currently in our world, that ask us to rely less on our five primary senses and more on our heart, our inner knowledge and intuition. That is why people like Michael had such an important message for humanity, the message of love, light, and hope. This is a time to let go of the fears that grow like weeds in the gardens of our soul, and to water that tree, that lotus flower of our soul's garden, so love can really grow and reach out to all who are in such dire need of unconditional love

Undoubtedly you will have heard the complete recording of Michael's voice, on May 10th 2009, although slurred, he never once wavered from his life's mission, his Divine purpose, to help the children of the world, to Heal the World. While the recording itself is sad and heartbreaking, if you focus on the essence, the purpose, his ideal, it becomes nothing short of amazing how Michael could keep his true life's focus even under the most trying of circumstances. He is willing to sacrifice everything, feeling their pain, as a true empath and the world's greatest humanitarian, to make the commitment for his life's dream: The Michael Jackson Children's Hospital. He was willing to do whatever it took to make his dream happen. It is my deepest wish that his vision of a Michael Jackson's Childrens Hospital will become a reality in his honor. I also hope and pray that the media will shift their focus to the essence of Michael Jackson: his message of Love and to Heal the World!

~ MJJLaugh

Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can't help them, at least don't hurt them
~ Dalai Lama.


There is no higher religion than human service. To work for the common good is the greatest creed
~ Woodrow Wilson.


Those things which are precious are saved only by sacrifice.
~ David Kenyon Webster.

My Angel From Above

Angel love Whenever I'm feeling lonely
Or maybe feeling blue
I think of all the things
All the little things you do.

Whenever I feel lousy
And seem to have a frown
I remember all the funny times
And you just turn it upside down.

Whenever I'm depressed
And need you by my side
I remember all the sweet things you say
To make the sadness go away.

When I need a shoulder to cry on
You are always there
Taking away all my fears and loneliness
when my life's a mess.

Sources:

http://www.mydearvalentine.com/quotes/love/sacrifice-quotes.html

http://www.1lovepoems.com/love/angel-love-poem.shtml

 

[MJJLaugh]

Healing the World


All through his songs and performances Michael spoke of healing the world. The world is made up of all of us; me and you, and our beloved planet, nature, the trees, the birds and the animals, the skies. How can you help heal the world ? Maybe you say to yourself: I'm just one person and don't make much money, what could I possibly do to help heal the world ?

You don't have to be rich, famous or a singer to help heal the world. When we talk to each other, at school or work, at home, online, on the phone, we hear noises: sounds of young voices, and old voices, high-pitched voices and deep voices, music in the mix, cars, airplanes, sirens, the washing machine, a dog barking, and maybe arguments, laughter, crying, children playing, dogs barking. Thinks of all the noises you hear each day. But are you really listening ? Listening to the other, with a open heart and open mind, with compassion, unites us as people. Everyone needs to be heard, but who is listening ?

Do you want to be part of the cacaphony of noise, or do you want to be a note in the symphony of love ? Our great conductor of love's symphony was Michael, and if we do what we are supposed to do, at the precise moment we are meant to do it, the notes will blend together in heaven's wondrous melody, a healing sound for all of us and our planet.
All notes, great or small, play their own role in life's symphony, together creating a wondrous melody....
~ MJJLaugh



[YouTube]s7pGTkT-KaQ[/YouTube]



Learning is a result of listening, which in turn leads to even better listening and attentiveness to the other person. In other words, to learn from the child, we must have empathy, and empathy grows as we learn.

~ Alice Miller


You can practice deep listening in order to relieve the suffering in us, and in the other person. That kind of listening is described as compassionate listening. You listen only for the purpose of relieving suffering in the other person.

~ Thich Nhat Hanh



Being heard is so close to being loved that for the average person they are almost indistinguishable.

~ David Augsburger



When we talk about understanding, surely it takes place only when the mind listens completely -- the mind being your heart, your nerves, your ears -- when you give your whole attention to it.

- Jiddu Krishnamurti






Source for the quotes:

http://www.wisdomquotes.com/topics/listening/

 

[MJJLaugh]

Santa Maria man shares story behind Michael Jackson’s “The Broken Heart Stone”

A twist of fate is the reason a Santa Maria man says he ended up with a unique piece of Michael Jackson memorabilia. It’s being called “The Broken Heart Stone” and there’s quite a story behind it. If you can believe this, it was actually lost for more than two decades before being found again.

The king of pop was at the top of his career with the Thriller album. In fact, Jackson won eight Grammys and his career seemed unstoppable. During that time, the pop star also created something special. Andrew Wilson, Jackson memorabilia owner, said, “I really believe it’s something the world should see.” It’s a 500 pound cement slab dated June 1984 and features a hand print, footprints and autograph of Jackson.

Wilson said, “I was at the right place, at the right time.” The former five time international Kung Fu champion and Santa Maria resident had formed a business relationship with Jackson. He said, “I was very supportive of him during the trial.” Wilson even wrote a letter of support for Jackson to a local newspaper. “I got word back from the people at Neverland that Michael had seen it and was very pleased about it,” said Wilson.

Wilson says that twist of fate came on the day Jackson died. He arrived in Las Vegas and ran into some of those same people. He said, “People at Neverland knew me and said oh my gosh, I think Michael would love for you to have this.” They put him in contact with the then-owner of the impression. Originally, it was made for the Walk of Fame project for the city of Las Vegas but that never materialized. So what’s shocking, the stone stayed hidden in the basement of the Riviera Hotel for more than two decades before being sold.

Wilson said, “You can actually look at his hand and you can actually see a heart print.” The left palm print features a heart shape design with a crack running through it, that’s how the name “The Broken Heart Stone” came about. “A broken heart represents not only Michael but the fans that loved him in his quick and immediate passing,” said Wilson. He goes on to say, “I think it’s kind of a statement to the world. Yeah, I died with a broken heart and I have fans who have a broken heart because of me.”




Source:


http://mjforeverlove.wordpress.com/...hind-michael-jacksons-the-broken-heart-stone/

 

[MJJLaugh]

Courage (Written by Michael Jackson)



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Its curious what takes courage and what doesnt. When I step out on stage in front of thousands of people, I dont feel that Im being brave. It can take much more courage to express true feelings to one person. When I think of courage, I think of the Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz. He was always running away from danger. He often cried and shook with fear. But he was also sharing his real feelings with those he loved, even though he didnt always like those feelings

That takes real courage, the courage to be intimate. Expressing your feelings is not the same as falling apart in front of someone else — its being accepting and true to your heart, whatever it may say. When you have the courage to be intimate, you know who you are, and youre willing to let others see that. Its scary, because you feel so vulnerable, so open to rejection. But without self-acceptance, the other kind of courage, the kind heroes show in movies, seems hollow.
In spite of the risks, the courage to be honest and intimate opens the way to self-discovery. It offers what we all want, the promise of love

**DANCING THE DREAM by Michael Jackson**
(published 1992)


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[MJJLaugh]

Michael and the Lionel Trains

This is an excerpt from Jermaine Jackson's book which I found on a website, thankfully, so I wouldn't have to type it over from the book. I can just imagine it all: a little black boy hoping with all his might to one day own a miniature Lionel train...

“Go faster! Go faster!” Michael shrieked, hitting an early high note. He was sitting in the front of a shopping cart— knees to chin—while Tito, Marlon and I were running and pushing it down 23rd Avenue, me with both hands on the handlebar, and my two brothers either side as the wheels wobbled and bounced off the road on a summer’s day. We built up speed and powered forward like a bobsled team. Except this, in our minds, was a train. We’d find two, sometimes three, shopping carts from the nearby Giants supermarket and couple them together. Giants was about three blocks away, located across the sports field at the back of our home, but its carts were often abandoned and strewn about the streets, so they were easy to commandeer. Michael was “the driver.”

He was crazy about Lionel toy trains—small but weighty model steam engines and locomotives, packaged in orange boxes. Whenever Mother took us shopping for clothes at the Salvation Army, he always darted upstairs to the toy section to see if anyone had donated a secondhand Lionel train set. So, in his imagination, our shopping carts became two or three railroad cars, and 23rd Avenue was the straight section of track. It was a train that went too fast to pick up other passengers, thundering along, as Michael provided the sound effects. We hit the brakes when 23rd Avenue ran into a dead end, about 50 yards from the back of our house.

If Michael wasn’t on the street playing trains, he was on the carpet in our shared bedroom with his prized Lionel engine. Our parents couldn’t afford to buy him a new one, or invest in an electric- train set, complete with full length track, station, and signal boxes. That is why the dream of owning a train set was in his head long before the dream of performing.

Speed. I’m convinced our excitement as kids was built on the thrill of speed. Whatever we did involved going faster, trying to outgun one another. Had our father known the extent of our thirst for speed, he would have banned it for sure: the potential for injury was always considered a grave risk to our career.

Once we grew bored of the shopping-cart trains, we built go-carts, constructed from boxes, stroller wheels and planks of wood from a nearby junkyard. Tito was the “engineer” of the brotherhood and he had the know-how in putting everything together. He was forever dismantling clocks and radios, and reassembling them on the kitchen table, or watching Joseph under the hood of his Buick parked at the side of the house, so he knew where our father’s tool box was. We hammered together three planks to form an I-shaped chassis and axle. We nailed the open cockpit—a square wooden box—on top, and took cord from a clothes line for our steering mechanism, looping it through the front wheels, held like reins. In truth, our turning circle was about as tight as an oil tanker’s, so we only ever traveled in straight lines.

Source:

http://www.legendarymichaeljackson.nl/?p=6026

 

[MJJLaugh]

Kobe Bryant on how Michael Jackson Inspired him

Kobe Bryant, in his 15th NBA season, says his on-court mentality comes from advice offered by the King of Pop.
(Gary Dineen/Getty Images)


MINNEAPOLIS – Out of nowhere one afternoon, Michael Jackson made a call to the irrepressible and isolated Kobe Bryant(notes), and so much changed for him. From a distance, the King of Pop could sense so much of his own obsessive genius within the prodigy. Bryant was the 18-year-old wonder for the Los Angeles Lakers, and no one knew what to make of a restlessness borne of a desperate desire for greatness.

“He noticed I was getting a lot of [expletive] for being different,” Bryant said.

They would talk for hours and hours, visiting at Neverland Ranch, and Bryant has long been fortified by the lessons Jackson instilled about the burden of honoring true talent, about the ways to open your mind to be smarter, sharper and insatiable in the chase.

“It sounds weird, I guess, but it’s true: I was really mentored by the preparation of Michael Jackson,” Bryant told Yahoo! Sports.

Bryant isn’t much for nostalgia and sentimentality, but it hung in the air as he cut into his steak over dinner recently in the fourth-floor restaurant at the Graves Hotel. Jackson is gone, but Bryant is going on 15 years with the Lakers.

“We would always talk about how he prepared to make his music, how he prepared for concerts,” Bryant said. “He would teach me what he did: How to make a ‘Thriller’ album, a ‘Bad’ album, all the details that went into it. It was all the validation that I needed – to know that I had to focus on my craft and never waver. Because what he did – and how he did it – was psychotic. He helped me get to a level where I was able to win three titles playing with Shaq because of my preparation, my study. And it’s only all grown.

“That’s the mentality that I have – it’s not an athletic one. It’s not from [Michael] Jordan. It’s not from other athletes.

“It’s from Michael Jackson.”

You can read the rest of the article about Kobe here

Source:

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=Amq0mfMLeY9RFvABVy8V3qy8vLYF?slug=aw-kobebryantchat112310

 

[MJJLaugh]

Compassion







Compassion


A beggar in the street I saw,
Who held a hand like withered claw,
As cold as clay;
But as I had no silver groat
To give, I buttoned up my coat
And turned away.

And then I watched a working wife
Who bore the bitter load of life
With lagging limb;
A penny from her purse she took,
And with sweet pity in her look
Gave it to him.

Anon I spied a shabby dame
Who fed six sparrows as they came
In famished flight;
She was so poor and frail and old,
Yet crumbs of her last crust she doled
With pure delight.

Then sudden in my heart was born
For my sleek self a savage scorn,--
Urge to atone;
So when a starving cur I saw
I bandaged up its bleeding paw
And bought a bone.

For God knows it is good to give;
We may not have so long to live,
So if we can,
Let's do each day a kindly deed,
And stretch a hand to those in need,
Bird, beast or man.


Source:

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/compassion/

Create Date : Monday, January 13, 2003

 

[MJJLaugh]

Vanessa Lee - Fook (the little girl in the picture) speaks about how she met MJ:

"I met the legendary Michael Jackson back in February, 1978 when I lived in Trinidad, West Indies. He came there with his brothers, The Jacksons, for a concert. It was a chance meeting that I will never forget that lasted for almost one whole week! When I talk about that time, it sounds so far fetched. If I didn't have the pictures and autographs to prove it, I wouldn't believe it either.
One of the pictures I will share is of Michael and I at Las Cuevas Beach in Trinidad. He was such a gentle, humble, and truly special person. Even back then I could tell he was a perfectionist, a musical genius who loved to entertain people.
Can you name one performer out there today who can truly entertain people the way Michael did and command an audience?"

Photographer Todd Gray spoke about this photo:

"Michael showed me his newly finished private theater, complete with plush red velvet seats. I thought his blue sweater would complement the deep red, and I asked him to take a seat and pretend as if he were watching a movie. “Which movie?” he asked. I said, “It doesn’t matter. Any movie will do.” But Michael insisted: “Todd, you’ve got to tell me which movie I’m supposed to be watching if you want a reaction from me.” O.K., what about a Charlie Chaplin comedy, I suggested. “Which one?” Michael asked. “He made so many, you know.” My mind went blank; luckely, my assistant shouted out, “Modern Times.” Michael responded, “O.K., which part?” Exasperated, I said, “Michael, it’s a comedy, just laugh!” It was getting late and we were all tired and a little punchy, but Michael was having fun with all of this. “Well,” he began, “if you want me to laugh, then you have to tell me a joke. But you said you wanted me to act like I’m watching a movie. Which is it you want?” Finally I gave up and made a ridiculous clown face, which made him laugh."


That was such a cute moment!!! Michael was so funny.. so special!!!

Source:

http://www.fanpop.com/spots/michael-jackson/forum/post/65073/title/stories-behind-photos

 

[MJJLaugh]

Just Be


Thanks to my friends Heaven Leigh and Marjolein Lukas for allowing me to repost Heaven's poem and Marjolein's painting. Much love to both of you!
~ MJJLaugh

“You Are Not Alone”
Powerful message i keep hearing in my head, and feel in my heart…
This is the image that came along with that message. All i had to do was paint it on canvas.
LOVE to you! ~ Marjolein


Just Be


I am here to comfort you
Here to set you free
Sadness need not torture you
Don’t be sad
Just be

I am free…
Two by two, me and you
We can be
I am strength
I am power
I can be your high tower
In the dark
Your sunflower
Set you free
Just Be
Hear me now
My eyes glisten with your tears
Please just listen
Through your fears
I will hold you
Don’t you see?
Just be


You are there
To do our work
Heal the hurt you see
Heal yourself by reaching out
Don’t be sad
Just be


I am strong…
Two by two, me and you
We belong



You are strength
You are power
For the world a high tower
In the dark
Their sunflower
Set them free
Just be
Hear me now
We can do this
You know how
Walk in my bliss
Through your fears
I will hold you
Don’t you see
Just be


In this light
We are free
I am NOW
Look at me


I am strength
I am power
Let me be your high tower
In the dark
Your sunflower
Set you free
Just be
Hear me now
My eyes glisten with your tears
Please just listen
Through your fears
I will hold you
Don’t you see
Just be


All Rights Reserved © Copyright 2011

Sources:

http://www.lukas-art.com/paintings/you-are-not-alone/


http://www.heavenleigh11.com/ninaspoetry.html

 

[MJJLaugh]

Videos featuring Michael


I hope you like these videos that I made about Michael:

 

[MJJLaugh]

Tulsa Cousin Of Jackson Mourns His Loss

Maurice Jackson is Michael Jackson's second cousin. Maurice's father was Michael's great uncle.




Posted: Jun 26, 2009 11:35 PM

Maurice Jackson is Michael Jackson's second cousin. Maurice's father was Michael's great uncle.

Jackson's music filled the airwaves around Tulsa as fans remembered the music maven. Jackson's music filled the airwaves around Tulsa as fans remembered the music maven.

By Tara Vreeland, The News On 6

TULSA, OK -- Michael Jackson has fans that span the entire world. The King of Pop also has family ties to Tulsa.

"I just felt he was a phenomenal singer. Yeah, very unusual. And, he had such a charisma, you know," said Maurice Jackson.

Maurice Jackson is Michael Jackson's second cousin. Maurice's father was Michael's great uncle.

"Singing like that just doesn't come along every day. There's just something special about him," said Maurice Jackson.

Maurice last saw the pop icon years ago when he was touring with the Jackson Five. But, he followed his cousin's career and counts himself as a fan.

"All of them are my favorite. Anything he sang. Billy Jean. All of them. They are all my favorites," said Maurice Jackson.

Another family member called Maurice Jackson to inform him of Michael's passing. He says he can't imagine the tremendous pressure the star was under.

"He was a perfectionist, you know. He had to have everything just perfect and I think that put him under a lot of stress," said Maurice Jackson.

As fans mourn the loss of the legend, his cousin hopes they will remember the musician in a positive light.

"I think you should remember the good things that he did in life. The songs that he did and how he tried to pull people together. Because I feel that Michael was a person that really loved the world," said Maurice Jackson. "And even in a lot of his music, he expresses that. And, I think that is a legacy that we can all look on with beautiful memories of him."

Jackson's music filled the airwaves around Tulsa as fans remembered the music maven. KJAMZ and other Tulsa radio stations on Friday played many of Jackson's hits.


Source:


http://www.newson6.com/story/10603268/tulsa-cousin-of-jackson-mourns-his-loss?redirected=true

 

[MJJLaugh]

Michael's Words of Wisdom



Today I received the following story in my inbox. It reminded me of a quote or short story by Michael from Dancing the Divine.
When I came home I immediately leafed through Dancing the Divine and I smiled when I had found it. No explanations are necessary here, I think, as the words will speak to your heart and your inner child of wisdom:


One day the student asked the teacher: "Can you recommend me a book that describes the truth behind the mystery of life ?"
The teacher, who had a few books of his own in his bookcase, reached for a book that dealt with the secrets and miraculous powers of water and about the meaning of water for life on earth. He gave the book to his student and said: "Take it between both hands and wring it."
The student looked surprised, but did as he was told. He wrung and wrung, but the teacher said: "You need to wring harder."
The student tried his very best, but the teacher coaxed: "come on, try harder!"
This continued for a while. Finally the student gave up, not knowing the purpose behind it.
The teacher asked him: "And, were you able to wring any water from the book ?"
"No, of course not!"
"You see," the teacher said, "no water comes from a book about water, and a book about truth does not give you the truth."

And then I read these words by Michael:


Children show me in their playful smiles the divine in everyone. This simple goodness shines straight from their hearts. This has so much to teach. If a child wants chocolate ice cream, he just asks for it. Adults get tangled up in complications over whether to eat the ice cream or not. A child simply enjoys.


What we need to learn from children isn't childish. Being with them connects us to the deep wisdom of life, which is everpresent and only asks to be lived. Now, when the world is so confused and its problems so complicated, I feel we need out children more than ever. Their natural wisdom points the way to solutions that lie, waiting to be recognized, within our own hearts.


Source:

Dancing the Dream

 

[MJJLaugh]

Jonathan Moffett on Michael's Magic and Magnetism

Jonathan, people speak of an energy around Michael; a light. Did you ever feel that?

Jonathan: All the time, every time I am around him. That’s why you know you are in the presence of greatness. That’s why you know you’re in the presence of somebody special. Just count the number of fans and people and the multitude that love him around the world. He’s one man loved by… CNN said that over one billion people mourned Michael from all the remote areas of the world, as well as all the known areas. What other human being can draw that much sympathy and that much hurt from their loss. Michael had something special, a radiance, and when you were in his presence the whole room changed.

People would say, “Michael’s coming,” and everybody got nervous. As soon as you had the vision of him, even just knowing he was coming, you felt something, like a tingle happening. Just to watch him walk through the door, it’s like all the molecules in the air stop and you can pinch them with your finger; pick them up. It’s like you could see the smallest speck; you could see the molecules in the air when Michael walked in the room. He changed them; the molecular structure of the air. And that’s the equation of what happens when Michael enters, and everybody in the room felt it and knew it. Then their attitudes and personalities would change. They would perk up their attention, but they would always say, “There’s something with him. When he came in I got nervous. I felt something!” And I would hear that over and over again and I would say, “I know, I know. I’ve been feeling it for thirty years.”

And he was just so pleasant; just something with his imagery. Everybody radiates from a different frequency, and Michael had the highest level of energy I think without being from another world. His gift and his humanity of spirit were just so powerful and great and deep. He was a different human being from most of us; from all of us. He did affect everybody that came around him, from leaders of the world to normal folk, from children to people, grandmothers. Every single person that’s been around him said they felt something, that I remember seeing or talking to.

And that’s why people cry. People absolutely cry. I would sit on stage and watch them pass bodies, like back in the medieval days when people died of the plague. You would see them lift bodies, arms dangling and legs, heads swinging, and there was like an ocean of people with their arms up passing bodies to the front, to the gate. There would be a line-up there of emergency vehicles… five, ten of them lined up. There were stretchers and triages back there. One by one, people were passing them forward; sometimes a multitude of bodies moving across the crowd being passed to the rescue people. They would give them smelling salts and try to revive them. Some people were just totally gone, unconscious, you know, like totally no life in them, and that’s just from being in that stadium with Michael. I just got to just sit back there and marvel at it. It was just the most powerful thing to see, and that’s just from that one man in the center of the stage. He made even men pass out; women and men. That’s a power and Michael knew it. He knew he was gifted with something special, a purpose; uniting the world and uniting people.

- Jonathan Moffett, drummer



Source:

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...29116516.14661.100001834795939&type=3&theater

 

[MJJLaugh]

Courage



It’s curious what takes courage and what doesn’t.
When I step out on stage in front of thousands of people, I don’t feel that I’m being brave.
It takes much more courage to express true feelings to one person.
When I think of courage, I think of the Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz.
He was always running away from danger.
He often cried and shook with fear.
But he was also sharing his real feelings with those he loved, even though he didn’t always like those feelings.


That takes real courage, the courage to be intimate.
Expressing your feelings is not the same as falling apart in front of someone else,
it’s being accepting and true to your own heart, whatever it may say.
When you have the courage to be intimate, you know who you are, and you’re willing to let others see that.
It’s scary, because you feel so vulnerable, so open to rejection.
But without self-acceptance, the other kind of courage, the kind heroes show in movies, seems hollow.
In spite of the risks, the courage to be honest and intimate opens the way to self discovery.
It offers what we all want, the promise of love.


© 1992 Michael Joseph Jackson - Dancing The Dream



<iframe width="640" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/SbRzObSfqSo" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Do you think it's coincidence when you happen to come across music that sounds like a precursor to Earth Song and has potential to become a concert opener, and it just happens to be called "Inspiration from the Sky". If Michael had known this music I feel that he would have loved it. The music inspired me to make the video you see above. For maxium enjoyment TURN UP THE VOLUME!!! I hope you like it!
~ MJJLaugh

 

[MJJLaugh]

Michael loved Indian Food

Many years ago, Michael Jackson had collaborated with A R Rahman in a song called Ekam Satyam. The album was produced by Bharat Bala and his wife Kanika Myer.

Kanika goes back in time and recounts her memories of meeting with the pop icon:

Michael heard A R Rahman's Vande Mataram -- which we had produced -- and wanted to work with Rahman and us. He was good friends with S P Hinduja, Chairman of The Hinduja Group, and got in touch with us through him.

He wanted to dance on an Indian song. So we recorded the song Ekam Satyam and took it to to him. I met him for the first time in Paris. It was a great honour to meet and produce a song for him. He was very humble and creative.

When he heard the song, he was very thrilled. In fact, when he put on the headphones to listen to the song, he started tapping his feet and tapping his band on his thigh in rhythm with the beats. He was enjoying himself. It was nice to see the way he heard the song.

He wanted us to take this song to Munich where a fundraiser concert was organised for the Red Cross by Nelson Mandela in 1999. Michael Jackson asked us to bring Indian dancers for the concert. So we took Indian dancers, as well as Prabhu Deva and Shobhana.

Before the concert, we met again to get his costume measurements. We wanted him to wear Indian costumes and he readily agreed.

On the day of the concert, I wanted to take a video of him backstage. He was very cool and not nervous at all. He was very passionate about what he was doing. He loved music so much.

One interesting thing about Michael Jackson was that he was vegetarian, and loved Indian food. He took an Indian chef to Munich. He loved Indian culture, Indian food and the song and dance in our films.

I love his songs but my favourite is so You are not alone, They don't care about us, Heal the world, Childhood, Thriller and Man in the Mirror.

I miss him a lot. I cannot forget my first meeting with him till date.
Patcy N



Source:

http://movies.rediff.com/report/2009/jun/26/mj-loved-indian-food.htm

 

[MJJLaugh]

IT'S WHAT YOU SCATTER

I was at the corner grocery store buying some early potatoes... I noticed a small boy, delicate of bone and feature, ragged but clean, hungrily apprising a basket of freshly picked green peas.

I paid for my potatoes but was also drawn to the display of fresh green peas. I am a pushover for creamed peas and new potatoes.

Pondering the peas, I couldn't help overhearing the conversation between Mr. Miller (the store owner) and the ragged boy next to me.

'Hello Barry, how are you today?'

'H'lo, Mr. Miller. Fine, thank ya. Jus' admirin' them peas. They sure look good'

'They are good, Barry. How's your Ma?'
'Fine. Gittin' stronger alla' time.'
'Good. Anything I can help you with?'
'No, Sir. Jus' admirin' them peas.'
'Would you like to take some home?' asked Mr. Miller.

'No, Sir. Got nuthin' to pay for 'em with.'

'Well, what have you to trade me for some of those peas?'

'All I got's my prize marble here.'

'Is that right? Let me see it', said Miller.

'Here 'tis. She's a dandy.'

'I can see that. Hmm mmm, only thing is this one is blue and I sort of go for red. Do you have a red one like this at home?' the store owner asked.

'Not zackley but almost.'

'Tell you what. Take this sack of peas home with you and next trip this way let me look at that red marble'. Mr. Miller told the boy.

'Sure will. Thanks Mr. Miller.'


Mrs. Miller, who had been standing nearby, came over to help me.

With a smile she said, 'There are two other boys like him in our community, all three are in very poor circumstances. Jim just loves to bargain with them for peas, apples, tomatoes, or whatever.

When they come back with their red marbles, and they always do, he decides he doesn't like red after all and he sends them home with a bag of produce for a green marble or an orange one, when they come on their next trip to the store.'

I left the store smiling to myself, impressed with this man. A short time later I moved to Colorado , but I never forgot the story of this man, the boys, and their bartering for marbles.

Several years went by, each more rapid than the previous one. Just recently I had occasion to visit some old friends in that Idaho community and while I was there learned that Mr. Miller had died. They were having his visitation that evening and knowing my friends wanted to go, I agreed to accompany them. Upon arrival at the mortuary we fell into line to meet the relatives of the deceased and to offer whatever words of comfort we could.

Ahead of us in line were three young men. One was in an army uniform and the other two wore nice haircuts, dark suits and white shirts...all very professional looking. They approached Mrs. Miller, standing composed and smiling by her husband's casket.

Each of the young men hugged her, kissed her on the cheek, spoke briefly with her and moved on to the casket. Her misty light blue eyes followed them as, one by one; each young man stopped briefly and placed his own warm hand over the cold pale hand in the casket. Each left the mortuary awkwardly, wiping his eyes.

Our turn came to meet Mrs. Miller. I told her who I was and reminded her of the story from those many years ago and what she had told me about her husband's bartering for marbles. With her eyes glistening, she took my hand and led me to the casket.

'Those three young men who just left were the boys I told you about.

They just told me how they appreciated the things Jim 'traded' them. Now, at last, when Jim could not change his mind about color or size....they came to pay their debt.'

'We've never had a great deal of the wealth of this world,' she confided, 'but right now, Jim would consider himself the richest man in Idaho ...'

With loving gentleness she lifted the lifeless fingers of her deceased husband. Resting underneath were three exquisitely shined red marbles.

The Moral:
We will not be remembered by our words, but by our kind deeds. Life is not measured by the breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.








Sound doesn't start until 1:07.

 

[mjjscholar]

Interesting thread...

 

[MJJLaugh]

Perseverance

When we have challenges
that seem to weigh us down

May Perseverance be our strength

When we have lost someone we love
and don’t think we can go on

May our sustenance be our Faith

When we have been hurt
by the words or actions of others

May Love be our weapon of choice

When we are worried about the future
and other worldly matters

May Hope be our vision’s voice

God has given us all that we need
to Persevere
to live our Faith
to Love
and to embrace Hope

May we always remember
to seek Divine guidance
and to use these gifts bestowed

Amen

~ C. Burgess © 2011


Source:

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2214469919025&set=o.199675776730629&type=1&theater

 

[MJJLaugh]

Michael Jackson Received Vaishnava Books

by Ramabhadra das

Posted July 14, 2009

Satya dasi with Michael Jackson in 1999.

In 1999 Satya devi dasi, of Sri Sri Radha Govinda Mandir in Brooklyn, New York, twice catered prasadam for the late Michael Jackson at private dinners for two with a man we know in New York City.

When she offered the singer a copy of the Bhagavad-gita he said he already had the book. The host then asked if the book Jackson had was Srila Prabhupada's Bhagavad-gita As It Is; Jackson confirmed that it was. When presented with a first-edition Krishna Art book, he looked through the illustrations and said he liked the paintings. He took that Krishna Art book home.

He was one of the fortunate persons in this world to honor Sri Sri Radha Govindadeva's Maha-prasdam, enjoying Radha Govinda Temple's world famous Burfi and other Mangal-arati sweets. He got Satya's gourmet prasadam cooking for dinner on two consecutive evenings, discussing reincarnation and karma at the dinner table with the host.

Desserts: Burfi - made with condensed milk, sugar and one of these ingredients: pistachio, or cardemon, almonds, chocolate or other flavors


Satya reported that Jackson was very nice, soft-spoken and friendly. At that time he was staying in a luxury suite at the Waldorf Astoria with his daughter Paris Katherine and first son Prince Michael; his third child was not yet born. Jackson had been in New York to receive the Bollywood Outstanding Humanitarian Award.



Source:

http://www.chakra.org/discussions2/PersonalJul14_09.html

 

[MJJLaugh]

Beauty

On Beauty
Kahlil Gibran
Where shall you seek beauty, and how shall you find her unless she herself be your way and your guide?
And how shall you speak of her except she be the weaver of your speech?

The aggrieved and the injured say, "Beauty is kind and gentle.
Like a young mother half-shy of her own glory she walks among us."
And the passionate say, "Nay, beauty is a thing of might and dread.
Like the tempest she shakes the earth beneath us and the sky above us."

The tired and the weary say, "Beauty is of soft whisperings. She speaks in our spirit.
Her voice yields to our silences like a faint light that quivers in fear of the shadow."
But the restless say, "We have heard her shouting among the mountains,
And with her cries came the sound of hoofs, and the beating of wings and the roaring of lions."

At night the watchmen of the city say, "Beauty shall rise with the dawn from the east."
And at noontide the toilers and the wayfarers say,
"We have seen her leaning over the earth from the windows of the sunset."

In winter say the snow-bound, "She shall come with the spring leaping upon the hills."
And in the summer heat the reapers say,
"We have seen her dancing with the autumn leaves,
and we saw a drift of snow in her hair."
All these things have you said of beauty,
Yet in truth you spoke not of her but of needs unsatisfied,
And beauty is not a need but an ecstasy.
It is not a mouth thirsting nor an empty hand stretched forth,
But rather a heart enflamed and a soul enchanted.

It is not the image you would see nor the song you would hear,
But rather an image you see though you close your eyes and a song you hear though you shut your ears.
It is not the sap within the furrowed bark, nor a wing attached to a claw,
But rather a garden for ever in bloom and a flock of angels for ever in flight.

People of Orphalese, beauty is life when life unveils her holy face.
But you are life and you are the veil.
Beauty is eternity gazing at itself in a mirror.
But you are eternity and you are the mirror.



Source:

http://www.katsandogz.com/onbeauty.html

 

[MJJLaugh]

Michael Jackson's type of girl



Black Stars, November 1976

&#8220;A young lady&#8217;s physical beauty can by no means outshine the inner beauty that radiates from her inner heart and spirit. The kindness of a girl is more important than anything, really, to be honest about it.&#8221;


Special Edition of Right On magazine, 50 Facts About Michael, 1984

28. A soft, sexy scent will make Michael turn his attention to you.
31. Balloons, balloons, and more balloons are what Michael would send you if you were his special girl.
37. He loves singing romantic songs more than any other kind.
38. Michael loves having long telephone conversations with special ladies.
39. Michael thinks Japan is a wonderful country to fall in love because of its beauty and romance.
41. Go on a roller coaster with Michael and you&#8217;ll his win his heart. The scarier the better.




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Source:

http://lacienegasmiled.wordpress.com/2011/02/28/michael-jacksons-type-of-girl/

 

[CodaBroda]

I don't know if you guys are subscribed to The Annoying Orange on YouTube, I personally find it... well, annoying. But I think this one is actually worth watching. The song starts at around 1:15.



By the way, if this is the wrong place for this video, I apologize. It's just nice to find a positive parody for once, and with the "Annoying Orange" being in the Top 10 most subscribed channel on YouTube, millions of people will be able to see something positive with Michael, even if it is a little cheesy. ^_^

 

[MJJLaugh]

Celebrating Diwali ?



Normally I don't share my meditation experiences or dreams here in this thread, but this time I'll make an exception as this is a rather sweet story all in all. Just open your mind to the possibility... Yesterday evening I decided to meditate. When I meditate I do this with music from the soundtrack of the movie 'Finding Neverland'. Found out much later that that music was from that movie, and that fact alone made me smile then.
So anyway, as I was saying, I meditated yesterday evening. The kind of meditation where I visualize myself walking down these stone stairs in the woods, until I reach the bottom/have become relaxed. Then it is always a surprise what happens next. One thing is constant though: a small waterfall into a creek to my left. I need to hear and see water during my meditations, and there must be woods.
I met Michael and I asked him, having just learned about Deepavali or Diwali some days ago, if he celebrated Diwali in heaven.
( For more background information on Diwali, see here : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diwali. His whole face lit up with a wide grin from ear to ear and he told me without words that he loved it as much as Christmas! Immediately after that I was shown the (outer) festivities: hundreds of hollowed out bulb-like, burning candles that floated on water between lotus flowers and rose petals. There were also fireworks. Not sure if the fireworks actually belong with Diwali, but he showed me fireworks. Then there was a water organ: fountains of water spewing high and low and wide and small, with colored lights weaving through them to his songs! That was the coolest part!

After this meditation experience I got curious so I checked youtube for 'water organ Michael Jackson' and eventually found the video posted below. What made it special was that the view count was my birthday written the European way. My birthday is on January 22, 1964 and the view count was 22164. ( Out of curiosity I looked up the likelihood or odds of this occurring: 5 numbers in the correct order, there is a chance of 1: ten billion of that happening)

The video is worth watching!!!
The video ends with Earth Song, my favorite song, so make sure you watch it until the end! :heart:
Earth song starts at 7:11. Other songs are Heal The World, You Are Not Alone, Man in The Mirror, to name a few.

Fountain Tribute for Michael Jackson from the crew of Waltzing Waters®.

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