Jack, Emily and Holden: 5 years

Friday, November 19, 2010

I remember that morning of Saturday November 19, 2005 like it was yesterday. I was at one of my friends house while my best friend was in town and spending the night. We had stayed up late and were drinking and just having a good time. We had been up really late and I remember Kyle calling me at 3a.m. and I didn't answer. I was so tired and just ready to go to sleep and decided to just ignore his call and go to sleep.

When I woke up at about 7:30 or 8 the next morning, I had several missed calls. I didn't really pay any attention to them until my phone rang again and it was my Mom. All I remember her saying was the boys band was in a car accident and Michael was killed. Mom and Billy had only gotten to Kansas to see my aunt who had cancer a few hours before. They NEVER turn their phones off and they did to sleep that night. It's probably a good thing since none of us slept very well for a long time after this day.

It seemed like it took forever for them to get home. In the mean time, my Dad took Megan and Katie to Macon to see Kyle, who was ok physically, but Michael's girlfriend was in very serious condition. I stayed home with some friend since I knew phone calls would start coming in and people would start coming by. I remember the first person that came by was a lady that we had know forever and lived in our neighborhood named Denise. She came with tons of drinks and food and it was wonderful. Behind her several others came. We had ladies even come and do and fold our laundry. You don't think about how wonderful it is to be able to find something clean to wear in a time like this.

Michael was such an amazing person inside and out. He had a passion for life and a sense of humor that could make ANYONE smile. He also had a passion for the guitar and the band that Kyle and he had started Any Given Moment.

The early morning that he died, they had just let doing a concert doing what he did best- playing his guitar. We have so many good memories of Michael and know that we will see him again one day. But right now, God needed him to come and rock out in Heaven.

Yesterday Holden and I went by and "saw" Uncle Michael. This was Holden first time and I wasn't sure what he would do. I thought for sure I would put him down ad he would take off. But he just sat there. It was like he knew how important it was to be there.

He just sat and looked around while pulling the pieces of the flowers of off Michael's arrangement.

It was such a nice and quiet visit as we just sat there in the quiet for a few minutes.

Then right as we were about to leave, I told Holden, while crying, "Ok tell Uncle Michael bye and we will come again another time" and Holden let out the biggest fart I have ever heard in my life! If you knew Michael, he would have LOVED that and thought it was the funniest thing in the world!