today is january the 18th. twelve years ago, one of my best friends passed away.
my uncle michael.
he was really a kid at heart. from flying kites to swinging on an old maypole, my uncle always had a fun activity for us to do up his sleeve. i always loved to be around him because he had such a cheerful soul. he had such a beautiful outlook on life and viewed the world as an empty canvas to paint a colorful masterpiece on. he always had a way of bringing laughter to any conversation, and was always so kind to others. whenever he was around, it was inevitable for him to say “mufasaaaa!” the lion king was the first movie i ever saw in theatres, and my uncle michael was notorious for doing funny impressions to get a laugh out of me.
i really believe he made a lasting impact on my sense of humor and inspired me to not take this life for granted.
yes, that would be me flying in the upper left hand corner of this picture. looks fun doesn’t it?
he was truly an artist. he was a genius at working with stained glass and custom made some of the windows at excalibur in las vegas. he was a painter and a poet, but among all of his talents, his music is what i remember him by the most. he taught my mom how to play guitar, and she then taught me when i was around ten years old. i still play to this day, and on the very guitars my uncle used to play on when he was alive. in a way, i see it as his legacy. this is a piece of him that will always be on this earth. my favorite song he ever wrote is called “why” you can read the lyrics below.
why
written by: michael reese allen
why does my heart go on beating? why does the soul go forth seeking?
why? the questions pose. seek, that the truth may unfold.
why are the stars brightly shining? why is your heart humbly hiding?
why do rainbows grow? why, cause god has made it so.
why do the trees keep on growing? why is a snowflake a floating?
this, i’ll tell you so. why, cause god has made it so.
why do the waves keep on breaking? why do you let your heart keep aching?
seek and you will find. a love of truth that’s divine.
why does the sun keep on rising? why are a bees wings a buzzing?
why, i’ll tell you so. why, cause god has made it so.
look at the stars deep in heaven. taste of the bread that’s unleavened.
drink of his holy wine. seek my child and you will find.
why are there whales in the ocean? who placed the planets in motion?
seek and you will find. then you’ll have your place in time.
i will never know exactly why my uncle had to leave this earth so early, but as he wrote in his song,
“because god has made it so.”
we may never find our answers to all of life’s questions, but we need to trust in god’s plans that he has for us.
in you, lord my god, i put my trust.
psalm 25:1
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