There is no denying that everyone who loved Michael Jackson felt like we lost a piece of ourselves when he died. He was our connection to love, our inspiration and a source of joy in our lives. Now begins the struggle to maintain that connection with him even though he is gone. How do you allow yourself to be happy and joyful when someone you loved that deeply is no longer here? It’s hard to get past the pain of knowing we will never see him again during our lifetime.

In my last article called "I Need You Michael Jackson," I talked about lost opportunities and how we must move through the pain by letting ourselves cry about them. That is an important step to follow because it’s part of the grieving process. Once you have let yourself do that, you will begin to move from feeling sorrow over lost opportunities to feeling joy over gained blessings.

I was inspired to write this article after I heard a song by Akon. It was written by him as a tribute to Michael Jackson, his friend and inspiration. It is called "Cry Out Of Joy." In this song, Akon so eloquently reminds us that we have so much to be thankful for about Michael and that’s what we have to focus on. As we remember some of those blessings, it will help us move from tears of pain to tears of joy.

Here are some of the things we should remember:

• Even though we have thoughts of sorrow about losing Michael, remember to appreciate how lucky we were to have been touched by him during our lifetime. You will be able to help the next generation learn how special he really was.
   
• Recognize how blessed his children are to have had a dad who showed them the true meaning of love. They will have that foundation to build on forever. Their love for him can never be destroyed. It will be a source of strength for them for the rest of their lives.
   
• Think about how he has left us with very special memories. Every person has their own story to tell about how he affected them. Remember that often and send him Love for having made a difference in your life.
   
• Remember how much he loved his fans. We are better people for having been loved by him. You can’t be touched by that type of energy, love and magic without it changing you.
   
• Be grateful that because he made us look at ourselves in the mirror we changed our lives for the better. He is our motivation and inspiration for making the world a better place.
   
• Remember that he knew he had a higher purpose to his life. He felt he had been given gifts to unite the world through love and music. Let’s take our love for him and his music and let it unite us together for the greater good.
   
• Choose to remember only the good and reflect similar goodness in your life. It activates feelings of love within you and that’s how you keep your connection to him alive. I recently asked Deepak Chopra what his definition of Love is. He said "Love is the essence of Spirit, the ultimate truth." Love is what will keep Michael’s spirit alive within you.
   
• Stay away from the tabloid trash. Don’t read hurtful comments about him that you may come across. Don’t engage in arguments about his guilt or innocence. You know the truth. That is all that matters, because engaging in these types of behaviors activates feelings of hate and vengeance within you and that diminishes the amount of love that radiates from you, which is your lifeline to Michael.
   
• Remember the qualities that you loved about him by keeping them alive in yourself. When you do this, a piece of him lives on in you forever. If you loved his ability to be childlike, then you be childlike. If you loved his compassion, then you be compassionate. If you loved how he worked to perfect his craft, then work to perfect your own. If you admired his strength and resiliency, then when a situation in your life calls for those traits, exhibit them.

I admired his ability to express love so freely. He wasn’t afraid to say "I Love You." I have committed to embrace that quality in myself. Now every time I express my love for someone, I feel a little flicker in my heart indicating to me that his spirit lives on in me.

We want the world to see him the way we did, as Akon reminds us so well in his song. We all know the good that existed in Michael. We all know that he donated millions to charities all over the world. We all know it was his mission to help children. We all know that he was a loving, caring, and compassionate man and we all know that his message was Love. If you want the world to see him like you did, then you must be like he was, full of Love. When we do that, we keep his spirit alive and carry out his legacy.

I would like to thank Akon for writing such a beautiful song about Michael and for capturing our sentiments exactly. This is the official video of "Cry Out Of Joy" by Akon. Enjoy!

Lots of L.O.V.E.

Linda Higgins

Director of Community Development

If you can't view the video on this page click this link.

Cry Out of Joy for Michael

Connect with me on Twitter and Facebook

(If you would like to be notified when I post new articles to my blog, please send an email to outreach@michaeljacksontributeportrait.com with the word "subscribe" in the subject line. I will notify you when something new has been posted.)