The month has been so hard on our family. My sweetheart's little brother - and my brother in law - Micheal J. Davis passed away unexpectedly two days before Christmas. My heart breaks for his family, all his brothers and sisters - my wife among them - and for his five kids. He was young. It shouldn't happen that way.
My memories of Mike are - for the most part - very positive, and fun. When I was in the Air Force, we drove all the way from St. Louis to Sacramento California to go to an Amway rally, and Mike was there. We had a blast. Mike was smart. He was always looking for the angle. He always presented himself professionally in a way that was pretty amazing. Too bad none of us ever went anywhere with Amway - but it served to give us some good memories!
Another fun memory I have of Mike is when he was involved in Private Investigation. Mike, Jamie, Chris and I all played like we were kids wanting to see the home our grandfather had built in a Sandy neighborhood, in order to get inside the house and prove this woman was co-habitating with her boyfriend before her divorce was final! We conned our way inside the house, and that lady showed us the house from top to bottom - literally every room - with us making up memories as we went along. The boyfriend was "sick" in bed - HER bed. I'd say Mike proved his case. Just as we were leaving another neighbor pulled up, and the gal told them that we were grandkids to the man who'd built the house... well, THEY KNEW THE FAMILY, and obviously we weren't it! Needless to say, we boogied. That was fun!
Another amazing memory of Mike was when he lived with us in a small house in Sugarhouse on Stratford Avenue. Mike and I put in the absolutely most amazing garden you've ever seen. We had irrigation water to feed the garden, so we created all of the elaborate canals and channels to water the entire garden. It was awesome. Mike loved that garden. So did I. We had many fine late summer afternoons out there barefoot tending the plants. It was from that garden that the ever famous Hunter Family "Zucciskettiewatersquash" came into being. It was one of the best times of my life.
Another fond memory is the last New Year's Eve Party we had at our house a few years back. Mike and I had admitadly had too much to drink - but what's new huh? Anyway, we got this crazy idea and went and locked outselves in the bathroom together. While in there, we were daring eachother - I'll do it if you do! back and forth - back and forth, until we agreed, and got out the hair clippers, razors and shaving cream. In little more than a half hour, we both looked like Kojack, having shaved our heads bald, and bic'd them smooth. While it wasn't too popular with my sweetie, it was a fun memory I'll always have of Mike.
In addition to that, whenever I saw Mike - regardless of the situation, he would always throw his arms around me and tell me how much he loved me. Not too long ago, he did some tile work for us, and while he was there, he threw his arms around me and gave me a kiss on my cheek, and he pulled me close and told me that he loved me so much for taking such good care of his sister, and also for always making him feel safe, unjudged, accepted, and welcome in our home. Mind you, this was after I had to tell him he couldn't live with us after getting out of prison... with all my meds, it would have made it too much of a trial I believe... but he wasn't bitter. His hugs were always powerful, unashamed, and worth every minute. Ever since I'd first met Mike as a little boy, he had always greeted me that way - a bear hug, a kiss on the cheek, and his assurance of his love for me. I will dearly miss that.
It breaks my heart that Mike had the struggles in life that he did. Some would say that his trials in life were the fruit of the seeds he'd sown along the way. I agree with that. I do. It's true for all of us. Mike's life leaves a powerful legacy and lesson for all of us - if we'll honestly look at it. I know Mike fought a long and difficult battle with the demons that plagued his life, and we should never forget his times of victory, amidst the battle. The book of Proverbs tells us that a wise man will fall down seven times and rise again. Mike's life was a constant war, and he fell down a lot... but my brother rose again. He would stand up - no matter how much it hurt him, and he'd start again. It's not about reaping what we sow. It's about never giving up. About never staying down the next time we fall. If Mike left a legacy for his children to follow it was this - you can fall down, but you must always get back up.
Thank you Mike for your life, your love, and your example. I love you, and I always will, and I know that you'll be cherished and alive in our hearts until that time when we can plant another garden together in the sweet by and by.
No comments:
Post a Comment