(Repost from Sophiaanelson.com) Facing Our Own “Man in the Mirror”: Farewell Michael Jackson & Farrah Fawcett

July 7, 2009
The Jackson Five circa 1970

The Jackson Five circa 1970

Michael Joseph Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson

June 25, 2009

Today hit me very hard.

For the first time in my 42 years, I feel officially “old”. I felt my mortality today in a way I haven’t ever felt it before. By that I mean, most of the time I still feel like that small town girl who was rasied in the sleepy suburbs of southern, New Jersey. I don’t look much different than I did in highschool (well aging has been kind to me), I only weigh 10 lbs more than I did when I graduated high school in 1985 (which by the way was the same year “We Are the World” came out and was a world wide sensation) and I still have tons of energy and drive. It is hard to believe that the years have gone by as fast as they have–many of them good–some of them not so good, but such is life.

This is truly a journey we are on, not a destination as they say. Today made that ever clear once again. What made today so tough, however, is that I remember like it was yesterday dancing in my room to my “Jackson 5″ then Michael Jackson 45s, then audio cassettes (this new generation has no clue of what I speak). I remember gathering with my closest childhood friends and watching Charlie’s Angels–it was the one show our parents allowed us all to watch. I remember vividly being called down to the principal’s office in the 5th grade along with P. Turner & C. Mitchell because we had watched one too many episodes of Charlie’s Angels and we decided to take toy dart guns to school and see if we could jigger the lock of the school gym after classes had ended for the day.

So, it is ironic to me that both Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson would die on the same day, within hours of each other. They both played a huge part in the culture of the world that Gen X grew up with (b. 1964-1977) and I think we all feel their loss today. A good friend of mine Robert George of the NY Post wrote a stirring piece titled, “Remember the Time” (http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/us_world/Remember-The-Time.html ) that captured perfectly what I think many late 30 and early 40 year olds are experiencing today.

This is my first post in quite sometime on this personal blog, because I only write on this blog when I have something “soulful” to say. Tonight is one of those moments. This afternoon when I heard of MJ’s passing I loaded up the ipod in the car and played old Jackson 5 tunes for my two nieces 6 and 11. They both knew about Michael Jackson and Thriller (their father, my younger brother had a red Thriller jacket back in 1982), but they had not heard the classic Jackson 5, so aunt Sophia played some tunes for them and talked to them about what it was like being a kids in the 1970s and a teenager/young adult in the 1980s.

I have three favorite Michael Jackson songs, apart from the many favorites I have from the Jackson 5 days, “Billie Jean”, “Bad” and “Man in the Mirror”. I want to close this post by saying what I have said all year–”If I have not love, I am nothing” and today I am facing my “reflection in the mirror” and understanding that one day I too shall pass away or “fly away” as the old hymnal says and be no more. As we reflect on the times gone by and our youth, perhaps, we stop to reflect on who we are today and where we are going., what we are giving, and how we are living.

I’ll end with Michael’s very profound and stirring lyrics from “Man in the Mirror”:

Gotta make a change
For once in my life
It’s gonna feel real good
Gonna make a difference
Gonna make it right
Make that change

As I turned up the collar on
A favorite winter coat
This wind is blowin’ my mind
I see the kids in the street
With not enough to eat
Who am I to be blind
Pretending not to see their needs

A summer’s disregard
A broken bottle top
And a one man’s soul
They follow each other
On the wind ya’ know
‘Cause they got nowhere to go
That’s why I want you to know

I’m starting with the man in the mirror
I’m asking him to change his ways
And no message could have been any clearer
If you wanna make the world a better place
Take a look at yourself and then make a change, yey
Na na na, na na na, na na na na oh ho

I’ve been a victim of
A selfish kinda love
It’s time that I realize
There are some with no home
Not a nickel to loan
Could it be really pretending that they’re not alone

A willow deeply scarred
Somebody’s broken heart
And a washed out dream
(Washed out dream)
They follow the pattern of the wind ya’ see
‘Cause they got no place to be
That’s why I’m starting with me

I’m starting with the man in the mirror
I’m asking him to change his ways
And no message could have been any clearer
If you wanna make the world a better place
Take a look at yourself and then make a change

I’m starting with the man in the mirror
I’m asking him to change his ways
And no message could have been any clearer
If you wanna make the world a better place
Take a look at yourself and then make that change

I’m starting with the man in the mirror
(Man in the mirror, oh yeah)
I’m asking him to change his ways, yeah
(Change)
No message could have been any clearer
If you wanna make the world a better place
Take a look at yourself and then make the change
You gotta get it right, while you got the time
‘Cause when you close your heart
(You can’t close your, your mind)
Then you close your mind

(That man, that man, that man)
(That man, that man, that man)
(With the man in the mirror, oh yeah)
(That man you know, that man you know)
(That man you know, that man you know)
I’m asking him to change his ways
(Change)
No message could have been any clearer
If you wanna make the world a better place
Take a look at yourself then make that change

(Na na na, na na na, na na na na)
Ooh
Oh yeah
Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah
(Na na na, na na na, na na na na)

Oh no
Oh no, I’m gonna make a change
It’s gonna feel real good
Sure mon
(Change)
Just lift yourself
You know, you got to stop it yourself
(Yeah)
Oh
Make that change
(I gotta make that change today, oh)
(Man in the mirror)
You got to, you got to not let yourself, brother oh
Yeah
You know that
(Make that change)
(I gotta make that make me then make)
You got, you got to move
Sure mon, sure mon
You got to
(Stand up, stand up, stand up)
Make that change
Stand up and lift yourself, now
(Man in the mirror)
Make that change
(Gonna make that change, sure mon)
(Man in the mirror)
You know it, you know it, you know it, you know
(Change)

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