Stories.

I only remember bits and pieces of the visitation and memorial service from Monday and Tuesday.  I hugged quite a few people.  I heard many stories of how Michael touched lives.  I thought I might record them here.  so that I can remember.

• Tyler, a boy from Michael's school,  and his mom approached me.  She wanted Tyler to tell me what he had said about Michael.  He looked at me and said that Michael was the only kid that never picked on him and was always nice to him.  His mom told me that she told Tyler he didn't need to come that night.  That it would be very sad.  But he wanted to.  Because "that's what friends do".
• Michael loved dancing.  In PE class, for warm-ups, the kids got to perform a dance move that the rest of the class had to also do.  Caroline, with her big brown eyes, wanted to show me his dance move from school that Thursday morning.  She did it in the middle of the room.  And it was Michael's typical booty shaking move.  I hugged her and laughed with her and thanked her for showing me that.
• Getting to hug Michael's best friends Mallory and Greg and their parents.  Those two were with him when he passed out at school and were the ones to alert the teacher.  I was worried about them.  
• Michael's very best friend from kindergarten and first grade, Tony, came over from Jacksonville.  Michael would have loved seeing him.  We still talked about him, especially at Christmas.  We have an ornament with the two of them sitting on Santa's lap.
• The PE teachers wanted me to know that they would be dedicating the upcoming fourth and fifth grade Field Day to Michael.  Because he loved to play and was such a good sport. (I'll add more about this in a separate post - we went to the Opening Ceremony on Friday morning, 4/17).
• Seeing Michael's favorite after school teacher, Mr. Alex.  Michael decided that he was the "Real" Mr. Alex, and did everything that Mr. Alex did.  We even made Michael his own business cards, just like Mr. Alex's.  This was when Michael was in kindergarten and first grade.  Mr. Alex shared some of his favorite memories of Michael.  How much he enjoyed him.  How whenever Michael might have gotten into trouble, Michael already had talked the teacher out of the trouble he might have gotten into.  That's Michael ... always the negotiator.

I have so many other stories to tell.  These were but a few from the visitation.  I love that people were sharing their memories of my sweet boy.  I want to hear them.  All of them.  I feel the need to collect as much information from others about him.  I want to talk about him.  And keep his memory alive.