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Hello! Here I am.

I've decided to come out of blog hibernation for a bit and update. I wish I were as good about it as I used to be but quite honestly, I have really been preoccupied by many different things; some work related, some not. Lots of things happening in the life of Amber. Some exciting, some not so exciting. I guess that is just the way life is though, huh?

I hope you all will accept me back as you most always do.

How are you, sweet friends? I am going to catch up on your lives shortly as I need my fix and I miss reading all the wonderful things you share!

Today is a sad day as it is/was the Memorial Service of Michael Jackson. I'm pretty sure we've all determined that this man obviously suffered from confusion and did have some major issues but that is no reason to not pay him respect as he was in fact; human, posseses a soul and made a very significant difference and impact on the music and entertainment industry. It is known that he had a tough childhood, was raised in an abusive environment and struggled with insecurity about his self image. In all actuality, it breaks my heart to see how lost and hurting he was. Do I think that dangling a baby from a window is crazy? Of course! Do I believe that he committed lewd acts upon children? I am not one to say, as this was never actually determined. For one, if MY child or a child I knew and loved were molested, I would CARE LESS about a million dollar settlement, as my objective would be to seek justice. In this case, the family opted out and gladly took the million dollar settlement. To me, that is a bit absurd. Again, I'm not aware of every detail regarding the case but do remember a good majority of the details. And God forbid that he did commit such an act. However, this was never actually proven.

Perhaps the media has taken their vast coverage and idolization much too far? I am not one to determine that, honestly. Sadly, we do live in a world driven by entertainment and highly influenced by pop culture. I still believe that we should give honor where honor is due and despite the controversy over MJ in the last few years, he did do a lot of good for a lot of people. And goodness gracious, the man could sing and perform like NO OTHER. You simply can't disagree with me there. So, put aside your crude and nasty remarks and think about his suffering children, family, friends and fans for just a minute.

Some might say and have said "Our military is fighting overseas and dying every single day and they rarely get back page coverage, yet Michael Jackson's death has completely overshadowed everything in the news" You know, I do have to say that I agree and it is sad but then again, Michael Jackson has grown up in the lime light. From the time he was a little boy, he has been an icon, a legend, a prodigy and just as many mourned the death of Elvis Presley, so they will mourn the death of Michael Jackson. Like it or not, right or wrong; it's the world we live in.

I missed the coverage of the memorial service but I did record it via DVR and I plan to watch from start to finish. It is a historical moment and even when I disagreed and voted against President Obama, I still took part and watched the Inauguration as it was a day that will go down in history forever. I can also say with peace of mind that I pray for our President and hope that he makes the right decisions for this country. Yes, I highly disagree with many of his policies and ideas but he is who God has in headship over our country right now. (This is another blog in itself though, I'll stop there.)

I hope that this post does not cause an uproar of controversy and we can show some respect for each other. (If you are my facebook friend, you know what I may be talking about).

If I've learned anything, I've learned that sometimes being quick to judge is very, very dangerous. Trust me. I have learned that lesson many a times and I am thankful for each and every reminder. There is an obvious balance and again, this calls for an entirely seperate post in itself but what I'm trying to get at here is, Michael Jackson is not my savior, I have honestly never idolized a pop star or singer and I would never ever demean our military who fight and so sacrificially give up their lives to fight for our country and freedoms. It's absurd to even coorelate the two in my opinion. We have two completely different scenarios here.

By me stating that I simply want to watch the coverage of Michael Jackson's memorial service does not mean that I am demeaning our military, Farrah Fawcett, Ed McMahon or Billy Mays. God rest all of their souls and may their families be carried by grace and peace during these very trying times. I just don't think it's right to compare situations as we have no idea what one may be going through. Hurt is hurt and pain is pain. Let's have some respect and show a little more love.

Don't compare your life to others for you have no idea what their journey is all about.

And to quote the pastor who officiated Michael Jackson's memorial service...

"Even the King of Pop has to bow his knee to the King of Kings"

:Steps down from soapbox:

Much love to all of you, my friends.

-Amber