Caroline Pearson

At 3:54 P.M.  on Thursday the 23rd of August, my home phone rang.  I don't always answer my home phone, but not even knowing who it was, I answered it.  It was Mike and he asked me if I was going to be home and said that he was in the area and wanted to come over.  I didn't know why he was coming over but later found out that he wanted to pick up some paint that my son Drew had given to him.  I was going to be home and told him to come on over.  

While he was here, we talked for about an hour.  We talked about a lot of things.  He told me that his mom had been going through a difficult time.  He seemed really concerned for her and shared with me that his grandmother had recently passed away and that his grandfather was in the hospital and had been diagnosed with cancer.  He showed me a picture of his grandpa and mentioned that people thought that he looked like him.  He also showed me a picture of he and his mother and said that he felt that he also looked like his mom. I agreed with him, they looked so much alike.  My son Drew had returned from a trip to India a couple of months ago and Mike told me that he could see that Drew's life had been changed by this experience.  He was really happy for Drew that he had this experience and he knew that it meant a lot to him.  He spoke of working at Apple and how much he loved it and said that he would like to pursue a career and be on a design team for them. He showed me artwork he had done and explained the process he had used and it was truly amazing!  I asked about his girl friend and he expressed how much he loved her and showed me a picture of them together and shared that he thought she was beautiful.  I agreed, they made such a good looking couple. I met Yvette just recently and she is a beautiful person inside and out.  He told me that he felt that people texted to much and if he wanted to talk with someone he would call them.  I told him that I thought he would be "old fashioned" like that and would be the type that would just pick up the phone and call.  Before he left I showed him pictures of my grand daughter Harper.  He also looked in the backyard and asked how our 10 year old black lab Bailey was doing and mentioned that his dog Belle was still alive at 15.  Belle is Bailey's mother.  Then we went to the garage and I gave him the paint.  Before he left I gave him a big hug and told him to come back when my husband was home.  I new Vess would love to see him.  Little did I know that 5 days later he would be gone from all of our lives.

I have several memories of Mike spending time in our home these past 13 years.  As he told my son Drew, "Drew you could sell ice to Eskimos." That was also true of Mike! Because of Mike's infectious smile people were automatically drawn to him.  I remember telling him in High School that the thing I loved about him was that he was his own person.  When I spoke to his mother Michelle the day after the accident she said, "Mike was a colorful young man."  That truly says it all.  He lived his life with passion and to it's very fullest.  He was a lot of fun but also had a mature spirit and fulfilled many of his goals while on this earth. He was very intelligent and graduated with a Bachelor's degree.  He had a love for art, music, journalism, travel, computers, skate boarding, but most of all a love for his family, friends and Yvette.  The night of his death Drew told me that Mike was his greatest supporter.  Mike not only wanted to fulfill his dreams, but encouraged others to fulfill theirs.  

I will never fully know why God allowed me to have this time with Mike just days before he left this earth.  But it will always be one of my most precious moments.  May we all learn from Mike's legacy of being our "own person" and most importantly showing the unconditional love that he showed to all of us.

Sincerely, Caroline Pearson