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I come today to talk about my younger brother
Michael, whom I am still in awe of. I
am in awe because I watched him grow from a wiry little boy to a man who has
given so much to all of us.
Even in his death, Michael taught us what life is
about. Life is living to the
fullest every day. It is making a
difference in the world. It has
been said that the measure of a person’s life is not when they were born and
when they died, or how long they lived, but what is important is the
“dash” in between. The dash
tells us what kind of person they were. Well,
Michael’s dash was filled with love, fun, and people.
What he did in his short life was what Albert
Einstein told us to do with our lives.
“Live life to the fullest. You
have to color outside the lines once in a while if you want to make your life
a masterpiece. Laugh some
everyday, keep growing, keep dreaming, and keep following your heart.”
Michael followed his heart and his dream.
He showed people that he cared and put value on the things that are
most important in life. Michael
was able to do this as a son, a brother, a fiancée, a friend and a
firefighter. He belonged to many
brotherhoods.
His first brotherhood started on a cold December day
when he joined the cheering brothers who were once again outnumbering the
sisters. Michael made it 5 to 2
in favor of the boys. It is the
family where he learned what brotherhood and sisterhood meant, and where we
became not only siblings, but also lifelong friends.
Michael belonged to the brotherhood of friends that
he hung out with in Throgs Neck. A
group of friends that have been tremendously strong for each other and our
family in this difficult time.
Michael belonged to teams at Spellman H.S. and Iona
College where he learned what it was like to be part of that group of athletes
that trusts and relies on each other to get the job done. He was able to take
what he learned and use it to coach soccer for young boys in Throgs Neck.
It was the last brotherhood that he joined, the one
where he put his life at risk everyday, that would ask him to lay down his
life for others and ultimately be taken from us.
This was the brotherhood of the FDNY, which he had looked upon from a
very young age and always wanted to be a part of. It was his lifelong dream, and he attained it.
Reflecting back on this past summer when we were at
Thomas and Tracey’s wedding, and then in Stone Harbor, I felt that Michael
was truly happy. He loved his
job. He was in love with
Stephanie, and of course, he was fishing.
As I stand before you trying to find the words to
celebrate the life of my brother Michael, some words come to mind:
Gentle
Kind
Witty
Laid back
For many of you who knew Michael, those
words can easily conjure up a familiar image of him. For those of you who
didn’t know him, look through his web page and you will find out the kind of
person our Michael was.
For someone like Michael to have been
taken from us in such an evil way, seems a travesty of justice.
It is not something that we can make sense of, but will eventually one
day find peace in the fact that Michael was a true hero, not just because of
Sept. 11th, but because of whom he was.
The thoughts and prayers of those, both
here and abroad have consoled us in our worst hours.
Those words have made us cry and have made us laugh.
Our family thanks all those who have shared their feelings and thoughts
of Michael so openly and honestly with us.
Such a feeling was conveyed in the
following poem sent to us from relatives in Ireland.
- Do not search for me down among marbled headstones
- Where birds on November branches make gathering
cry for the dying year
- Do not look for me where summer leaves decay on
graves of winter grass.
-
- I am not here
-
- But
-
- See that shaft of sunlight
- Which spots the gray dark waters
- Of late November along Silver Beach
- Or listen to the songbirds
- Squeeze out the last notes of their sunny summer
song
- Or hear the laughter
- I splashed on my loved ones faces,
- On the sun drenched beach that summer before I
left you.
-
- Imagine me as you last saw me- Vibrant and Loving
-
- Remember-
- I am here, very near to you
- All is well
- Nothing is past
- I am but waiting for you
- We will be together as it was before, only better
-
- Speak to me
- Smile with me
- Pray for me
- Laugh as we always laughed at the little jokes we
shared together.
-
- I will go on living, not where winter withers
- But where spring is eternal
Michael, we will always remember you.
We celebrate your life,
And we love you.
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