Delayed Sunset

INTRODUCTION:


This is a sequel to this story:

ID: 443596   (Rated: ASR) My Summer Of Pre-MTV  Life, death, and music videos in 1969 by AJ Looking On The Bright Side

I've been meaning to write it for a long time, but life kept getting in the way. Perhaps, before, it wasn't yet the right time to write it, but, after giving an awardicon in Mike's memory to this beautiful piece:

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I knew that the time was now right. . .

Michael S. Clem

March 23, 1953 - May 31, 1969

"BUT WHEN THE SUN IN ALL HIS STATE

ILLUMED THE EASTERN SKIES

HE PASSED THROUGH GLORY'S MORNING GATE

AND WALKED IN PARADISE."

James Aldrich

Mike had only been sixteen for 2 1/2 months when he drowned in the Flat Rock River near Shelbyville, Indiana where he was visiting his cousins over Memorial Day Weekend.

In some ways, his passing could be compared to that of my mother's first cousin, Shannon Chambers.

Shannon had often said that, if he had a choice in the matter of when his time was up, it would be while he was playing golf.

A heart-attack took him quickly when he was just finishing up a game and getting ready to go home and take his wife, Betty, out to eat.

Mike, too, was taken while doing what he dearly loved to do: swim.

But Shannon was a man in his eighties who had married, raised five kids, and had lots of grandkids, while Mike was just a teenager.

I often wonder what Mike would be like now, joining me in the ranks of aging Baby-Boomers.

Would he have used his scientific talents to invent something to make the world a better place--something he had once told me was a goal of his?

Perhaps, had Mike stayed around, there would have been a cure for A.I.D.S. by now--and/or any number of other not-yet-curable conditions.

Would his learning disabilities have gotten in the way of his reaching such a goal?

One thing for sure, though: He would have gotten at least some (and, likely, lots of) recognition for his artistic ability, because no difficulties with academics could have held him back there!

And that is why my dad comforted me by telling me that he believed that God had Mike to help him to paint the sunset at times.

Throughout the years, when I've seen an especially beautiful sunset, I've wondered if Mike were responsible for it.

But there was a time in 1989 when I was feeling a little down.

I was up at one of my favorite places (Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore), but I was also dealing with disappointments re: how my life was going at the moment.

It was May 31, and Mike had been gone for 20 years.

It would be great, I thought, if Mike would paint the sunset on his anniversary of his passing.

If he did, though, I didn't get to see it, because the sky was gray and the rain was pouring down.

I cried myself to sleep that night there in my motel room in Portage.

Recently--as you'll find out by reading the piece I wrote about "My Summer Of Pre-MTV" --Mike has been communicating with me "just because."

I'm not talking about some ghost coming to haunt me--I'm talking about something very beautiful to where people who have crossed over make contact.

Sometimes, this happens for a special/urgent reason.

Most times, though, it happens "just because"--in much the way that we send one of those "Thinking Of You" greeting cards.

At the end of the story, I mentioned that this had happened to me.

However, what I mentioned might be seen by those who are hesitant to believe this as just a coincidence.

However, there was no mistaking the time that it happened in a major way just days later.

I was driving along when Mike's favorite song (Touch Me by The Doors) came on the radio.

At that point, I had just noticed that the sunset was especially beautiful--in fact, "especially beautiful" was an understatement when describing how the sky looked that evening!

Putting the song and the sunset together, I asked aloud, "Mike? Is that you?"

I wasn't anywhere close to Shelbyville at the time. More like on the outskirts of Indianapolis.

About that time, I noticed some storage sheds--and the name they had been given jumped out at me:

FLAT ROCK STORAGE!!!

At that moment, the entire sky seemed to be on fire, and I had tears of joy in my eyes and goosebumps all over me!!!