Yesterday, Michael Jackson was finally laid to rest. It's an interesting premise to realize that, even when certain people pass away, they're still not at peace, and neither are their families. Sometimes, as in this case, it's beyond their means and capabilities to put something behind them. Sometimes, it may seem like it's within their capabilities, but it's really not.

When my dad passed away, it took us five days to release him to his final resting place. At that point, one might have thought we were ready to put that behind us and move forward. Seven years later, we really haven't moved on, just adjusted our daily lives without him being there. This wasn't easy to do; I imagine it would have been even harder if we'd had to deal with police, press, and fans.

There are these times when we're all supposed to count our blessings, or, as some would say, create our gratitude list (oh yeah, I said that), find the positives in our live and glorify in those things. As you saw when I did mine, it took me 35 minutes to put together, and though I felt better about things afterwards, there are always some things we never let go of.

As I progress into what I hope is the second half of my life, or maybe I haven't even reached the halfway point of my life yet (though, I hate to say, I doubt that), I have my hopes and dreams and goals in my mind, some on paper, and not all of them are directly about me. Sometimes, we have to put others ahead of ourselves to move forward. That's a strange quest, but children sometimes try to do the best they can to please their parents, and adults try to do the best they can for their families.

When we all do the best we can, and things work out, the benefits can be great. Even if they don't turn out perfectly, if we at least try, we can feel good in knowing that we gave it our best, and maybe we'll have learned something that will help us push forward even more.

Just a reflection as we head into the Labor Day weekend. Go out and do something special this weekend; you'll be glad you did.