how do you put 20 years of memories into words? little mikey was probably 6 or 7 when i first met him, visiting his big sister cynthia at jmu. such a sweet little kid. i'm sure he must have been a brat at some point in his life, but i never saw it! it's impossible to describe his smile that was pure sunshine. his hugs that were strong and full of love. the perfect cup of coffee he handed to you in the morning, even (especially!) while camping. playing board games by the fire in a log cabin with cranky little mungovans. setting off fireworks at the hammond house while candles floated in the spring. catching up while sitting on the porch swing. how disconcerting it was the first time i saw little mikey so TALL and with a deep voice! but still as sweet and kind as ever. getting to have michael as a nat geo co-worker during camp cynthia, surrounded by boxes of slides. the one constant, every time i saw him, was that he was with his family. he loved them so much. i am blessed to have been a part of his life, and to continue to be a part of the combs family's life. i treasure the memories i have of michael, which are far richer then i could ever record here... God bless him. i love you, michael... i'll be expecting one spectacular cup of coffee when we meet again in heaven. xoxo, lisa