Mike Levan was a huge part of my life from when I first met him the beginning of June 2007 until he left us on July 12, 2009. He was an extraordinary person and a very special friend to me. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't still miss him tremendously. Mike was appointed myself and my son's "guardian angel" by the person I bought my home from - poor Mike!! I was still in a state of shell shock from a nightmarish marriage and more horrific divorce. I confess that both my son and I were somewhat afraid or perhaps intimidated by Mike initially but as time went on we fast learned that beneath Mike's gruff exterior was a truly decent man. Over the course of the two years I knew Mike we developed a very special friendship - a friendship I valued and appreciated and that was reciprocated by Mike with me. We also had a mutual respect for one another - respect is not something that either one of us were very willing to give to anyone at this point in our life! It was in losing Mike that I realized that he'd given me some extraordinary gifts - miracles in our friendship that I'd not even realized until he was gone. He gave me 3 miracles - the first 2 being the ability to trust again and believe again - I was able to give both to Mike. I thought I'd lost the ability to do either again after having my life so completely shattered through my marriage & divorce. I can only state that it took Mike a great deal of patience and courage to develop a friendship with me!! lol!! When I look back over the course of our friendship now, I realize that he would throw out some of his unacceptable or outrageous behavior - to me - to find out what the "beneath the surface" was going on in me by my reaction or lack of reaction!! - he was extremely perceptive - and he would then take what he learned from doing this and use these insights in our ever growing friendship. I must have driven Mike to great distraction and aggravation at times and yet he never told me what to do. Mike never judged me, he saw me at my best and he saw me at my worst, he accepted me for who I was and liked me for who I was best and worst - even at my worst!! Mike was a Christian and I know he is with our Lord now - which means he is in a much better place. This is the only thing that gives me comfort with his loss and if I thought otherwise his loss would be unbearable for me. However, when I first learned Mike had been killed in a motorcycle accident, one of my first thoughts was why had he been spared the year before only to turn around and be killed in this accident? Mike's death gave me back my faith though - this is the third miracle he gave me - because as the days unfolded I could see that God's plan was clearly visible for me to see which so often we don't understand why these type of traumas in our life occur or in anyway are we able to fathom God's plan with the events life is handing us. However, in losing Mike, I quickly was able to see God's plan written into the fabric of our friendship from the very start to the end. I realized that he was given this final year via the heart bypass surgery last summer because his work here wasn't finished. When I first met Mike he told me that I needed to make friends with his mother and as the two years unfolded I have and she is my "adopted mom" now - Mike was ultimately preparing me for his loss and to be there for his mom and his aunts - a great privilege for me I must add as these 3 women are amazing and I am blessed to have them in my life. Another facet of this plan was in the very fact of the special friendship Mike and I had come to have - as we were kindred spirits in the fact that we both held deep scars and kept people in general at arms length and wouldn't let anyone get too close to us. One of the events that took place a few short weeks prior to Mike's death was when he'd had a triumph in his new job & lost a close friend all in the same time frame which he came to share with me - he'd come to see me as he was on this rollercoaster of emotions and was really hurting over the loss of his friend and wanted me to drink a beer with him in honor of his friend. He hung out with me for quite a while and we had a chance to catch up and really talk - we hadn't had much time to hang out lately as he'd been very busy with his new job and we hadn't had a chance to "really talk" for a while. It was funny/strange that my son and I would have a lengthy conversation about Mike and my/our relationship with Mike when he left as we were discussing how close Mike and I had become and that I was who he'd come to see when something good happened to share it with me and who he'd come to see when something bad happened and he needed someone to be there. I am so thankful to God for giving me this evening with Mike and the ability to recognize how important my relationship with Mike was to me and to him. There are a number of things that I can look back on that occured over these 2 years that show me that God's plan was in action. My son has been devastated by losing Mike and his own words were "that Mike was his hero and the closest thing to a father he'd known in years". Another friend of Mike's stated to me that "Mike had a heart of gold" when we discussing Mike's loss and his friendship to others. Mike's brother, John, stated at Mike's funeral that "Mike loved life" - despite the hard life Mike had had and this was so very true. I personally knew that I could call Mike anytime day or night and if I reached him and needed him he'd be there for me - it was the same for most of us who called Mike a friend. I rarely ever heard Mike say a bad word about anyone and those people he valued as friends he'd defend to the end. My life has been greatly enriched by Mike's friendship and he has been one of the best friends that I've had in my life thus far and I loved him. I am so very grateful for the two years that I had with Mike and I mourn the loss of what was to come for Mike and I - while I try not to allow myself to go there as I know that this wasn't part of God's plan. I will carry Mike in my heart always. My love and my respect go with you Mike, Laurrie