Mike

For those of you who don't know, my brother, Mike Sparrow, committed suicide on Monday afternoon. He had suffered for about nine years with bipolar disorder with ever-increasing severity. His feelings about this debilitating disease strongly affected his relationship with God, and not always for the positive. However, for the last month of his life, he returned to God with a renewed vigor and was dedicated to pursuing God's will in his life. We had so many Bible studies and prayer sessions, and I am so comforted now, not only by the knowledge of those times, but also by the daily prayers he recorded to give him strength throughout the day. On Monday morning, in fact, his prayer for the day was all about asking God to give him strength to be productive and live for God, for God to heal his mind, and for Dad and Mom, that they would have good days, and that they all would "get better at this." It was also clear that, unknown to us, he had been suffering terribly in the last weeks of his life. Knowing so well of both his faith and his suffering has helped us immensely; it gives us such peace that he is finally at peace and that he is free.

We also learned just how much he had affected those around him. We've always known that Mike was an amazing individual: loving, talented, smart, hilarious, athletic, and just gifted in so many ways. I could go on and on with individual stories, but honestly, if you knew him, you already know, and if you didn't, there's no way to explain it to you. You missed out on knowing a spectacular individual. According to the funeral home people, over 1,000 people came to his visitation, and that doesn't include the numerous cars who had to turn around and left because they couldn't get into the parking lot. The folks at Macon Memorial Park said it was by far the biggest visitation they had ever had, despite the fact that they had conducted over 1,000 visitations. The line stayed wrapped around the building, as people waited hours to offer their condolences to our family. It was truly overwhelming.

I am writing this and including the video as a way to comfort anyone who wasn't able to attend or who knows me but not Mike. The song in the background is his personal version of "Sanctuary." I love, love, LOVE it, because not only is it hauntingly appropriate, but also because his new verses describe how we are to be "sanctuaries" for each other. I've never been more aware of the importance of this truth, and I've never been more grateful for everyone who has provided a sanctuary for my family and me.

Thank you all, and thank you so much for your prayers. Please keep them coming.