L.I.F.E: Love is for Everyone | Michael Smith
Remembering MyQuell
Losing a loved one is one of life’s biggest challenges we can face. When an elder family member or friend dies, we console ourselves with “they are in a better place” or “they lived a long and happy life” and that gives us some measure of peace so we can move on. But what do you say, when a life is taken too early, a bright and promising future is suddenly gone? For parents, losing a child is unimaginable. The child is supposed to put the parents to rest, not the other way around. How do you move forward from that?
This past year, Michael Smith has been doing his very best to move forward, grieve the loss of his youngest child, and be the pillar that his family can rely upon in this difficult time. On November 24, 2021, Myquell Smith was shot dead, only a few weeks after his 15th birthday on November 8th. Myquell was a star athlete in Enterprise High School, having won top honors for 100-Meter dash in the Junior Olympics in Florida. Having just started high school, he was well on his way to a bright and promising future as an athlete and student.
People say the loss of a child is not something you can ever get over; you can only try to move forward. Michael has been trying to move forward for his family. He has been putting them first at every step.
“I don’t think I have ever time to stop. If I have a memory (of Myquell), I will take a moment and cry, but then I must pick myself back up. I feel like there is no time to just stop because at the end of the day work and family, it’s an ongoing process. I have my pitstops here and there – it is a race that never stops. I don’t have time to slow down because he has siblings. So, they are looking at me. They don’t know what to do. So even now I slow down sometimes, but most of the time I feel like I can’t stop because I must take care of the family and move forward. It is an ongoing process. Even if you are having a bad day, they could be having a bad day too. So, I will need to stop what I am doing – my day doesn’t count because they are having a bad day and I will make sure that they are taken care of.”
Choosing Love - Turning Grief Into Positive Change
Michael and his family have been channeling their grief into an extraordinary project to give back to their community. The Myquell Foundation was started a few months after Myquell’s death, with the funds from an Invitational that Myquell’s school put together in his memory. Since then, the foundation has been identifying children from low-income families who are passionate about sports but are not able to pursue their passion due to limited funds. Every month the Foundation is providing sports equipment to students. As Michael says, it doesn’t matter whether they will become a star athlete like Myquell, or just want to try something for a season. What is important is that they have the opportunity to pursue their interests and dreams, so that they don’t grow up with regrets or resentment toward their families and their situation. Through this project Myquell’s name will be remembered. His passion for sports will live on inside the athletes Michael and his family will support through this project. This will be his legacy.
This year November 24th, the day Myquell died, is also Thanksgiving Day, a day to express gratitude, celebrate life, and spend time with family and friends. Thus, November has been an exceptionally difficult time for Michael and his family. To celebrate Myquell and honor his memory, the Smith family and their friends are gathering for a fun day of activities this weekend.
Remembering MyQuell Day -Celebrating L.I.F.E
The Remember Myquell Day will be held on Saturday, November 19, 2022. All are welcome to join the Smith family in remembering and celebrating Myquell’s life and passion for sports. Activities will include, 100-meter dash (Myquell’s favorite), 3-legged race, spoon and egg race, raffles for gift cards, and many more fun activities for children and adults alike. It will be a day to celebrate Myquell’s life and his passion for sports, “something to let him know that we love you and we miss you…there is no easy way to deal with this and we are just trying.”
Michael has been thinking about ways he can support even more children as they pursue their dreams by starting his non-profit, LIFE: Love Is For Everyone. So, it is no mere coincidence, that Michael was connected to Let’s Choose Love, an organization founded on spreading love and compassion throughout the world. Let’s Choose Love is honored to support Michael by not only sponsoring the Remember Myquell Day, but also supporting Michael and bringing his idea to life.
It’s Thanksgiving - give thanks for all you have and .. Reach Out and share your love
As a society, we are not properly taught how to talk about complicated feelings caused by loss, so we are afraid to talk to friends and family who have experienced loss. We don’t know how to talk about it, and we don’t know how to be there for those grieving a loss.
We might fear that we will say the wrong thing or do the wrong thing. Or we might be afraid of talking about it because it reminds us how fragile life is and that our own death or that of a loved one could be steps away.
So, we send our condolences, and we bake our casseroles, and then we try our best to forget and move on with our lives. But the most important gift you can give is to hold space, to walk alongside them on whatever journey they are on without judgment. We can offer unconditional support. By holding space, we allow people to move through whatever feelings and emotions come up without controlling the outcome. We give space to exist.
Only then we can truly connect and build a community that supports and uplifts one another through difficult times. Only then can we truly celebrate life.
You Are Invited
The Smith family invites you to come celebrate Myquell’s life and honor his memory this Saturday at the Remember Myquell Day.
Date: November 19, 2022
Time: 1pm – 5pm
Location: 805 Bellwood Rd, Enterprise, AL 36330
Special Thanks to Khatira Darvesh for authoring this blog.
