Saying Goodbye to Mike

I'm posting this one , on behalf of mom and dad...we have had quite a rough,past 4 or 5 days....Mike was mom and dads neighbor, directly across the street..You always knew who he and his wife Kathy were, because they would think of any excuse to get out in their front yard and BBQ, place horseshoes, fellowship w/the neighbors, play music, let their dogs run free....They were the ideal "fun" couple , Mike ALWAYS,ALWAYS,ALWAYS had a beer in his hand,,(I stress ALWAYS, ha ha)..He just seemed to always be glad to be alive , take everyday and REALLY enjoy it to the fullest extent....Whenever me and the kids would come over, the 1st thing I'd set my eyes on getting out of the car, was Mike, in his "beach bum" shorts and t-shirt..He would start waving at us, even before my feet hit the ground, he was that kind of friendly neighbor and spirit..he'd ask, "hows the baby?", and of course i'd say, "shes great"...It wasnt anything for him to walk on over to moms and come in and talk to everyone, he'd ALWAYS give me and mom a hug and kiss on the cheek,,and we'd walk over to his house and let the kids play w/his 2 dogs, Mickey and Tony...........and his wife Kathy...he loved her, after us, he would always save the best love and kiss for last, for her, almost like they were in high school again,thats the kind of love that was evident in them....but something changed all that....................Early Thursday morning (1am), Mike took his own life...The life he loved, the life God gave him to cherish, the life he and his wife were sharing together, the life we thought he wanted....Sometimes LIFE is too hard, and too tiring, and too messy, and just too much..............BUT, we have hope...to CLING to.........and THAT hope is JESUS CHRIST....I dont know for sure if Mike was able to realize that wonderful hope, or not, I pray w/all my heart, he did...but I did learn something from him, when he was here on this earth...Live EACH day to the fullest, THANK GOD for each day that we have, and CHERISH the ones in our lives, he has blessed us with....We love you too Mike and we miss you........RIP.......