Monday, March 27, 2006
The Living Dead
I went with my grandfather to visit my Uncle Michael at the cemetery Sunday morning. Not easy watching your grandfather kiss his hand and rub the gravestone of his son, which he does twice a week without fail. We said some prayers and we talked to him with crying voices. Uncle Michael is always with me, but after yesterday's experience, he was truly living inside of me. What I felt compelled to write about was the "talking" part. Regardless of religion or background, this is what you do when you visit the dead. You talk out loud to them whether you're alone or with others. It was just really eerie yesterday talking to Uncle Michael and more so, hearing my grandfather talk to him as well. The ultimate questions are raised when it comes to death, but those questions have no answers. I love you Uncle Michael.
From the Miami Herald (2/3/2003):
Michael S. Bernstein, an assistant public defender who spent 20 years helping troubled youngsters lead productive and law-abiding lives, died on Saturday of a heart attack. He was 54. An attorney at the Miami-Dade County Juvenile Public Defender's office, Bernstein often sought rehabilitation instead of punishment for his teenage clients, believing ''children had a greater potential for redemption than many adults,'' said his boss, Public Defender Bennett Brummer.Many of those teenagers did turn their lives around -- and at least one is now a University of Miami junior.Bernstein was born in Waterbury, Conn., on Oct. 21, 1948.He graduated from the University of Connecticut in 1972 and earned his law degree from the University of Baltimore in 1975.Bernstein moved to South Florida soon after finishing school to be a lawyer for the Internal Revenue Service's Fort Lauderdale office.And in 1983, he joined the Miami-Dade County Juvenile Public Defender's Office, where he rose through the ranks to become a mentor for young lawyers, Brummer said.''This is a man that never said a bad word about anybody and always looked on the bright side of things,'' said his brother-in-law, Robert Shapiro.Family members say Bernstein, of North Miami Beach, enjoyed listening to music and kept a collection of old records.During his early years as a lawyer, he moonlighted as a stand-up comedian.''He was always helping people,'' said his father, Sol Bernstein.''That was his life, helping people.''
From the Miami Herald (2/3/2003):
Michael S. Bernstein, an assistant public defender who spent 20 years helping troubled youngsters lead productive and law-abiding lives, died on Saturday of a heart attack. He was 54. An attorney at the Miami-Dade County Juvenile Public Defender's office, Bernstein often sought rehabilitation instead of punishment for his teenage clients, believing ''children had a greater potential for redemption than many adults,'' said his boss, Public Defender Bennett Brummer.Many of those teenagers did turn their lives around -- and at least one is now a University of Miami junior.Bernstein was born in Waterbury, Conn., on Oct. 21, 1948.He graduated from the University of Connecticut in 1972 and earned his law degree from the University of Baltimore in 1975.Bernstein moved to South Florida soon after finishing school to be a lawyer for the Internal Revenue Service's Fort Lauderdale office.And in 1983, he joined the Miami-Dade County Juvenile Public Defender's Office, where he rose through the ranks to become a mentor for young lawyers, Brummer said.''This is a man that never said a bad word about anybody and always looked on the bright side of things,'' said his brother-in-law, Robert Shapiro.Family members say Bernstein, of North Miami Beach, enjoyed listening to music and kept a collection of old records.During his early years as a lawyer, he moonlighted as a stand-up comedian.''He was always helping people,'' said his father, Sol Bernstein.''That was his life, helping people.''
