Thanks guys.  Maybe if I'm lucky I'll avoid the whole midlife crisis when the time comes.  It's not that I'm concerned for Michael's soul as it is reassuring to be reminded that those of good character who don't profess to the faith still have a shot.  Obviously, we don't know what his final thoughts were, and he could have fully accepted or rejected God at the end.  However, looking at the fullness of his life:  the maturity he gained over the years reflected a generous, kind, and loving soul.  So we have to hope and pray that he continued that in his last moments, and I have absolutely no reason to believe otherwise anyway.  Catholic_Kelly's post was just a well-timed reinforcement of that, for which I thank God for the synchonicity.

As an aside, I'm honoured that Corey would be inspired by me enough to include me in one of his musings.  I must confess that I'm curious enough to want to read it, but not enough to potentially embarass him by asking him about it.  Hopefully, he'll keep up the writing as its a great way to keep the imagination engaged.