Mike was a lifelong student. His love of learning began in childhood, and was nurtured by excellent teachers in high school. He studied English in college; the family script sent him to medical school. 

When we met, he was studying for certification in addiction medicine and accumulating CEUs in psychiatry. 

He also studied:

• The Kennedy assassination (Oswald acted alone)
• The opioid crisis
• The writings of C.S. Lewis and Scott Peck
• The Christian mystics

That last category was his final focus – more than a decade. Richard Rohr was a favorite, along with Julian of Norwich – and Nancy of Madam’s Creek.