Reflections...

Not unlike those of previous generations and many of you,  I have a growing list of "I remember exactly what I was doing when that happened."  As of last night, while spending time with my husband after putting my daughter to bed, "when Whitney Houston died" was added to that list.  Death is inevitable.  But that sometimes feels like the least of it.  It's tragic.  It's sad.  It's hurtful.  It's hard to understand.  It evokes compassion, sensitivity, sympathy and even empathy.  Those feelings are compounded when someone is taken "before their time."  I never met Whitney Houston and fortunately, that's not a prerequisite for acknowledging her talent, admiring her accomplishments and admonishing her demons.  There have been words of encouragement posted all over Face Book, fans have linked us to you- tube videos of some of her most popular and powerful works. I have thought about and relived some of my favorite Whitney Houston moments including, but not limited to, being a 12 year old girl singing along to "How Will I Know"and wishing I could have her pop style, including the bad big hair,  in the "Oh I Wanna Dance With Somebody" video.  Tears have been shed by many and for some, it's been a reminder that--- as the old folks say---Whitney has done what we all have to do.  We've had to face the reality that money, fame, notoriety...none of that makes us exempt.  Hopefully, we've taken time to sit with, talk to, care for and love on our family.  One of my biggest thoughts in the past 18 hours is that Bobbi Kristina, Whitney Houston's daughter with Bobby Brown, doesn't have a mother anymore.  I first felt that pain 11 years ago and it continues....it doesn't go away.  The worst of mothers are missed and longed for when they leave this world.  With all that the media has said about Whitney Houston through the years, I have no reason to believe that she didn't love her daughter....They say there's no love like a mother's love...and with that, my heart hurts for that 18 year old young woman.  She (Bobbi Kristina) has had her share of media headlines and now, she's in the biggest headline of her life so far.  My prayers certainly go out to her and to Whitney's mother, who now has to bury her daughter...a task that no parent ever hopes or imagines they'll have to do.
The Grammy's will air, tributes will continue, the truth behind her death, or as much of it as we'll ever know, will come out and we will live on.  That is not a bad thing even if it sounds crass.  The hope is that we'll live on with a bigger appreciation for life....a more grateful heart for the many blessings that we (I) take for granted...and with the understanding that we are mere mortals here on this earth but for a short time...prayerfully, with the intent to live out a purposeful life destined by God.  Or at the very least, doing the best we can in each moment that we are given.  May the soul of Whitney Houston and the souls of all the faithful departed rest in peace... Amen...Amen...Amen.

EXPECT MORE THAN YOU COULD EVER THINK OR IMAGINE!