To many it’s a funeral, to her family it’s a home going.  On February 18th, 2012, Whitney Houston will be taking her final bow before she is laid to rest.

The worst of what you’ve done cannot define the best of who you are

I fondly remember buying my first Whitney Houston cassette tape and listening to it over and over.  My favorite song was All at Once (probably because my boyfriend broke off with me and I was in complete teenage devastation).

When I watched her videos on Much Music,  I found it amazing how this woman could transition her looks completely within every video that was played.   I also became very tired of the song “The Greatest Love of All” for its length and its time spent as #1 on America’s Top 40 with Casey Kasem.  I remember turning on the radio and thinking “Oh my God, not that song again!”  (probably in a Valley Girl voice too)

I also remember the pride that Whitney Houston displayed when she spoke about her mother.  Being a teenager, I viewed her as a teenager who hadn’t left the nest.  Her mother was everything to her.

In the 90′s, I watched her in the Bodyguard and cheered on her career as an actress!  She was phenomenal!  I loved singing at the time and tried my best to hit the vocal notes that Whitney did in “I Will Always Love You!”

Of course, in this new decade, I, like everyone else, witnessed a decline in Whitney’s attitude and performances.   Media reported less about her gift of voice and more about her shenanigans with Bobby Brown and drug abuse.  She, like Michael Jackson and Britney Spears, became the outrage on every magazine to hit the grocery store.

One thing that remained true is that when we heard from Whitney Houston from back then until today, we knew that she was a believer in Jesus Christ who adored her mother and daughter.

With every death that is caused by drug abuse, we always have to remember that deep inside that addiction there was a human being.  A human being that was loved deeply by many.

They always say that everything happens for a reason.  Whitney, may your life’s journey and your untimely death bring hope, realization, and rehabilitation to so many in this world that require a sign.

For me, you will always be remembered as that hopeful young girl at the Grammy Awards, who had the voice of an angel with a bursting heart full of love to those who came into your world.

“Sometimes Love Just Ain’t Enough” – Patty Smyth

Prayers to Whitney Houston’s Family on this day and during this time to mourning.   God Bless.

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