I was working at my computer on Saturday night when the news flashed across my web page, Publicist reports that Whitney Houston has died. Disbelieving the report, I walked to my bedroom to confirm what I had just seen. I turned the television to CNN and they were reporting that Whitney was dead.
I felt shock, and hurt and loss. It was as if a member of my family had died. Me and my wife Vantoria starting talking about Whitney's presence in our lives. We talked about her voice, a unique gift that filled the airwaves during the 80's as Whitney burst on the scene and filled our lives with her music..
I became a fan of Whitney Houston in 1985 when I heard her sing the Greatest Love of All. That particular song holds a special place in my heart., the first time I heard it sang was at the ninth grade promotion ceremony in June 1982 at the Martin Luther King Junior High School in Cleveland Ohio. The young lady that sang The Greatest Love of All at the ceremony had experienced a great loss that very week when her Mother died. I don't remember the girl's name but I can still see her singing with such power as she touched the emotion of every one of her classmates including me. When she reached the end of the song she started to cry and we all cried with her.
A couple of years later I heard Whitney sing The Greatest Love of All and I was a fan from that day on.
Now when I hear the Greatest Love of All I will see two faces in my mind and cherish the memory. I'll see the ninth grade classmate who had the courage to sing with a broken heart. And I'll see Whitney Houston, an incredible gift to this generation.
Bernard, I appreciate your article. I too am a fam of Whitney. Some of the things I seen about her on blogs really bothers me. I remember in the beginning she had a very clear testimony about her relationship with Jesus. Then when she married, she seemed to go off track. Some ot the writers talk like she wasn't a Christian. Jesus tells us not to judge. Only He knows a person's heart. Personally? I see her testimony fulfilling Romans 10:9-10. Salvation isn't based on performance. If it was, we would all be in serious trouble. We are all prodigals in one way or another.
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Tom Blubaugh, Author
Night of the Cossack
http://nightofthecossack.com
Thanks Tom. It is the nature of media and entertainment to tear down people when they are vulnerable and weak. Because of Whitney's stature everything that she did was for the world to see. I wonder how many of her attackers would stand if they were under the scrutiny that she was under.
ReplyDeleteGreat post Bernard. I've always loved her songs and dynamic talent. She sang like an angel - but the demons tortured her. God gifted her with so much - I'm so sad for her Mom and other family members who remember the little girl singing with all her might to the Lord. May her soul find the rest her body never experienced. God bless you Whitney...
ReplyDeleteThanks Debra for coming by.
DeleteLove Whitney's gift and also mourning the loss of such a great talent. It's sad that so many will only remember her struggles and not the magnitude of her gift. I recall hearing her sing the Star-Spangled Banner and knowing in that moment she was not just any singer. She truly had a talent that is one of a kind. It's easy to judge someone when you don't have to walk their path. Praying the media will give her some respect in the coming days as the details of her death come out.
ReplyDeleteThanks Saundra for stopping by. I was listening to some reproters today and I could tell the diaappointment in some reporters voices. They thought that would get a show to report. I applaud Cissy Houston's decision to keep the funeral private.
DeleteRIP Whitney. I, too, have vivid Whitney Houston memories. I recall when she was the first Black woman I'd ever seen on the cover of Seventeen magazine back when I was in high school. I also recall when her first album came out. I purchased the cassette tape. The tape had a red cover and Whitney had her hair pulled back. I remember The Greatest Love Of All was on that cassette tape and I really loved You Give Good Love To Me, too.
ReplyDeleteI thoroughly enjoyed her role in The Body Guard, too.
She will be missed.
Thank you Cecelia for stopping by and leaving a comment. I remember the cover of that album, I was in high school too.
ReplyDeleteShe was a very talented woman that sang with such heart. She will be greatly missed, however, her music will live on.
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting my site and leaving a comment.
ReplyDelete