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This past Tuesday the day when the world celebrates love Valentines Day for some was happy and others it was lonely. Life is filled with balance there are people with abundance worldwide as well as those dealing with famine. There are those that know love from birth to death and then there are those who have never felt love only scorn and hate. I am blessed to have been filled with love from being in my mother’s womb to the present and I attempt to share the abundance of love given to me.
News coverage over the past week has focused on the death of Whitney Elizabeth Houston Brown. For those living under a rock Whitney Houston as she was best known had one of the be best voices of her time or that of any era. On the many octaves that she could reach was carried notes of soul stirring melody. Just like the rest of the world that enjoyed this multi-talented woman I am still saddened by her death.
Like most women especially African American women, I first learned of Whitney Houston through the pages of ‘Seventeen’ magazine. A giggling girl of 18, she graced the November 1981 cover holding an ice cream cone, she was the first African American to be on the cover. It took 37 years for ‘Seventeen’ magazine to wake up and get with the reality that there was a true market of allowance receiving brown skinned girls who purchased their magazine. In addition back then we also purchased the products advertised within those glossy pages.
For the world she came to life when her self-titled album ‘Whitney Houston’ dropped in 1985. It was without doubt that this young woman had vocal chops that could stand the test of time. With each album after her first the world fell deeper and deeper into love with her and her talent. We were able to see her on the silver screen as well as in movies like ‘The Bodyguard’ that took a Dolly Parton song ‘I Will Always Love You’ (yep Dolly Parton) and made it one of her own signature songs. Sadly with all of her triumph there was also trials & tribulations with regard to substance abuse that many ultimately believe lead to her death.
Regardless of who loves us, whether it is family and friends or a world filled with fans, we must first love ourselves. Without strong self-love we can fall into negative behavior very quickly. I don’t doubt that Whitney Houston loved herself but for whatever reason she let self-doubt sneak into her world. Sadly when it did seem like she was ready to rise above her demons she died under what circumstances that are still under investigation.
Finally, since the beginning of time we have always admired those in celebrity status. From the kings and queens of Egypt to our modern day royalty of Hollywood we are in love with superstardom. But while we admire celebrities, we should also remember that they are people just like us.
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PaisleyPerspective 