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Memories of WhitneyI can’t remember the exact date of when my love of Whitney began, but I do remember every time a Whitney song would come on it would put my spirit in a positive place. I remember hearing older members of my family discussing Whitney’s first movie “The Bodyguard”. I just remember it being a huge deal and everyone wanting to see it. I remember hearing “I’m every women”, “I will always love you”, and “I have nothing” these songs would play non stop. I was hooked on her amazing voice. Deep down inside for me she was the greatest singer. I remember watching the 1994 Soul Train awards where she performed with Bobby Brown, they sang “we have something in common” I taped it with a small tape recorder I had. I played that tape over and over. 1995 “waiting to exhale” the soundtrack was amazing. I still had not realized my love of Whitney by this point. I think I heard “count on me” here duet with Cece Winans and I just enjoyed the vocal arrangement and the melody of the song. It for me always caused me to reflect on positive memories. My sister and I would play it over and over in my room. I most likely forced her to sing it with me. 1996 “The Preachers Wife” came out and I knew I had a Whitney addiction.
We didn’t have the fully functioning internet we have today; there was no “YouTube”. Finding your favorite singers videos and live performances was near impossible unless you where able to purchase a concert or video collection. I would visit early Whitney sites; I even had my own Whitney web page. I remember classicwhitney.com being one of those. I decided to tape anything and everything Whitney! I collected news articles and pictures and made my own posters. I had my cassette loaded into the stereo so when a Whitney song would come on I could hit record. The two songs I remember finding and recording of the radio where “One Moment in Time” and “I wanna Dance With Somebody” these two songs I would say for me are my absolute favorites. “One Moment in Time”, for sentimental reasons, It was my 5th & 8th grade graduation song. Sitting in my elementary school auditorium and watching this slide show of memories from kindergarten to 5th grade played and Whitney was the sound track. I didn’t at the time know it was Whitney who sang it. I just knew the song was powerful and I got goose bumps hearing her voice soar. “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” was just a great dance song and when no one was looking or could here me, I would bounce around my room playing this song and having to hear it over and over again. Anyone who came to my house was bombarded with my Whitney Videos. In 1997 when “Classic Whitney” her live concert on HBO occurred I was determined to watch. I found a tape and popped it in the VCR and I recorded this concert, Then Cinderella on ABC. The late 1990’s where great when ever I needed some Whitney in my life she would be on some program or awards show.
For the longest time I swore Whitney’s hair was real. I would get pissed if anyone ever accused her of wearing a wig. I laugh at this now, I thought she was as to close as perfect as anyone could be next to my mother. I was always a fan through the good times and the bad. Whitney could do know wrong in my eyes. I always was in her corner knowing she would come through whatever issue she was facing. Flash forward to last Saturday February 11 at 7:57pm, I was warming my car up about to go on a date. I was just sitting in the car and an “AP” news flash popped up on my IPhone screen. “Whitney Houston has died at the age of 48 a rep confirms”, I just sat there stunned not even realizing I was crying. This news hurt, it felt like a member of my family passed away. I immediately jumped out of the car and ran to my Mom who had just pulled in the drive way and she asked me what was wrong and I told her. She asked me if I were sure, and I said the “AP” reported this, I posted on Facebook, “I hope the rumor about Whitney Houston isn’t True” and one by one friends wrote back it was indeed true. My phone was buzzing with Phone calls, and text messages from friends asking if I were ok. The truth was and is as I write this, no. I have no words to describe this feeling, my inspiration, my diva, my superstar, my Whitney is gone, and I have to accept that. It’s weird to me that she isn’t walking the earth anymore. Some may read this and say oh well you must not have a life; I have a very full and busy life. When but Whitney was and will forever be my refuge. We are blessed we still have her music, her song will live forever. I have my tapes and my news clippings. It will take me a long time to become accustomed to not seeing Whitney on red carpets or seeing news of sighting on WhitneyFan.com in the forums section. I hope to me her in a dream. If I could say anything to her it would be:
Thank you for your gift, thanks for being an inspiration, thanks for always being there when I needed you. Your backgrounds on “I belong to you” and “Anymore” are amazing! Can you sing a few songs for me please? She would answer sure which songs, I would reply Three songs I would love to here you sing live 1 “After we Make love” 2 “Run to You” 3 “take me to your heart” she would sing them perfectly I would wake from dream like wow !!
Rest in Peace WHITNEY, I will always love you
