Whitney Houston Passes

This was her last album, said to be a critical success. She is reported not to have had the stamina for touring and entire concerts as she once did.

Whitney Houston as many of us will remember her.  In her youth her voice was not only energetic with incredible range, but she moved so well on stage, whether dancing or not, that she was a joy to watch.

I don't think Daniel had too many memories of Whitney Houston. I think he saw her in the film "The Bodyguard" with Kevin Costner, here at home, and he probably knew her voice, but that's probably it. I on the other hand, have her rise to fame, her voice, and things about her as memories of my own life, and as a backdrop especially to my life in my twenties.  I remember that Whitney Houston, when very young, was hailed as the "amazing" niece of Dionne Warwick, and the daughter of singer Cissy Houston. In the eighties, I remember an energetic and young Whitney singing on then fledgling MTV.   I grew up in Morris County, NJ, and the Houstons lived in East Orange, so it was nice to see someone from the state doing well. As Whitney became famous, she bought up prime residential real estate in Mendham, NJ,which is also in my home county of Morris, in order to build a palatial home and recording studio. I remember that it was the first time that anyone black had bought prime residential real estate in expensive Mendham.  This was interesting, because for the first time, no one cared about her race. In those years, she was popular music royalty. I remember that Whitney had her daughter Bobbi Christina at St. Barnabas Hospital in NJ. By then, two of my children were born and my own life and career took me to another state, and I had less time to commit to memory details of popular culture.
However, as I had two more children, and made a life in another state, Whitney Houston married Bobby Brown, descended into drug use, and did not continue to sing with the same incredible voice she was known for as a young woman. There were attempts at comebacks, but there were public relations issues, and her voice seemed to lack the flexibility and energy it once had.
       Whitney Houston was found dead at 48 yesterday in Beverly Hills on the eve of the Grammy awards. No one yet knows the cause, but most equate it with a long battle with alcohol and drug abuse. Her amazing voice carried us through many years before her difficulties. We send our condolences to her family and especially to Cissy Houston, her mother, Dionne Warwick, her aunt, and 18 year old, Bobbi Christina, her daughter. I remember that Whitney Houston was first discovered in church, and that she had faith in Jesus Christ.  She is home with him now.

This was Whitney Houston's Mendham, NJ home.  It has been for sale for quite some time, and is currently reduced to 1.75 million.

I included the house pictures and information because several readers have asked me about this.

Tasks in Dreams

Last night was one of those dreams, or perhaps visits which keep me on Earth and functioning positively. Last night,in the early hours of the morning, I dreamt that I was visiting the small town which was some distance from the rural home I grew up in, the the Northeast. It was autumn there, and in our visit, the town probably resembled more the town it was when I was a teen than it looks now. (I know this because two years ago, I took my eldest son Adam back there a couple of years ago on the way back from a long out of state trip.) In this dream, Daniel and I were running an errand. This is interesting because Daniel had never been to that area oreven to that state. In the dream, we were there to encourage a woman who had a small infant who was vomiting repeatedly. Afterward, with our work done, he and I looked around the rainy streets, and tried to decide where to go for lunch.I wanted to go to a do-nut shop for soup, but he clearly stated a preference for Wendy's, and in this dream, there was one there, and so there we headed. Afterward, we were going back to my parent's home they had for most of my life.
What stood out was that people there were cold, poor, and in need of encouragement. I, on the other hand, was joyful because I somehow had Daniel with me, and there was somehow the promise of seeing him again and regularly, even though we are separated by his passing and knew it. In the dream, although I did not see both of my parents, I knew I could, and that later that day I would. It was as if we all agreed to meet to do a good deed somewhere, and to touch base with one another. Daniel is as beautiful and as kind as he ever was. The message was, no matter what I am with you, and our family is always connected. You, who always had such faith in God, will always feel Him near, and will always have us as well.

Daniel loved this song.... He had the original as done by Hugh Laurie in the BBC television series "Fry and Laurie". The original version I think is funnier, and this one has lines changed, but I saw this version on "You Tube" this morning, and it's still funny.