One Moment In Time: RIP Whitney

I don't give much thought to the phrase "rest in peace" but I can't think of a person for whom it is more appropriate.  Whitney Houston was an amazing talent, a voice that was instantly recognizable and loved by just about everyone (rare for pop stars).  She sang a version the national anthem that has been used to measure every performance since.  No offense to those who came after, but all were found lacking compared to the clarity and strength of her voice.  It truly was her song.

She was once also a fresh young girl with big hair and bigger dreams, and fell into a darker world. Her dimples and sweetness were the first things you noticed about her in pictures.  Some of it was hype to move records, but she truly was excited to sing and let you see her shining soul when in the middle of a performance.  When she would hit the note just right and her eyes would give that little roll, a look that said "yeah baby, that's what I'm talking about" that let you join in her celebration.  The lady loved to sing, and she did it well.

The sadness is that her life and career were made unnecessarily difficult by addiction to drugs.  Those bright eyes went dull, and while her voice never wavered the sweet girl was eventually replaced with a jaded woman who had seen too much suffering.  Still, we loved her so much that I truly believe after everything settles, she will be remembered for her successes rather than her failures.  Her life has served as a reminder that even the best can fall prey to addiction.  She had a team of supporters and all the money in the world, and she suffered from a problem that affects millions of people.

Maybe that's the other reason why people of my generation felt so connected to her.  Brilliant, talented, and subject to the same demons that haunt us all.  Didn't all of us want to dance with somebody who loves us?  All the girls my age wanted someone to inspire us to sing like she did in The Bodyguard.    Every single vocalist I knew swooned over One Moment In Time.  Some of us never know that feeling of seizing that one special moment, but Whitney Houston knew.  She did it with style over and over, and I hope that is what she is ultimately remembered for.

And may she truly find the peace that she was denied in this life.