My Dad and Whitney

As I sit here, It's difficult to know Where to begin with all of this….

For now, I'll just start with a few memories from my childhood. 

My dad was a record exec, in the 'old skool' heyday of the 80's & 90's. He was a Senior VP at Arista Records for almost 20 years. (that's the obituary pic of him from Billboard - Blis is my middle name ;)

I knew my dad had a really cool job, but it didn't seem so special to me because being in the midst of the music industry, going to concerts, meeting 'stars,' sometimes having them call the house, etc was familiar to me.

(I was a teenager and nearly dropped the phone once when Jerry Garcia called the house then I started to get it…. lol)

The Best Part, was that music created such a strong bond between dad and me. Whitney's passing has brought a lot of memories back, as well as some of the special things my dad taught me.

My dad described Whitney as a shy sweet 'kid.' He referred to her as a 'kid' and was often concerned because she was so talented and professionally so much happened for her so quickly. He was extremely distressed about her marriage to Bobby Brown and didn't want to go to the wedding. However, both of my parents went.

My father taught me,
*Stand by and support the people you love
*Eventually in life, we all learn who our real friends are by counting those who stand beside us when the chips are down
*Show respect and to treat all people with kindness.

What pains me today (and has for many years with many stars) are the news programs which perpetuate cruel gossip, and in my mind, their speculation equals a huge lack of respect.

When we truly love or admire someone, we love them for who they are and cherish the light that they bring to our world. We learn to love all of them and We don't judge their lives by our standards - that's not love, that's disrespect.

When someone is a "Star," people invest in their radiance, they want to absorb the light that they give off. We fail to recognize that no one prepares a mega-star to deal with an international level of publicity!

Too often we are quick to judge others, especially stars, like it's any of our business? When we judge people by the mistakes they make, it leads us to forget why we loved and respected them in the first place.
I think perhaps, confusion here comes from anger, the sorrow of our loss about one of most glorious voices of our generation. We wonder how it is possible that a Brilliant Light could have dissipated so quickly and why, it's not fair, we want her magic, her music. It's Ok to be sad, It's Ok to be angry. Pull up your iTunes and bless the memories and the music she gave us.

Here's what I remember….

A voice that makes me awestruck, the beauty of it inspires me.

A woman who at a Grammy after-party hung towards the outskirts of the room because she was shy. She was a mega-star who actually took a few minutes to talk to a little kid on the evening she Opened the Grammy Awards.  She was someone my dad cared about & that makes her special too.

I recall the pictures of the Classic beautiful Whitney of 'Saving all my Love for You," the perky innocence of "I Wanna Dance with Somebody, "the sexy diva of "I'm Your Baby Tonight," a sparkling rendition of "Star-Spangled Banner," & "One Moment in Time," the warmth of "Waiting To Exhale" & of course the glorious (6 times platinum- one of the highest grossing records of all time) Bodyguard Soundtrack

Who do you choose to remember?   

Turn off your TV and Let this star shine In Peace. Honor her memory by cherishing those you love and sharing her brilliant music …

Sir Paul sang it Best at the closing of the Grammy's this year.

"In the End, The Love You Take is Equal to The Love You Make" 

Whitney's voice made and created so much love and so much light. Let's remember that and honor her memory with love and respect

Don't forget that The Music and Art that people share are a GIFT, not an Entitlement.

Hugs, Love, Light and Many Blessings
Meredith