Missing her already.

The scene in our home today: I was browsing Facebook and saw a status update.  I called to V in disbelief "they're saying Whitney Houston died - I have to see if it's true" and before my sentence was finished, the phone was ringing. V said "I bet that's Jen now calling to tell me". Jen was at the bar in Iowa, and saw it scrolling across the tv. 

She called to see if V was okay. 

V was that kind of Whitney fan. 

It's not surprising, then, to learn that Whitney has been the soundtrack to our 7 plus years together. She's a die hard fan of "Old school Whitney" and I rallied around her comeback CD. Every few months we have a few too many bottles of wine and end up dancing in the garage to our favorites, leaving the CDs out, knowing it wont be long before we "just wanna dance with someone" again. 

It's amazing when I stop to think about it. Her music was truly woven into the fabric of our lives. My earliest Whitney memory was crooning (off key, of course) as a 4th or 5th grader to "The Greatest Love of All". My friend Camron had taped it off the radio, and we listened to it over and over. In the innocence of my childhood, I couldn't begin to grasp the true beauty of that song. 

"Greatest Love Of All"

I believe the children are our future 

Teach them well and let them lead the way 

Show them all the beauty they possess inside 

Give them a sense of pride to make it easier

Let the children's laughter remind us how we used to be 

Everybody searching for a hero 

People need someone to look up to 

I never found anyone to fulfill my needs 

A lonely place to be 

So I learned to depend on me 

[Chorus:]

I decided long ago, never to walk in anyone's shadows 

If I fail, if I succeed 

At least I live as I believe 

No matter what they take from me 

They can't take away my dignity 

Because the greatest love of all 

Is happening to me 

I found the greatest love of all 

Inside of me 

The greatest love of all 

Is easy to achieve 

Learning to love yourself 

It is the greatest love of all 

I believe the children are our future

Teach them well and let them lead the way 

Show them all the beauty they possess inside 

Give them a sense of pride to make it easier 

Let the children's laughter remind us how we used to be 

[Chorus]

And if by chance, that special place 

That you've been dreaming of 

Leads you to a lonely place 

Find your strength in love

It's remarkable that a woman who entertained us at the ages of 10 and 13 still brought joy at 35 and 38.    From the 80's hits, to the Bodyguard, to club music, to her comeback CD, it all has a place in our hearts. 

In my favorite songs, she's singing about LOVE. And maybe that's why we will always love her.