As the world mourns the loss of one of the greatest voices of all time I believe I would find little argument that Whitney Houston is the greatest voice of our time. For so many Whitney represents a part of our childhood, school dances, love affairs, wedding songs, and musical euphoria. Having been a teenager in the 80's Whitney's style and unmistakable charisma chiseled an indelible image of all that a legend encompasses. At an age when many of us were only beginning to enjoy teenage freedoms Whitney was a Universal star. The enthusiasm of her voice made you pick up your hairbrush and sing in the mirror and turn the volume up to sing along. I remember when her rendition of "I'm Every Woman" came out I drove around for hours in my new ride just so I could enjoy the music and rejoice in the lyrics of a song that filled a young woman with courage and strength. Whitney had an ease of effortlessly capturing your attention and transmitting her message into your soul.

As we celebrate the life, career and contribution of an icon we come together as one through the music in the hopes that it will unite and inspire us all to live a richer life today. A life in which we are kinder to those we know are going through challenge or struggle. In our society it has become all to acceptable to treat celebrities as if they are property and immune to judgements and slanderous behaviors. Allow this sudden and unexpected loss of a beloved mother, daughter and friend to awaken that while she was an revolutionary talent she was also so much more. She was human.

May we carry this awareness that tomorrow is a gift we have yet to receive and today is the moment we are in, be in it fully with a Loving, mindful and kind heart.

Thank you Whitney. Thank you for the music, thank you for the joy and thank you for sharing so many of your moments with us - for the vulnerability to do so requires a courage that now becomes a portion of your legacy. May you walk with the angels sweet sister.