Whitney Houston... God Bless You!

When I was a young girl singing in the choir at Union AME Church in Warwick, New York, I heard this voice hit the airwaves that stopped me in my tracks. That voice came out of Newark, New Jersey and belonged to Whitney Houston. I was in love with that voice and the spirit of the woman that it belonged to. I never stopped loving her and love listening to all of her music.

I took a few days off of Twitter and have deleted some "friends" from Facebook. They said too many negative things when talking about Ms. Houston's death. I didn't know her personally but I took it personal. She was like a sister to me and I was proud of all of her achievements. I wasn't raised to spew hate and not see the good in people. I was raised at a time when we actually loved each other and helped lift each other up. The world has changed, and people love to knock other's down. That both saddens, and angers me.

We all have issues in our lives, but unfortunately hers were made public. How many people take prescription drugs when they shouldn't? There are people that sip on wine or take pills nightly to sleep. Addiction is addiction. That's the bottom line. Not one of us is better than the other. And yes, all of us have a few skeletons residing in the closet. I wish people would stop crucifying her before the cause of death has even been stated.

We live in a society that loves to focus on negativity. I am one of those rare individuals that doesn't. I try to be a light in someone's life daily and can't do that if I surround myself with negativity. I don't retweet stories that I don't feel should be shared. In a world with so much pain and suffering, why must we add to it? Remember this.... A daughter lost her mother and a mother lost her daughter. Don't they deserve our love and support? You would want that from your friends and family. They deserve that too.

When I die, I want to be remembered for the good that I have done, and not for just the mistakes that I have made in life. I am sure that others would like to be remembered for the good they've done as well. I will remember Ms. Houston's voice as one that will never be duplicated. I will remember her also for the music she blessed us with, and a spirit that shined bright in spite of those that attacked her character. Her addiction, like her blackness, was a small part of who she was. It was not who she was.

I can't change the world. I wish I could. I would like to get people to pause and think before their "social media courage" posts something unfair, judgmental, and cruel. I just want others to respect people, instead of judging them solely based on a small part of their lives. I know Ms. Houston is in Heaven, although others have condemned her. How fitting that the last song she sang prior to her passing was, "Jesus Loves Me." In the end, that's all that matters. She was a child of God and now she is singing with the angels...

Isn't it great that there is only one judge? And He doesn't have a Facebook or Twitter account.

Rest in peace Whitney Houston. I love you...