Day 43 - Mourning Has Broken

Dear Whitney Houston,

You died today. You were only 48 years old.

I had been out enjoying a day on the water with my family when I heard that you'd been found dead in a hotel bathroom.

My heart immediately sank because perhaps like tens of thousands of other people who love your music, I was hoping you'd find your way back to full health and full voice.



You didn't have to know anything about music to appreciate your incredible talent, but for those of us who sing a little around the house, drive colleagues crazy humming as we wander down corridors and who maybe once dreamt that music might be our lives, your natural ability was breathtaking.

Intimidating.

You had impeccable genetic connections, in fact it was almost inevitable that you'd be able to hold a tune - and you could certainly do that.

You had a brilliant range that you used to full effect, but for my money it was your soulful, soft, resonant lower notes that always made me close my eyes and let you take me on whatever vocal journey you were on.

I would have chopped off my right arm for half of your talent, and I'd have done it with a smile on my face.

Then there was your physical beauty, great smile and those eyes that shone with life and energy that made you so easy to love as we watched you belt out "How Will I Know" "The Greatest Love of All", "I'm Every Woman" or "I Will Always Love You" (to name a few).

You just seemed like a "girlfriend", someone we could sit down with over a coffee and whinge about men, life and shoes that didn't fit.

We all knew about your battle with drugs and difficult marriage to Bobby Brown - the public nature of that must have been awfully humiliating, but honestly, most of us just hoped you'd be okay.

That's not to be.

At the moment, we don't know what caused your death and even though it would be easy to speculate, I'll wait until the coroner has their say.

I'm a bit angry with you Whitney, angry because I think you may have died with a lot of music still in you, and your music was exquisite.

But instead of staying angry, I'm going to grab a red wine, turn the lights down and turn your music up.


(Today's picture was taken on the way to a Scenic Rim dam. It was early in the morning and a very heavy fog had descended over the paddocks)