What's the Lesson in This?

I know it’s too soon, but I, desperately, want to get the lessons from Whitney Houston’s tragic death:  Don’t do drugs, prescription or otherwise, and drink, especially if you have a history of addiction.  Be careful with whom you keep company -- we all need the right folks in our camp.  Don't marry the wrong person  --  I don't care what anybody says, Bobbi Brown did not make Whitney better.  Grown folks control their own destiny – some times no one but the person involved can do anything to help.  Don’t get caught up in the hype of being a celebrity – a few reels of Whitney commanding attention when Clive Davis was being interviewed with another celebrity were, to me, very telling.  Don’t worship celebrities – they’re no better than the rest of us:  They do drugs, have dysfunctional relationships, suffer from depression, and can be controlled by their egos.

But I know it's a futile exercise to try and make sense out of a tragedy before I’ve grieved and cried over the huge hole in my heart inflicted by a tragic loss.  So, instead, I’m going to do what works best for me: Be mindful that I'm operating under stress with a gaping hole in my heart and take it easy until it heals. I'm going to speak softly and be compassionate and loving to myself and others, maybe play with my puppy, Blue, and  hug my hubby and sons more often than normal. I'm not going to judge the circumstances; it is what it is and, simply, can not be explained in human terms. I'm going to listen more and keep my peace, knowing that one day when I am ready, God will reveal how these huge losses – Michael’s premature death, Don Cornelius’ suicide, and now Whitney’s passing -- are giving us all (celebrities and their friends and family; the media that covers them; the business moguls that manage them; and us everyday folks who place celebrities on fragile pedestals because they sing, act, or play professional sports) the information that we need to make society better: More compassionate, more caring, more loving, and more focused on what really matters in life!

I pray you keep your peace as God reveals His role for you in His plot to make this world a better place.

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.  New International Version (NIV) Jeremiah 29:11