Good-bye, Whitney

Whitney Houston dies.
It is a sad thing when anyone dies, I think.
I am saddened that we will not hear Whitney's voice and incredible talent, except in memories and recordings.

People are profoundly affected by death. I am

Fame or the lack of it does not determine death's theft.
Those who dance on the world's stage will be more visible
than the young man from your neighborhood who defended our country.

Death does not discriminate, it takes anyone.

It took two young innocent boys at the hand of their father.
Death has claimed countless victims of murder, abuse.
Death haunts the hospitals of those who suffer cancer and other diseases.
Death stands at the battlefront, choosing at random who will fall to his call.

Sometimes people wave the white flag of surrender to death's sweet promise of peace.
And then unborn babies are swept up in red hazard bags.
Some may long for drugs which masquerade as a good time or an escape, only to find that it is really death's portal.

Traffic accidents, freak accidents, unimaginable events often frame death's work, but the result is still the same. There is no age requirement for death. He takes anyone. Death still accomplishes his task.

It is sad to tread on the grief of others.
Remember the battle.
Remember the victory.
Remember the life.
We all have a story.