Keywords or Terms:
Entertainers; Eulogy; Whitney Houston Funeral; Kevin Costner; Frailty and
fragility of life; Mother’s love; Successes; Triumphs; Courage and sacrifice; Demons
and Devils; Life and Living; Challenges; Celebration of Life.
When it comes to emotions, hardly many from Hollywood ever wanted to wear those on their
sleeves; but one unique man, one very emotional actor this morning at the going
away celebration of the life of Whitney Houston, gave a rather befitting eulogy.
Closing his seventeen minute remarks at the New Hope Baptist Church, Newark,
New Jersey, that nearly moved me to tears, Actor Kevin Costner said: “Whitney
if you can hear me now, you weren’t just good enough”; and with a cracking away
voice and few minutes to spare, hit the ball out of the park, when he added: “When
you sing before Him, don’t worry, you’ll be good enough.” These final words not
only made the water under my eye lid swell, my wife couldn’t just hold it back
as she screamed: “Thank You, Bro….ther!” The agony in her voice told me
something, this woman loves Whitney Houston’s voice, just like millions over
the world, and couldn’t imagine she could be gone at such a tender age. The
blog today, is about the fragility of human life; the frailty in the time we
all get to spend here and the sacrifice that mothers make.
As my wife sobbed, never mind she cries over everything, I
had to console her, she wondered what crazy demons get into so many of our
successful entertainers, artists, actors, musicians, painters and the rest,
that they just throw it all away at very tender age. Maybe an answer to this
question is better found in Ms. Houston’s own words to Oprah Winfrey: “I am my
own devil.” The demons and devils that destroy so many entertainers,
professionals and non-professionals, are found in their addiction or weaknesses
to drugs and many other vices that so many of us like to deny, until the
unfortunate, the unimaginable happens: Death! This is a very sad day and thing;
but, man is known to engineer despair for himself once he reaches the pinnacle
of success; or, when he imagines himself as being on that unexpected and
probably undeserved throne. At that time, he or she never understands why they
are only saved, by his grace! Did I hear, Amen?
Many successful entertainers find themselves in a blessed
drain-pipe and hardly understand how to crawl carefully, or crawl out of a logjam,
when they reach the pinnacle of success. A few of them understand that
challenge; and, attempt to live carefully, modestly and judiciously, crawling without
misspent days of life, enjoying more years on earth than they can ever pray
for. However, others are bemoaned by the devil of addictions and rarely
understand how to get themselves out of whatever demon or spells they are under.
A few behavioral corrective institutions and family members are able to
redirect their fortunes, if they can quickly get to them, or when they are
given the opportunity to turn back the clock of time. However, sometimes,
something just has to give; and when it does, it leaves a trail of sorrow that
none of us likes to share.
Once bemoaned or hooked, often times, the test of courage
becomes rather to live than to die; and some of them in the middle of the
crisis, fail to appreciate life or learn to live, knowing fully well that we
all have just one chance! Like my old man often says: “None of us ever
understands life’s misery, none therefore, should attempt to die with the hope
of coming back, just because we find the challenges of living, encapsulating!”
Many of our lives are tossed between riches and poverty; and when fortune
arrives; we must remember not to enjoy it in vagrancy, else we die an untimely
death, leaving behind grief and sorrow for our loved ones and those who truly
admire us. Life can be rich, poor, nasty, short or long; but none of us, ever
wishes away the sunny side of life. That’s why when the sunshine of life is
here, let us be prudent, let us be careful, let use live life tenderly, so we
do not bring despair or continual woes to our family, friends and admirers. At
least, we owe them that!
Success is ephemeral; and, nothing can exceed the vanity of
existence but the folly of exuberant celebration of success itself. Success
makes a man or woman, estimable and often serves them as a pedestal to fame.
However, fame itself is a terrible gift of hard work or luck; so let us
appreciate life and enjoy success with care; else we succumb to the strongest
poison ever known to man or woman. Let us therefore, not live life, in pursuit
of self-high or elevation, celebrating successes cheerily without caution, for
happy is the man or woman who has not made his or her loved ones, suffer the
misfortune of death or the sorrow of loosing them at a tender age. To see Ms.
Houston (Senior) propped up by two mourners on the center aisle of the New Hope
Baptist Church, was a spectacle of pain and grief; both of which none of us
would ever wish our enemies. Can I hear, an Amen?
Mothers are loving, mothers are caring, they are the pew we
all sit on, the stool we all stand over; and the strong shield, we mostly hold
onto whenever we all screw things up; or, about to screw them up. Mothers are
trusted warriors, they are the couch on which all infants sleep and always
remain dearer to us all, as we all grow older. Let us therefore never let them
suffer the pain of carrying out caskets or the distracting grief of burying us
at any age. To say of a mother, let no angel hold forth is to fail to
appreciate the sacrifices many mothers make. So for the sake of our mothers,
let us all enjoy our successes and triumphs with trepidation, not out of fear,
but for the sake of our mothers who have labored so hard that we turn out
to be better human beings. To say all is well of a grieving mother, is to lay all our
frailty and failures at the doorstep of our creator and abstain from due personal responsibility. However, who of us is so
clueless as to want to stop the singing in our mother’s heart when all is well and we gracefully bid our time at siphoning the luxury of successes? To the wise, a
word is sufficient!
Another day has gone, another funeral service for another
famous entertainer has come and gone, let all on the treadmill of life,
appreciate the sacrifice that has got us this far. Let us appreciate the
sacrifice of many mothers, who have unselfishly yielded to our fragility and
worked hard to make sure that a day like this does not come; and God-forbids,
repeat itself! We must never fail to appreciate the sacrifice and cost that
many mothers have had to bear, so many of us can live that abundant life we all
crave for. For the famous and the soon-to-be famous, let us celebrate our
successes with caution so that the hand that rocks the cradle does not lift the
casket!
I reiterated to any who says, we should hold our breath, we
should not throw the first stone, that we all have fallen short of expectation
and that only by his Grace are we all saved. On this, I beg for your
forgiveness, endurance or accommodation: what has to be said, must be, no
matter whose groin is being lined. The grief of a child's burial by a parent says just too much to be overlooked or ignored at moment as this.
Today, I pray that our heavenly father assuages the anguish
of bereavement for the Houston’s family and clan. I pray that we all enjoy and
cherish Whitney Houston’s memory in all the songs she has left for us to enjoy. May her gentle soul rest in peace!
2 comments:
it was a powerful eulogy, no doubt about it. to think they were such great friends, who knew
The essay is asking why entertainers get embroiled in drug addiction and self-destructive behavior? It asks why can't we all do better so fame, addictions and deaths do not continue to bring misery to mothers and admirers? The case for friendship is obviously absent from the essay!
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