"Off You Go...".

Decided to sleep in today thereby almost missing Whitney's moving tribute, boy, was I ever glad I didn't. As fate would have it, I woke up just as it was getting under way. Four hours later, I am still weepy and reeling from it. Gosh, what a beautiful and fitting send off, done with all of the dignity, respect and love she deserved. The fact is that for most of her life, she gave herself entirely and unselfishly to the world. To say that I had no idea how moved I would be by her funeral today,would be an understatement. At times it all seemed surreal..,ahem!, Kevin Costner in Newark, New Jersey.., really?. A few times it felt as though I had just simply stumbled onto a televised church service until reality would set in and I'd once again be sadly reminded why I had tuned in at all. Nothing was so moving as hearing her belting out, "I Will Always Love You" as it blared throughout the church as her casket was carried out;simply gut wrenching as I watched her mom walking behind it.

What is truly saddening about it all is that for sometime now, and up until very recent, the media has been bombarding us with images and footage of her less than stellar moments but despite all her ups and downs she still seemed so full of life. The tribute had the perfect measure of grief, joy, faith and above all, love. No doubt her spirit was there front and center, taking it all in and thinking..., "Are ya kidding me,who needs the Grammys? It was a moving well-rounded celebration of her larger-than-life talent, accomplishments and most of all it was a celebration of her life and of the loving human being she was. It may have been Whitney's final curtain call but I couldn't help but be reminded of the line in a Beatles song which says...,"And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make", and in the words of your buddy Kevin Costner,Whitney..,"Off you go".