Pat Houston

In a quiet home near Atlanta, Oprah sits down for the first interview with Whitney Houston’s daughter and family since the singers unexpected death.  With little time passing from Whitney’s death to the interview, the invitation extended from Whitney’s family to speak to Oprah clearly speaks to the level of respect and love that both sides have for each other.  And in true Oprah fashion, she asks the questions that we are all interested in hearing and does so with grace and love.  Stepping inside the home where Whitney called out bingo numbers from the basement in a New Year’s Eve celebration, Oprah takes the world into the heart of a grieving family…and a strong family.  Whitney’s family.

As Oprah arrives in the foyer of the home, Pat Houston welcome’s her with openness and as cameras begin the filming, Oprah asks her how Bobbi Kristina is doing.  With the grace and strength that we know from her mother, Bobbi Kristina walks into the room to talk to Oprah herself.  For many that know Oprah’s ease and style, this meeting seemed almost impromptu but Oprah knew exactly what to ask and how to ask the questions.  As Bobbi Kristina tells Oprah through her words and actions that she is strong like her mother, Bobbi tells us, “At the end of the day, that was still my mother, my confidant, my everything…and I’m her daughter. I’ve got to keep moving. I’ve got to carry on her legacy.”  With grace and poise that even women in their forties often miss, this young 19 year old girl is standing stronger than probably even she imagined.  Future dreams for the young star include singing…acting…dancing. “That’s a lot of pressure but she prepared me for it. She prepared me for this. She prepared me for what was to come….I didn’t understand but she prepared me for it.”

With stepping back just days into her memory, Oprah asks her what her last day was like with her mother.  “My last day with her…the very last day, I asked her…will you just come lay down with me?”Bobbi Kristina shares.  “She stayed with me all night and all day…laying with me and stroking my hair.”  Through this intimate moment, we see even more the special connection that Bobbi Kristina had with her mother and realize, that the fact that she is standing is amazing but that she is articulate, thoughtful and generous with her life through this interview notes to the strength and courage that this young woman has.  “I don’t want to say she’s someone that she wasn’t,” she tells us about her mother, “I saw her hurt and we had so many people say so many ugly things…all the negativity that people are saying about her is garbage. In reality I know who she was.  Her family knows who she was.”

As Oprah left Bobbi Kristina, she shared with Whitney’s young daughter that as she sat at the funeral she was thinking, “I wish there was a way we could have all come together and had this outpouring of love for her while she was here,” Oprah reminds her that “We’re going to send you our love,” and with that and a hug, Oprah moves on to talk with Whitney’s best friend, sister-in-law and manager, Pat Houston.  Pat, ever so strong and Whitney’s protector, sits down for all of Oprah’s questions.  It’s clear that the invitation for the interview must have been “ask me anything,” because Oprah asks all of the delicate questions, even the ones that are difficult.  Pat recounts Whitney’s life, her relationship with Bobbi Brown, and even her last hours.  As Pat takes Oprah through the moments of when she found out Whitney had passed, it’s like exposing a piece of the soul to the world of all of those who loved her.  As Whitney’s brother and Pat’s husband, Gary Houston, joins in the conversation to talk about his sister and her career and life, we see that they are just a normal loving family dealing with extraordinary circumstances.  Strong and resilient, they are a family.

While there will be people worldwide that weigh in on opinions of Oprah, the Houston family, Bobbi Kristina and this interview, just as they did so in Whitney’s own life, it is clear that the family is still standing and that they are moving through this moment with the grace and strength that we can all only hope for if we were to be put in the same kind of situation.  Through this, we are all reminded that when facing even the darkest moments in our lives, we often times don’t even know our own strength.

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