A Year Later. It feels like yesterday.

A year can sometimes seem like a lifetime, yet a year ago and what seems like yesterday tragedy struck my city and took them by surprise. It was the death of four guys on the right path, four Guys who touched our whole city (we had no idea until their deaths), and four Guys whose life's were an example to all how to live and love while doing it.  It was an unimaginable tragedy, one I can still see when I close my eyes, I can hear the news report still if I listen, and I still see my my city suffering quietly behind. 

Two of the guys I knew very well, the other two through other friends, but it all felt the same.  Wether you knew one, two, three, or all four it WAS THE SAME.  Reality was, that our smart friends drove on interstate 64 at what witnesses still say was one hundred miles an hour. This causing one to lose control, what happened next only they know, and we won't ever. 

What happened next was; four wakes, four funerals , four families with lost of hope in their eyes. What was next was four sets of parents forced to grieve while making their son an example for their friends. So, on the anniversary of losing the fantastic four, it's okay to; cry, laugh, and even be angry. But, we must never forget the impact their young lives left on our city, the tears dropped, the memories that made us laugh, and most importantly... The lesson. 

The lesson from Swerv, "Cherish Everyday." The lesson from Clarence, " Even when things get tough, laugh."  The lesson from T.Cherry, " Love comes in all sizes." The lesson from Jarell, " Swagged out, but still smart." The lesson from all four; " Treat everyone as a sister or brother, embrace life and all it has to offer. Love and laugh, and party too, but always cherish every single day and live for something. 

God took four guys that had a heavy influence on everyone to teach us all a lesson, that no matter who or what life is short and anyone can go. Have you learned anything?

It's tatted on my back, because these are the types of angels you want watching over you. R.I.P FANTASTIC FOUR ❤

They say, “God will let you live your life however you choose. Yet, when you change your life, accept God, and do better God steps in and takes you away, because you have done your job.” The same can be said about Whitney Houston and her tragic death at 48 years old. As the world is just now adjusting to life without the King of Pop, we now have to deal with the lost of what some refer to as; the Queen of Pop. As of today fans don’t know exactly what took Houston from us and her family, but we do know whatever it is, it hurts and as hard as it is to accept, she is finally getting to rest.

Some will argue she had enough rest after taking her vacation from music, but the reality is Houston was under major pressure to be like the old Whitney, to give fans what they wanted, and to leave a legacy of positivity and not so much negativity surrounding her life. And while there will be a cause of death, we know the true cause, was the pressure to prove she still had it. Regardless the only way to honor Whitney Houston is to understand what she did for music. Whitney was born August 9, 1963 in Newark, New Jersey surrounded by a holy filled life and became a wonderful gospel singer at her church.

In 1981 she became the first black girl to be featured on the cover of Seventeen Magazine. She debut her first album at the age of 22 with three number one singles, and in 1987 she added four more singles to number and received her first Grammy award. Houston is in the Genesis Book of World Records; having won the most awards of any women ever. She married Bobby Brown in 1999 and her career took a huge turn; involving drugs and alcohol later becoming an addiction.

Houston often explained, “She loved life and wanted to live.” So one can only be devastated by such a lost to the world. You can speak on Houston’s life and speak on the negative, but wasn’t that ultimately what killed her? She wanted to live up to the hype, she wanted fans to believe in her again, she wanted to kick her drug habit, but most of all she wanted to prove; THAT IT WASN’T OVER AND SHE COULD DO IT. SHE COULD MAKE HER COMEBACK. God had another plan; he got tired of watching Whitney struggle, and took her away. He did what was best.

WE must understand that it’s hard being famous, it hard living a super star life, and although that’s what they sign up for, we must understand that pressure can kill anyone. We love Whitney and we are showing her that now, just maybe we should have showed her that earlier. The media tells us stories about artist and artist spend their days trying to prove that wrong or change viewer’s images of them… This is called, pressure. She wasn’t attending the Grammys, and God had that plan too. It’s sad, because she had nothing to prove, Houston had proved it with; her voice, her acting, and her music. I can’t blame her for being human, living her life, and making mistakes. Rest Whitney, Rest.