By now, I am sure you are full up to here with all the hullaballoo (and gossip too) since the death of Whitney Houston. Good, bad or indifferent - whatever you want to think - I loved her. I don't know if it was her beauty, talent or that to me she was always a scared little girl reaching out for something she couldn't handle. It saddens me to think that you can be famous even in death, and the world can't leave you in peace.

Beauty and talent are two things I am sure people find hard to handle. What we never see is the inside feelings and abilities of the person who has to handle them. We just assume they have that ability. 

There should be no problems in their minds and people should understand that when someone is pulled in every which way, all they want to be is themselves. We think that many are able to handle the two because the media doesn't add to their problems by exploiting every move they make, but that doesn't make them any the less vulnerable. 

Whitney had a reputation for using pills and alcohol. Count on your fingers how many famous people you know that don't have that problem, and I don't mean just illegal consumption. Whitney had only prescription drugs in her home when she died. 

My dad used to say, "Give me a spoon, I will have more than enough drugs here for breakfast." All of his pills were prescribed, all for a purpose and capable of being taken away without the pain of withdrawal. But, that didn't lessen the fact that they were drugs and their purpose was to make one get better, feel better or take away the pain.

The sad part was that in spite of the pills effectiveness, there was also the possibility of negative side effects.

We worry about our children. We have every reason to because there is so much ugly stuff out there in our world that we don't want them to be exposed to. We think of how many children suffered, died or were made ill by some of the diseases we now hear little about. 

Vaccination is a quick fix at an early age and one shot doesn't hurt as much as two or three, but I sometimes wonder if it is that good of an idea to put so many cures in one action. Yes, it is quick and convenient, but what if just one of those vaccinations causes an allergic reaction to one child? 

Children are all different. What if something used in all the shots would be tolerated, but in the combined use, it isn't? You are entitled to your opinion, but don't you ever wonder? Are we too easily accepting of the acceptable? At this age we do this, at that age we do that. It is part of the schedule of things, and maybe it’s right. I don't know; I just wonder. 

When our children are small we consider the pills that their doctors prescribe. We give them to our children because the doctors say that they will make them feel better. That is fair, true and kind, but many children may grow up with the idea that pills can make you feel better. Perhaps the only "pill" they need is time, understanding, or solutions to their growing pains. 

How much consideration is given to the size and ages of the person when pills are prescribed? Does one size fit all?

Hiding the pain is not always the answer. Small children see parents taking so-called innocent Aspirin because they have a headache. Maybe the headache goes away, but the thought that is placed in that child’s mind might not. He or she thinks, "I hurt and a pill will take it away."

My Grandmother Hanson was in a car accident where she hurt her back. She took aspirin, and when she got sick Dr. Ertel said she was taking too many aspirin, so she quit. I never saw her take another pill even when she was directed to until she was in the nursing home and they gave her Tylenol. We asked why and we were told that she would feel better, even when she got along without them for years. The doctors and nurses said that it relaxes the body. 

Was it a small thing? Maybe. Did it make her feel better and more calm? Maybe. But it will always be in my mind that she got along just fine without them.  

I look at my little dish of pills that I take each morning. I know they are there for a reason. They serve a purpose, but just because I am not an illegal drug addict, does that make me any less of an addict? Could I get by without the pills?

Almost every day, we get letters telling us the laws of this country insure privacy. To me, it is wasted paper because privacy isn't there. Scandal and innuendo in those publications draw people’s attention to the lives of others. 

Yes, some of it is good because it informs people of the nasty things that people often do, but it is also filled with scandal and untruths that hurt innocent people. The attention and interest conferred by the media give legitimacy to the charges. Just because one is famous doesn't mean they don't need the peace and quiet of a normal life as well. 

The cost is often great. We all have lost beautiful people all too soon because we didn't let them live their lives, and sometimes because we didn't intercede when they were acting destructively. 

We didn't recognize that all people may be alike but also different. It makes me think that life can not be measured until we take in the consideration of the person, need, size, age, and the personality among other things. That is a tall order. Sometimes we forget to think. If you love somebody, love them unconditionally.While we lament the lack of privacy for celebrities, they have given up privacy for fame and fortune. Readers, ask yourself: is the fame worth it?

Birthdays and anniversaries:

• Thursday, March 8th: Derek Alan Lee, Janice Olson Paulson, Greg Nelson, Carla Paulsen Haugen, Warren Jensen, Melissa Trindad, Kathy & Mike Plunkett, Stephanie & Tom Pulley.

• Friday, March 9th: Reese Sharon Glynn, her 5th; Taylor Jensen, Chris Clausen, Peter Dammel, Curtis Langlie, Mark Sawyer, Joel Wacholz, Dean Waltz, Jaclyn Cromwell Olson, Chris Farr, Joleen Thompson.

• Saturday, March 10th: Julie Stieglbauer Dahl, Sue Misgen, Aaron Callahan, Travis Johnson, Michelle Olson Bedney, Tom Vavra, Heidi Mattson LaFave, Chuck Hanson, Gayle Dummer, Douglas Schmidt, Linda Anderson, DeLynn Johnson Rohrbacher, Hannah Emily Brunsen.

• Sunday, March 11th: Marian Mast, Carolyn Flesche, Leroy Folie, Kari Thostenson, Jon Carlson, Michelle Meyer, Larry Richards, Tim Simon, Joan Ahlstrom Diderrich, Tanya Swearingen, Tom Arbogast, David Callahan, Dean Lembke, Spener Sebastian Sommers, his 9th; Doug Blouin, Wendell Kuehni, Paul & Shirley Nelson.

• Monday, March 12th: David Paulson, Jason Bowman, Terri Engel, Robert Hall, Harla Stanley Malz, Spiering Brody Sundbland, Gary & Barb Paulson, Jack & Virginia Jensen.

• Tuesday, March 13th: Joanna Ver Hey, David Mangskau, Lynda Kruckeberg, Darla Waltz, Jessica Liverseed, Craig Lunning, Tony Tonsin.

• Wednesday, March 14th: National Potato Chip Day! Laura Katherine Worrell, Connor Duane Klemmsensen, his 4th; Sierra Christine Krause, her 3rd; Brian Cerney, Brent Huber, Marcia Hutchins, Lee Loverink, Mary Finch, Kathy Molenaar, Trevor Titus.

Wishing you sunny smiles to warm your heart on your special day!