Reba: Quarantine A “Blessing” After Mom’s Death

Reba McEntire is choosing to look at the glass half-full during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has resulted in the nationwide quarantine.

In an interview with the Today Show,  Reba revealed that the quarantine has allowed her to spend some much-needed quality time with her family and has truly been a blessing.

Reba announced on March 14, 2020, that her mother, Jaqueline McEntire, had passed away at 93 years old.

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When the stay-at-home orders took place, Reba was in Oklahoma with her family, planning their mom’s funeral. She went into quarantine with her sister Susie and brother-in-law Mark, which allowed the family the opportunity to truly connect and be there for each other while grieving the loss of their mom.

“It was a true blessing … It really was. I got to stay there at Mama’s house and help clean everything out. We had so many great times, going through drawers and boxes, and found pictures we’d never seen before, and we cried, we laughed, we toasted Mama. It was just an absolute, huge blessing to get to do that,” she told the Today co-host, Hoda Kotb.

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Reba shared that she likes to imagine her parents uniting in heaven and it helps to picture all the loved ones we’ve lost up there, all together, and having a blast. Her dad, Clark, passed away in 2014.

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Reba wanted to offer some encouraging words of advice for anyone feeling disheartened in the uncertain times we are facing saying, “They can always turn to God, have their faith really step up and take control and believe that there’s going to be a better day. When you can, take this time to stop, smell the roses and just reconfirm why you’re here, and just take time for your family, your friends.”

She is heeding her own advice and looking on the bright side of things while taking in all the special moments. The quarantine has made her reflect on how time is passing by and that it’s been nice for her to slow down.

She explains: “We’ve been going so fast, so furious for so long. I am so thankful for this quarantine time. My heart goes out to the folks who have been ill, who have lost loved ones, but it has been wonderful for me. To get to be with my little sister the way we were for the last two months is priceless. I’ve loved it, every minute of it.”

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In addition to spending quality time with her family, Reba set aside a little time to do something important to her. She helped to create a remake of the video for her 1997 song “What If.” The remake features images of people enduring the challenges the coronavirus has brought on.

When asked why she brought the song back and remade the video, she replied, “It is timely. The things that we’re dealing with now, we deal with it all the time. We just got to stay together and find a better way of doing that.”

Watch Reba’s interview with the Today show below.