Reba McEntire has found her silver lining of quarantine.
The country music superstar, 65, was in Oklahoma planning her mother’s funeral when stay-at-home orders due to the coronavirus began. So she went into quarantine with her sister Susie and brother-in-law Mark, which gave her the opportunity to connect with family during an emotional time.
“It was a true blessing ... It really was,” she told TODAY's Hoda Kotb on Monday. “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.”
The Grammy winner added that she's imagined her parents uniting in heaven "thousands of times." Her father, Clark McEntire, died in late 2014.
"Friends who have parents, loved ones who've gone on, I picture them all up there together having a blast," she said. "That helps."
McEntire went on to offer advice to people who may be feeling despondent in these uncertain times.
“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," she said. "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."
This period has been something McEntire won’t soon forget.
“We’ve been going so fast, so furious for so long. I am so thankful for this quarantine time,” she explained. “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.”
In addition to spending time with family, McEntire's also been busy making a new video for her 1997 song, “What If." The updated version features images of people coping with the coronavirus crisis.
Why has she brought the song back?
“It is timely. The things that we’re dealing with now, we deal with it all the time,” she told Hoda. "We just got to stay together and find a better way of doing that.”