Why Oprah is so Important to Me

Back before the days of TiVo and DVR, the days that I worked full-time as a paralegal in a prestigious law firm, I went into a literal place of mourning right before 4:00 p.m.  Not because the workday wasn't over yet; and not because it had been so long since my lunch break.  Because I was going to miss Oprah.  And because this was ten plus years ago, it was once of those things I just had to accept; it could not be changed, only dealt with.  I tried to push it away, as I do with so many things, and I was actually successful for a time.  After I had my baby, ten years ago, and chose to become a stay-at-home mom, I became a faithful, fearless follower of Oprah Winfrey.  Every day.  Of my life.  

I learned things from her that I had never heard of or known.  I remember watching her interact with a young boy named Mattie.  You remember him, right?  He profoundly affected me and touched a place in me that had previously been undiscovered.  But, Oprah is a liberal, Obama-loving, black woman?  Why did she, time after time, reach across the racial divide, not to mention the geographical divide, and touch the live of a simple housewife in Salt Lake City?  Because she has a calling and she wasn't afraid to pursue it and bring it to the world.  And her calling found its way to me and my struggles and insecurities and questions.  And I identified with her, and with her guests.  Another memorable guest that changed the course of my life?  Randy Pouch.  You know, the professor that contracted pancreatic cancer.  He wrote an entire essay of, basically, what he knows for SURE - primarily for his children and his wife, but it inevitably touched the entire world.  I am not a crier, but I cried my eyes out while watching him deliver his discourses on life and living.  It is something that I will never forget.  Google it.  Take it in.  Appreciate it.  

As this has been the last season of her show, I have clung to each episode as if it were the very last one.  My mind has been opened; my heart has been tender and receptive.  I believe her to be the most influential female in the history of the world.  Although I disagree wholeheartedly with her politics and some of her morals, it does not discount the fact that she is a remarkable human being that has touched the lives of millions, including a nameless nobody in the heart of Kaysville, Uath.  

Her commitment to giving, to sharing and to providing for others what they could not provide for themselves is something that I strive to become.  

When the countdown began  to her last show, I reveled in each and every show; taking in every little nuance and being present for each episode.  

The last three shows, I devoted all my attention and energy towards.  I recognized that the end of an era was fast approaching, and since I really struggle with change and the end of things, I knew it would be tremendously difficult.  I sobbed my eyes out during the last three shows.  She has been a constant fixture in my life for many, many years and I have leaned on her and her guests in time of crisis and extreme upheaval in my own personal life.  I have learned life-lessons from her; learned to appreciate what I have; learned to expect more out of myself and others; learned how to become a better me.  I am worth it; I am worthy of a life of happiness.  I deserve it.  And I should expect nothing less.  

Also, I have learned that education is not only important but a necessity!!  I have learned empowerment, hope, and worthiness.  I have learned to take control of my life and to accept nothing less.  Those are qualities that I have been tough through other conduits, but never as powerful as through her.  

There are plenty of things that I disagree with her on; but I can set those things aside, I feel that I have been blessed with a unique and powerful gift of the power of discernment.  She doesn't have all the answers, and what I love about her.  She doesn't pretend to know it all.  She is real.   And she speaks to my heart.

I cried.  I cried uncontrollably during the final week of her show.  I knew that all the many lessons and moments of "aha" that revolutionized my life will come to an end.  I don't do well with change and uprooting.  She has meant more to me than I could possibly put into words.  The lessons that I will take away from her, from the guests, from her staff will stay with me indefinitely.  She has changed me; for the better.  She has made me a better me; made me a better spouse; but most of all, she has made me a more compassionate human, a more decent parent, a more open-minded individual.  I believe that she has altered the face of history; she has truly changed he annuals of time and history. 

I am forever grateful, humbled and changed.