my love for Oprah began when i was about 10. although i couldn't fully understand everything she and her guest were discussing, i could still feel the truth was being told, lives were being transformed, and people were waking up to the wisdom that they were not alone. The Oprah Winfrey Show became a lighthouse, helping guide lost souls to shore.
by baring her truth, Oprah made it inviting for others to do the same. her honesty about being molested at a young age and then eventually being sent to live with her father in Nashville because of bad behavior, showed us how forthright she was. Oprah did not let the shame of her past define her, instead she used it to become who she was meant to become. from that i learned that it does not matter what happens to you in life, the choice to become better and define yourself by your own terms is entirely up to you. no one can keep you from the sweet dream God has dreamed for you.
Oprah always knew that her life would be more than what others thought it would be. her grandmother wanted her to grow up and find some "good white folks" to work for. she was a maid. but God had a better dream. one of my favorite truths Oprah is fond of saying is that "God can dream a bigger dream for you than you can dream for yourself." all you have to do is trust in that dream and surrender.
i had the opportunity to tell Oprah just how much she means to me back in 2006 on her then XM satellite radio show, "Talk to Me". we talked about an act of kindness i had done, but then the conversation turned into one of the best talks about excellence. Oprah recalled the time she had gone to class unprepared for a math test. as fate would have it, Rev. Jesse Jackson was visiting the school to give a talk, so she got to miss the test. he said, "Excellence is the best deterrent to racism, therefore be excellent." Oprah went home and posted this quote on her wall and said that she was never not prepared for another test.
she also talked about going into boardroom meetings and being the only black person there, but she doesn't feel alone. i remember her saying "I go as one, but stand as 10,000." she carries the ancestors with her. that is what grace is.
the influence Oprah has had on my life is more than what words can articulate. i am forever grateful for all the life changing insights and aha moments she has inspired. my life is better because she was there, reminding me that i, too, can fly. after the death of my mother, she became a mother figure for me. she comforted me. she gave me hope.
Oprah, you have changed the trajectory of this little black boy's life from Mississippi forever and for sure. how blessed i am to have known you and been touched by you.
happy fifty-ninth birthday.
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