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| This is quite literally how we were feeling as we waited for Oprah to appear on stage |
She was amazing! Every word she spoke was worth the price of admission. She didn't miss a beat. She didn't waste a word. She had us laughing, thinking, reflecting and gave us tools to create our own path.
She told us from the onset that she was simply going to talk about things we already know. As she spoke, I couldn't help but think of the conversations I had JUST had which were filled with the essence of what Oprah was speaking of.
It felt as though Oprah had been eavesdropping and knew exactly what was on my mind. She nailed it. Then nailed it again. By the time the evening was over, she had built a good solid foundation and I felt like she should come over for coffee so we could continue the conversation.
So much of what she told us was something I knew but hadn't put into coherent thoughts. She spoke of many, many things and I am certain I will keep being reminded of her words in the coming days, weeks and years.
She spoke of relationships and how you must NEVER become smaller than who you are, to fit within the confines of a relationship. Never become smaller. Never allow someone to expect you to become smaller than who you are.
Oh, Oprah. I hear you. I didn't know this but it is so true. It explains so much...
She spoke of forgiveness in much the same way my sister-in-law and I had just been talking about. The focus was less on the forgiving and more of the accepting. Of course, Oprah being Oprah, she worded it ever so much more eloquently. She spoke of forgiveness, all the while having this quote on the screen over her:
"Forgiveness is giving up the hope that the past could be any different. It's accepting the past for what it was, and using this moment and this time to help yourself move forward." ~ Oprah Winfrey
I knew this. I simply didn't have it neatly wrapped up into a tight little phrase that said so much with so few words. Oh, Oprah. Thank you for reminding me of what I already know and giving me the words to communicate it.
I immediately forgot the words Oprah gave me but I lived the lesson out loud the very next day. "I think it had to be this way, but I think things worked out for the best..."
There was more. So much more. Oprah gave and she gave and she gave to us. Near the onset of her talk, she told a story of when she was asked what she thought her legacy was. Oprah has an arsenal of good doings to choose from and she opted for "the one" she thought would be her legacy. The person asking the question told her she was wrong. It was so much more than that. "Your legacy is every life you've touched ..."
We don't have to be any bigger than we are to leave the legacy we hope to leave behind when we phrase it in those simple words. Your legacy is every life you've touched. Those words can go both ways. Personally, I HOPE to leave a legacy of kindness in my wake. I hope.
I could go on and on and on. And I probably will, in bits and spurts as time goes on as the echo of Oprah's words linger in my subconscious. But I will leave you with the poem Oprah recited near the end of her time she spent with us:
The Journey
One day you finally know
what you have to do, and begin,
though the voices around you
keep shouting
their bad advice –
though the whole house
begins to tremble
and you feel the old tug
at your ankles.
“Mend my life!”
each voice cries.
But you don’t stop.
You know what you have to do,
though the wind pries
with its stiff fingers
at the very foundations –
though their melancholy
is terrible.
It is already late
late enough, and a wild night,
and the road full of fallen
branches and stones.
But little by little,
as you leave their voices behind,
the stars begin to burn
through the sheets of clouds,
and there is a new voice,
which you slowly
recognize as your own,
that keeps you company
as you stride deeper and deeper
into the world,
determined to do
the only thing you can do,
determined to save
the only life you can save –
Yours.
~Mary Oliver
Oprah, you did NOT disappoint! Thank you, thank you, thank you for sharing a few hours with us. I find myself trying to quote your intentions (if not your exact words) and find myself punctuating my thoughts with "So says Oprah and so says I."
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