Farewell Oprah! We'll Pay it Forward

Oprah's farewell was beautiful. "Use your life to serve the world." That is a direct quote from her on her last show. Oprah's final show was like an excellent lecture from a Master Teacher. Touching upon such ideas as finding and following your passion, your path and purpose. She said thank you to all of her viewers, and talked about how through the show we were, "...learning together, teaching, growing forward and learning to understand the common connection in this human experience." She touched upon a main theme in the early years, people making bad choices and about beginning to learn, "...you are responsible for your life." "You are responsible for the energy you create for yourself and that you bring to others", this she attributed to Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor, from her book, My Stroke of Insight. She talked about learning that there is no need to feel superior to anyone. "There is a common thread that runs through all of our pain and suffering and that is unworthiness. Not feeling worthy enough to own the life you are created for. There is a difference between thinking you deserve to be happy and knowing you are worthy of happiness. You are worthy because you were born, because you are here, because you are alive makes worthiness your birthright. You alone are enough."

After speaking to over 30,000 people on her show every single one had one thing in common, they all wanted validation. "Do you see me? Do you hear me? Does what I say mean anything to you? Understanding that one principle. That everybody wants to be heard." she suggested we remain open minded and open hearted, do this with others. "Try it with your children, husband, boss. I see you. I hear you. What you say matters to me."

She thanked her amazing team. And said when she is asked the secret of her success she answers, her team and Jesus. "Nothing but the hand of God could have made this possible for me". She talked about God being One God for All, and how she experiences this. "I know I have never been alone and you haven't either. I know That Presence, That Flow, some call it Grace is working in my life at every single turn, and yours too, if you let it in. It is closer than your breath and it is yours for the asking."

As Oprah talked about God, she described feeling the voice bigger than herself speaking to her. "Be still and Know it. You can acknowledge it or not, you can worship it or not, you can praise it. You can ignore it or you can Know it. Know it. Be still and Know there is a Greater Power beyond ourselves." She said, with every move and every decision she is still and listens to, "The Guidance that is Greater than her meager mind."

"God is Love and God is Life. Your life is always speaking to you. First in whispers. What are the whispers in your life right now? What is whispering to you? And will you hear it? Your life is speaking to you. What is it saying?"

Thank you Oprah for being our teacher, our sister, our friend. You have brought all these many gifts you so eloquently talked about to us and so much more. As I have been reflecting upon the end of this long run of the Oprah show, I have been wondering why is this positive fixture in our culture going away now? The overwhelming feeling I get is this, it is time. We are ready. Oprah is handing the baton off to us all. It is our time to be like Oprah to one another to: share, see, validate, love and empower one another. This is our responsibility, and it has the potential to be as great as Oprah, multiplied by as many as we are strong, and then some. As we share our network of love and support with one another, we all benefit and grow and pay it forwards and backwards. Creating ever more powerful circles of love with one another. I know this is possible. How can I be so sure? Because I am surrounded by hundreds of people who are Oprah-esque. My dear friends, my family members, I am surrounded by people who see and are seen, who love and empower one another, who have already begun the network of possibilities which come from seeing, supporting, empowering, nurturing and loving one another.

So, Dear Oprah Winfrey, as your parting gift you said, "You all have been a safe harbor for me for 25 years and what I hope is that you will all be that safe harbor for somebody else. That safe place to fall. Do for them what you all are telling me this show has done for you. Connect. Embrace. Liberate. Love. Somebody. Just one person. And then spread that to two and as many as you can and you will see what a difference it makes."

Oprah you have taught us well. We have all been your students to varying degrees. It is appropriate that this is the season of graduation, because it feels like we are graduating and moving on, just as you are moving on to your new path and purpose, we are taking this baton from you, gratefully and graciously. We are honored that you, as with the most excellent of teachers, recognize our potential and the possibilities before us. You are taking the training wheels off for us, and away we go. Wheee... We might hit a bump or two along the way, but that will be okay, because we will have our other graduates of the Oprah Institute in Human Evolution there to assist us when we do.

Pay it forward and backwards...watch what happens, I will! Our potential is unlimited!

And as The Youngbloods said so well in their song, "Let's Get Together":
"Come on People now,
Smile on your brother,
Everybody get together
Try and Love one another right now".