Oprah Ends Another Chapter
I’ve known Oprah since her days on the Oprah Show. I am not exactly sure when we met (Well, actually she’s never met me.), but we go way back. We’ve been in book clubs and meditation groups together, and I even felt comfortable enough to have her in the hospital room with me (on the television screen) during the birth of my daughter, over 30 years ago. She has been with me as a constant presence for over half my life.
Now that she no longer has her daily TV show, I stay in touch monthly by indulging in the latest issue of O Magazine (O as in Oprah). The Table of Contents is unnecessary, as once a month I routinely choose a slow morning to sit down with a cup of tea, and I carefully read the magazine, with intention, cover-to-cover.
Oprah is big on intention!
However, in this particular issue, December 2020, my focus and intention was rudely interrupted only a few pages in on page 13. (Did they intentionally align this article with this unlucky number?) The short article I began reading was surrounded by snapshots, similar to a high school yearbook, with the names and smiling faces of magazine staffers, and the title “TEAMWORK Made the Dream Work.”
Oprah is big on dreams!
This classic format and topic gave me no warning or indication of what I was about to read. In typical fashion, the article highlighted all the accomplishments and memories that had gone into creating the magazine. It gushed with gratitude for the privilege of producing 245 issues over the last 20 years.
Oprah is big on gratitude!
And then, without the slightest of hiccups, ever so smoothly it mentioned the magazine was coming to an end.
Wait. What? Re-read. Re-read, again. Re-read, again, out loud, to my husband!
It was something like enjoying my favorite flavor of ice cream and having it suddenly fall off the cone and hit the floor. Disbelief. Disappointment. And a melted puddle on the floor.
But I was not ready to drink the Kool-Aid this time! I quickly flipped to the monthly “What I know for Sure” feature at the end of the magazine where I knew I would find Oprah’s iconic words, written each month by her, and sealed with her signature. I needed to hear it from Oprah, herself!
And there it was…
She told of her experience as a young girl and how she would spend the little money she had to buy a copy of her favorite magazine, Seventeen, and devour the pages — much like I did with her O Magazine. She explained how she had never wanted to be on the cover every month, but it had evolved as the only practical solution. (Except for the first time in 20 years on the September 2020 cover when she honored Breonna Taylor and knew for sure we couldn’t be silent.) She shared how God often “dreamed a bigger dream” for her than she could have dreamed for herself. The magazine was one of those dreams, and after a solid run, she had fulfilled her intentions.
Then, as I knew she would, she talked directly to me and said, “We’ve grown together, you and I, and I am the better for it…” She said she knew for sure that offering the stories to me would mean something and help me fulfill my best life. She was right. I read the stories every month, and regardless of the monthly theme, the stories reminded me to dream, express gratitude, and do all things with intention.
Finally, she ended with one more thing she knew for sure: ”Nothing stays the same.”
My ice cream is on the floor, but I am left with the sweetness. And Oprah and I will move on to the next chapter. I know that for sure.
