OPRAH: A Whisper on the Breath of God

Image: lapresse.ca

It's been over a week since Montreal welcomed Oprah Winfrey, yet her words still seem to echo out of the Bell Centre. It seemed surreal. Magical. Almost impossible. Little me, among 15,000 people, in the same room with Oprah. When she came on stage, we roared like a Habs Stanley Cup win. And to that welcome, she took a deep breath, paused, absorbed the love, and cried. Now I'm thinking, 'Isn't she used to screaming crowds?!'. She should be a pro at this, but the surprising fact is, she's not! When your life starts off as being an unwanted child, you quickly learn what it feels like to be unpopular. But her belief in the power of God and her endless possibilities quickly turned her into one of the most popular women of our times. She's adored by millions for not only her wisdom, but her authenticity and humility as well.
"Why are you here?", she asked. Most of us were there to be inspired, awakened, or just plain curious to see if we'd win a trip! Why was I there? Well for me, Oprah's words have so much credibility. As a global force and one of the most influential women ever, I was dying to hear what she had to say. And boy did she say a lot!
She shared her hardships as a young child, being bounced back from home to home; abused by family members. She let us in on her brief humiliation with the casting director of, 'The Color Purple'; confessed to checking into a fat farm; and that 2012 was a brutally challenging year for her. She put it all out there so we could relate to her sadness, embarrassments, setbacks. Just because she's 'Oprah' doesn't mean she doesn't have her own hardships.
She stood there, before a stadium crowd, and confessed that her mother still sees her only as a dollar sign. She also went on to say that she stopped wishing for her parents to be somebody else. Instead she has come to accept her parents for who they are. It was a very touching proclamation by a woman who most claim, "has it all".
I was deeply moved when she went on to explain how we're all alike. We hurt the same; our joys are the same. She realized that we all share the same feelings when, after every interview, her guests would ask, "Was that OK? How did I do?" She discovered that what people really wanted to know was, ' Did you hear me? Did you see me? Did what I say mean anything to you?' That yearning for validation, acceptance, approval is familiar to us all. It was actually comforting to hear that even those who exude self-confidence, are also looking for acceptance. We all want to be enough in our own eyes, as well as in the eyes of others. The red thread throughout Oprah's speech, for me, was self-love. When you can tune out your obnoxious ego and connect to your best Self, you'll hear life's message.
She went on to say many things I already heard or read, so I'm leaving you with a list of quotes that left their mark:

• On discovering your life purpose: "If you were to die tomorrow, people would eulogize your life and say all kinds of things about you. In the course of what they said, there would be a red thread connecting all the dots".
• On your beliefs: "Exam what you believe because you'll see how what you believe has really determined the space that you're living in today", and "Whatever follows 'I Am' will come looking for you".
• On co-creating your life: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you"- Luke 6:31, and "Everything you do has already been done to you".
• On 2012 being a career low as her network failed in ratings: "Failure is life pushing us in a new direction".
• On your legacy: "Your legacy is everybody that you've ever touched"- Maya Angelou; also from Ms. Angelou is a quote that I personally want to share: "People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel".
• On taking ownership: Be the "Master of my Fate; Captain of my Soul".
• On Psychics - the 3rd law of motion & your intention: "For every action (thought or feeling), there's an equal or opposite reaction. When we participate in the cause of something, we cannot escape its effect, or more importantly, the intention behind it".
• On your trials: "Trials force you to go deeper into more of who you are".
• On acceptance: "All stress and suffering is caused by wanting something to be what it isn't - Eckhart Tolley
• On the "thorn" (a recognizable pain(s) from childhood. Oprah's include abuse & rejection): When things happen in your life, that rub up against that old thorn ask, "What was my role in creating this?"
• On forgiveness: "Forgiveness is giving up the hope that the path couldn't be different".
• On connecting to the Source: "If you're not willing to take 2 minutes of stillness, you don't deserve to have a great life".
• On luck: Luck is meeting the moment of opportunity. Get yourself ready for your moment".
• On being open to receive: "Go through life with an open hand, rather than a clenched or resistant fist".
• On the power of your calling: "Let your deepest spiritual practice be gratitude". 

Every human being is looking for the same thing. We all live through the same emotions, but at different times. We all struggle, celebrate our joys, and grieve in same way. In short, my overview of my Oprah experience is this: accept what cannot be changed; let of go of what wasn't; identify your "thorn"; be aware of your intention; be prepared to meet your moment; believe in the unbelievable; be grateful for every experience; shift to serve others and remember..."The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are".
P.S. If you haven't already, I encourage you to read the poem she read called, 'Love After Love' (previous post).