"She's come a long way, baby...."

O. No.

Another end of an era.... aaaaaaaaaaahhh, too many lately!! Today I taped Oprah's last show and I cried at the end. My children will never believe that, since I rarely, if ever, cry. My father would never let us cry. ever. We had to stuff it. We had to stop crying or we got in worse trouble. To this day, I cannot cry in front of anyone; only alone. So today, alone, as Oprah walked off her stage, I cried. She's been doing this my entire adult life. 25 years.... And since I've worked all of that time, I was never able to watch her show unless for some reason I had to come home on a weekday. But I've seen enough and heard about enough of her shows to know how inspirational she is. How charismatic she is. And how powerful she is.... Wow, talk about the power of one... Oprah came from a very tough beginning; VERY tough. She was sexually abused, from a poor family in Mississippi, and born at a time when black women could aspire to be a maid or a teacher in a segregated black school. She's come a long way, baby. And she's been an inspiration not only to black women, but to all women. She figured out what all successful people in the media know, that if you can help others help themselves, then it will come back to you 100 fold. Good karma, if you will.

Her last show surprised me at first, but then, as I thought about it, it made perfect sense. She was still teaching. Or as DD said as she watched it with me, preaching. She said she knew she was doing what she was born to do. She said once you realize that you and you alone are responsible for your life, it's a game changer. No more blaming other people for your lot in life. And she said each of us is responsible for the energy we bring to others. I found this very convicting. I know I sound mean and sarcastic in my blog, which I'm sure is from my own insecurities. She said she's found that most people feel unworthy, unworthy of goodness in their lives, and she has tried to show them that by just being alive, just being born, they are worthy. She said we all have a common thread of wanting to matter. We each want to be heard. And in her quest for the truth, for answers, we have learned with her. And it has been inspirational. It was never about the money for her. She has said she dropped everything to be in "The Color Purple," years ago. It was never about the money, and that showed. She has been incredibly generous with her gifts, and even that has come back to her, as she is one of the wealthiest women on the planet. I have incredible respect for Oprah. She has the unusual name for her unusual life. She knew early on that she had a huge calling. And she said today that she was able to do it because of the viewers, her team and Jesus. Her last words on the show were, "to God be the glory."

Amen sister...