(Akiit.com) Great people who have experienced great accomplishments will likely tell us that the pursuit of a dream is always an agenda to be pushed, a story to be told and a life willing to be lived, not from the eyes of others, but resonating from the heart, soul and spirit of someone who is willing to say, “This is who I am and what I believe in, and if I am not all that I was meant to be, then I am surely less than what I was created to be.” We embrace this not only as a creed of wisdom for professional success, but also as a position of empowerment to facilitate and navigate our way through life in order to possess the prize or at least discover who we are in the process.
The success of an African American is not just about who we know but how far we are willing to travel down roads that may throw us lots of curves, provoke self doubt and even cause us to be delayed by the status-quo. As African Americans, we are still faced with the challenge of figuring out the design of the road before we can use our own architectural prowess to widen the lanes to avoid the wrecks and obstructions. It is wonderful to now see the presence of African American leadership on many fronts; from the intelligence and charisma of our Chief Executive Officer, to the character and brilliance of a talk show hostess and entrepreneur that has forever changed how we view the media industry by setting new standards of excellence and using the industry as an anomalous partner to be benevolently virtuous. We hold this to be evidence that “the road less traveled” has now been traveled by Ms. Oprah Winfrey very well and she has an entourage that extends beyond cultural boundaries and generational dissimilarities and they remain loyal and enthused by her civility and leadership.
We have never seen Ms. Winfrey stuck in neutral. For over two decades, her message has been artfully projected into our homes and our lives and though we know she was miles away, she has been indelibly close to our hearts. Slowly, the days, nights and events of her life have succeeded each other and now change, well it has come. Yet we suffer no waste nor lost because we cling to the thought of what her second horizon has in store for us.
As we conduct our “Oprah” discussions in restaurants, church, sidewalks and corridors; as we become consumed by our individual interpretations of the “Oprah Effect”, we can collectively conclude that it would not be a paradox to say that the “Oprah Effect” is a phenomenal effect. We can also collectively conclude that there is still a longing for her vivacious and candid talk show voice to interrupt the early gray of our morning or our subdued and pensive mood and place within our hearts in her usual convincing manner, a subtle message that represents a personal, yet celestial view of her passage, such as, “The comet has landed safely and kissed the earth gently; the world has watched her flight and all of the people and purposes that has made her destiny so marvelously transparent can now be connected to one glorified act of faith, we have all witnessed a piece of God’s universe on a long journey that only he could have envisioned.”
God has shown us that His work can be found in the hearts and minds of those who apply His instructions. God builds and magnifies his stories on Earth and in our great land through their deeds which are the voice of His Devotion. In order to properly bestow such an honor upon Ms. Oprah Winfrey, what must be said is that behind her alluring charm lies the soul of a person that is the rhythm of God’s symphony, she has worn His purpose so gracefully.
Her accolades are world renowned, she has been acknowledged many times over with unparallel commentary, her story continues to be told as her remarkable life continues to unfold. She is beyond the flattery of words, yet one feels compelled to describe her preponderously with articulatory preciseness, if indeed that is a sufficient description.
The world has been fortunate to have an intimate acquaintance with Ms. Winfrey. Her name, voice, and presence have become an exaltation. The joy she has shared with us is innocuous, her energy has been persuasive and her compassion is intuitively distinct and instinctively humane.
Spiritual reverence and social moxie, patriot for the transfer and distribution of economic prosperity, perhaps we know of no one more capable of carrying this torch than her.
We have all been entertained and many of us have reclaimed our lives because she sought to soothe our wounds, to loosen our mental chains and replace them with peace and encouragement. More women are dancing to their own music with confidence and allowing their fullness to shape the world. More men are viewing their masculinity and responsibility synonymously. Destitute children are chanting her name and the perils of their predicament have been rescinded by her pronounced generosity. When we selfishly stumbled in the dark and away from being the builders of prideful communities that are rich in family values, it has been her acts of kindness, respect and honor for communities and families that has been the light on our porch and pivotal to the renewal of our own conscious endeavors to be a kindred spirit and a reminder to ourselves that regardless of race, gender, socioeconomic status, neighborhood or hometown, that we are our brother’s keepers and our sister’s keepers.
There is a banner that hangs on the hearts of every day people that reflects the landscape of Ms. Winfrey’s dreams. It states that she has done her work well with the gift of God’s promise and that she has been bold, beautiful and boundless in its application. It memorializes our appreciation for her because she has fought the good fight for worthy causes and higher destinies. It recognizes her as American Royalty, a World Icon, and the Queen of a Heritage that has been eloquently represented and above all and in the hearts of many, an “Endless Friend.” We are now privileged to look at her emulous character and say what a remarkable person God has assembled and she has been a great steward of His blessings.
So, on behalf of all the everyday people who she has touched, refined and influenced in an uncommon way, for those of us who are restricted by proximity and resources, but feel the need for an obligatory response to her prolific response to humanity, this distant expression is written to say thank you Ms. Winfrey. We thank you for sharing with us a spiritual, social and economic repertoire that reminds us that we can no longer afford to know our duty better than we discharge our duty. We thank you for motivating us to rattle a few more cans until we discover our own jewels and more importantly, we thank you for being the jewel we will never have to search for in this lifetime. We salute you on your journey to the next phase.
Written By G. Stubbs