Community Corner
Moms Talk: What I Learned from Oprah
We've all picked up bits and pieces of information and meshed them into a collage that we've filed away in our heads. Oprah, the queen of advice, definitely has her own file in my head
As Oprah celebrates 25 years of The Oprah Winfrey Show, I can't help but think of all the things I picked up from her along the way. In a few weeks, I will turn 30 years old and I feel I've grown up with Oprah.
Picking up a copy of O, the Oprah Magazine, was my favorite study break in college, and as a busy mother to a 3-year-old, it's still my favorite magazine to lose myself in. It's one of the only magazines I read cover to cover. I walk away feeling inspired, empowered and, most importantly, blessed.
Oprah has a gift of making you see that it's the small things in life that matter and that those little magical moments in life, such as going to the park and playing with your kids, are the ones that make life rich.
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It's funny; Oprah has never had children of her own, but she has invested interest in youth and also started an all-girls' school in South Africa. I admire her drive to make the world a better place and, for me, this keeps me connected to who I am.
Sometimes it's easy to lose ourselves in motherhood. Becoming a mom has blessed me in so many ways and it's an unexplainable love. But when I pick up an issue of O, I'm reminded of that 21-year-old girl with the over-ambitious drive to change the world. And then, as I read the very last page of the magazine, Oprah's monthly column called What I Know for Sure, I'm reminded that I'm still that girl, but my role has changed — to be the best mother I can be, so my daughter can grow up wanting to change the world.
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This is what I know for sure. (I've always wanted to write that!) I know that life is short, but it's full of endless possibilities and for me, I'll always see the glass half-full. And, truthfully, Oprah has been one of my greatest teachers — from the time I was 13 years old rushing home to watch The Oprah Winfrey Show, until now — a busy mom who finds herself again in the pages of the Oprah magazine.
Today, we'll say farewell to The Oprah Winfrey Show, but just as we're always transforming as women and mothers (every stage of our children's lives are so different), Oprah will start a new chapter in her life, the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN).
Let's make a promise to continue to grow and inspire one another. I know the perfect forum — Moms Talk at North Canton Patch.