Oprah Show Finale Part 6 & 7
You all have been a safe harbor for me, for 25 years. It’s strange I know but you have been and what I hope is that you will be that safe harbor for somebody else, their safe place to fall. Do for them what you all are telling me the show has done for you. Connect, embrace, liberate, love somebody, just one person and then spread that to two, and as many as you can. You’ll see the difference it makes. My fourth grade teacher Mrs. Duncan was my first true liberator. She made me feel that I mattered. She let me to lead devotion everyday, that’s when you were allowed to pray in school. She let me lay out the graham crackers for the class. She validated me. Mrs. Duncan called a few days ago and asked to be here for the last hour and I’m honored to have her here today. Mrs. Duncan please stand up…Mrs. Duncan. (Applause) I just wanted to say to you when you first came on the show back in 1988 “Mrs. Duncan you have no idea what you’ve done for me. I now think you have an idea.” So audience I want to keep in touch. I want you to jot down my new e-mail address oprah@oprah.com. Easy to remember huh? This is going to be my personal email account for all of you. When you get something in your inbox from me, it will be from me directly and I will be reading as many of your emails as I can as I move to my next life on OWN. I want you to know what you have to say matters to me. I understand the manifestation of grace and God, so I know there are no coincidences—there are none, only divine order here, but I am truly amazed that I, who started out in rural Miss in 1984 was limited to be a maid or a school teacher in a segregated school, could end up here. It is no coincidence that a lonely little girl, (fights back tears) who felt not a lot of love, even though my parents and grandparents did the best they could. It is no coincidence that I grew up to feel the genuine kindness, affection, trust, and validation from millions of you all over the world. From you whose names I will never know I learned what love is. You, and this show, have been the great love of my life. (Standing Ovation.
Part 7
Every single day I came down from my make-up room on our Harpo elevator I would offer a prayer of gratitude for the delight and the privilege of doing this show. Gratitude is the single greatest treasure I will take with me from this experience. The opportunity to have done this work, to be embraced by all of you who watched is one of the greatest honors any human being could have. I have been asked many times during this farewell season, is ending the show bittersweet. Well I say all sweet, no bitter. And here’s why, many of us have been together for 25 years. We have hooted and hollered together, had our aha moments. We ugly cried together, and we did our gratitude journals. So I thank you all for your support and your trust in me. I thank you for sharing this yellow brick road of blessings. I thank you for tuning in everyday along with your mothers, and your sisters, and your daughters, your partners-gay and otherwise-your friends, and all your husbands that got coaxed into watching Oprah. And I thank you for being as much of a sweet inspiration for me as I’ve tried to be for you. I won’t say goodbye, I’ll just say until we meet again…To God be the glory. (Standing Ovation as Oprah walks out.)
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