This Is Not Goodbye!

You must have known this blog was coming.  The only thing that kept me from writing it last night was book club night is sacred.  I write The Page Turner blog as soon after the meeting as I can.  Unfortunately, you have to suffer through not just my Oprah blog but Tru Stories too. There are threads of continuity in our lives.  The Oprah show is a thread for my family.

Here are some facts about my life when I started watching Oprah:

I was 28 years old.
I was a stay at home Mom and had a home daycare.
My children were 8 and 4.
I lived in a larger town.
I lived in a tiny house.  I lived in three houses through the duration of the show.
My Mom was still living.  I could call her and say, "Did you see Oprah today?"
I did not own a device that could record her show.

My daughter was a child.  Not old enough to care about Oprah.  I know there were days Oprah had to be shut off due to contents of her show not being appropriate for children.  Think about that.  Shutting Oprah off and not having a way to record it.  When the show started I did not immediately start watching everyday.  Gradually, Oprah worked her way into my life. 

I remember watching Roseanne Barr on her show and laughed so hard I cried.  I remember when the cast of Steel Magnolias was on her show.  I started falling in love with Julia Roberts.  I was watching the day Oprah showed us her "new" body.  Wheeling out the wagon full of ground beef.  I cried during the miracle shows.  I bought books that I knew would help my life.  Her show made me think.  Her show made me sad.  Her show made me laugh.  I think I learned more than I wanted to about some of the dark sides of life.  I learned more about tolerance, compassionate, and giving.  I looked for aha moments.  I tried the gratitude journal.  I bought the magazine.  I was hooked.

At some point Oprah was (as Tru Stories mentioned) a background to our life.  Oprah did not create the friendship I have with my daughter.  The show did not create our close bond.  It was that thread that wove through all the many, many changes.  When Tru Stories moved it was a touchstone.  "Did you see Oprah today?"  The story Tru Stories told about watching Oprah will she was in labor with Tink, there were several phone calls during that show.  Laughing at Gayle and Oprah.  Waiting for our Tink. 

Both of my kids are older than I was when Oprah started.  I have grandchildren the age that my children were when the show came on the air.  The only way I see the show is by recording it.  I watch the episodes whenever I have time.  My daughter is a stay at home Mom.  Oprah is the background to her life. 

Saying goodbye to the Oprah show made me relive good times and bad.  Reminded me how fast time can pass.  Made me laugh.  Made me cry.  Reminded me how lucky I am that I have a daughter that I can share my passions with.  That is a great thing.

Hey Tru Stories:  Remember when you wrote me the greatest blog ever?  Remember when we laughed so hard on our drive to Chicago?  Remember when we shared a hotel room barely sleeping because we were anxious to achieve a dream?    We saw The OPRAH show!  I remember.  I'll never forget.

Thanks Oprah.