I hate to jump on the proverbial bandwagon, but I'd feel somewhat remiss if I didn't say something about the end of an era. Her first show aired in 1984; the last aired in 2011. I was less than a year old when she began her television career, but I remember her presence in our household throughout most of my life. Although I liked to tease my mom about her love of Oprah, I had to hand it to her... she fought hard to overcome adversity and wound up building a veritable empire for herself. It's a little weird to think that her talk show won't be a part of my mom's routine anymore: no more stories about what she saw on Oprah, or any nagging tips based on information she received from the latest episode of Oprah.
I'll admit that I enjoyed watching Oprah's giveaway episodes, as well as the episodes where she and her BFF (Gayle) did random things (like embark on a cross-country road trip).
Apparently, her last episode was "uneventful" in that it didn't feature any special gimmicks or focus on celebrity appearances; rather, it was centered on Oprah delivering a heartfelt "thank you" to the audience that's followed her faithfully over the years. Her final words?
"I thank you for sharing this yellow brick road of blessings. I thank you for tuning in everyday... 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 good-bye. I’ll just say, Until we meet again. To God be the glory."
Although I have no interest in being a talk show host, I have to admit... it would be pretty cool to have as much of an impact on people as Oprah did. I'm sure that she'll continue to be influential and successful in whatever she does next. Thanks for the memories, Oprah... my mom, for one, will definitely miss you!
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