We fully realize that social media and in particular Twitter allows us to connect with people around the world who we in most cases would never have the opportunity to get to know. We have had the pleasure of following Jacinta for some time. As Oprah says “Everyone has a stor” and Jacinta’s story is very moving and inspiring. You can follow her on twitter @Jaz011 and get to know her. Jacinta went to see Oprah in Hamilton recently and here is her take on her Oprah experience. Thank you for sharing with us Jacinta we loved reading about your Oprah moment.
Aha moments!
Oprah in Hamilton; a trip above the clouds.
“I’m on edge of Glory and I’m hangin’ on a moment with you.
I’m on the edge of glory and I’m hangin’ on a moment of truth.”
The Lady Gaga b-e-a-t, Edge of Glory, infuses the atmosphere as we enter the coliseum. Women huddle together to take group pictures, giggling and laughing like spirit-soaked devotees. The vibration feeds my veins with adrenaline, and I’m feeling a slight vertigo as we ascend to our seats on the second balcony.
I’ve had a career in the film and television industry for over a decade, so I’ve experienced first-hand, many famous people. I believe I have a certain ability to be grounded and maintain perspective when it comes to celebrity. Still, I found myself hypnotized by the buzz in the building, pumped to see Oprah Winfrey in person, and be inspired perhaps to take away some words of wisdom. And that’s exactly what happened. Inspiration came streaming through, one life example after another, in true Oprah style of “aha” moments.
“Why are you here?” Oprah asks. Shifting in my seat, I observe, that I am one person, among some 15,000 now all in sync. “Aha” moments speak to inspire us all, but they impact each individual in the context of their own life. Oprah wants us to turn up the volume of our life, so loud that we will hear our calling speaking to us, and ignite our passion so to be about the business of doing it.
The only difference between you and a person of fame, she says, is that more people know her name. And that her salary makes news headlines regularly. But Oprah has earned every salary as she rose to her position today, having her own network: OWN TV.
She cooks on the weekend. She doesn’t have to. But she wants to, because she enjoys it, along with a little Merlot! So how did a girl from Mississippi, USA journey from there to here, tonight, in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada? It’s rather an awesome thought, don’t you think?
Oprah has paid attention to why she’s here. “We’ve all been called. Your lesson is that you are here.” We all came the same way, (served up with a little humour). Our job is to hear our calling. That thing, that voice in the quiet of our minds, when we’re not playing the roles that we play.
“I am a whisper on the breath of God. I am a human living within and through divine intelligence.”
When you’re in alignment with your purpose, you begin to notice the threads, which reveal the links in your life. It’s not one thing – it’s everything leading up to this moment. “Find the link that sows together the pattern of your life, and let it reveal the clues to your purpose.”
“Because the privilege of a life-time, is to be who you are. And after all, the fact is, you are here! You are HERE!” she says, as the entire audience surges into cheers. Yes, I am here. Without a doubt, we all have a story that has brought us to where we are today. Over a year ago, I suffered a concussion, resulting in a domino effect of symptoms and life-altering events. Now, I begin each day with gratitude, after more than a year of struggle, resolving, choosing, taking inventory, letting go, and the moment by moment adjusting of my emotional GPS.
“I don’t know what the future holds, but I know who holds the future.” Life’s trials, Oprah says, are sent to show you who you are. When life seemed surreal and I wasn’t sure how to get through, I can only say that there came a time where I learned to let go, and surrender; on my knees, sitting silent, or lying in any position possible that gave relief.
Oprah has BIG faith; she describes it like a sunrise. “It’s like that moment when we rise above the clouds.” Life’s common threads are what make us human. We all feel it, even famous people; sadness, grief, pain, love, joy. Out of a dark place of separation or loss, low self-esteem, tragedy – we’ve all been there.
“Let our deepest practice be gratitude.”
Riveted by Oprah Winfrey standing on stage, glancing at her familiar face on the big monitor, seated on the second balcony with fellow OWN Ambassadors, I felt grateful. In fact I was feeling entirely blissful, and my spirit was elevated. Was anyone feeling this too? (adjusting in my seat again) Was it vertigo?
I’m on the edge
the edge
the edge
the edge
And suddenly, I felt myself falling, metaphorically, induced by a wave of sweetness, drifting, as if the air became lighter. “These experiences we all have,” Oprah says, Nothing gets unused. The events that happen to you all hold energy – use it. Instead of letting it use you.” Forgive yourself. “Forgiveness – (we all join in), is giving up the hope that the past could be any different.”
My emotional free-fall was accompanied by Oprah’s narration of a beautiful poem, Love After Love, by Derek Walcott:
The time will come,
when, with elation
you will greet yourself arriving
at your own door, in your own mirror
and each will smile at the other’s welcome,
and say, sit here. Eat.
You will love again the stranger who was yourself.
Give wine. Give bread. Give back your heart
to itself, to the stranger who has loved you
all your life, whom you ignored
for another, who knows you by heart.
Take down the love letters from the bookshelf,
the photographs, the desperate notes
peel your own image from the mirror.
Sit. Feast on your life.
I hadn’t brought Kleenex. Mock my words, or just believe it when I say: it was a moment. I loved listening to Oprah tell her story, and laugh, cry or sigh as I heard that inner “aha.”
We soar to these places above the clouds, and appreciate the moments of glory, all the more in knowing that we gained strength through our struggles and persevered. What’s your story? Why are you here?
