oh, prah.

please pardon my sniffling.

but y'all know how i am about my oprah.

the divine ms. o.
25 years.
over today.
& i'm o-verwhelmed.

i've been firmly ensconced
in the first stage of grief,
denial,
for quite a while.

but i guess it's a little late for that now.

i'm not really angry about it
[the typical second stage of grief].
i mean, she's done an average of
one show every other day [weekends & holidays included]
for a quarter-century,
& wants to do something different.

yeah, can't really begrudge her that.

& there's no bargaining with oprah,
so grief stage three is out, too.

so, in regards to going cold turkey
with my daily dose of oprah,
i feel i've reached grief stage four:
depression.

i began college the year she began
the oprah winfrey show.
& i've been a follower ever since.

& i feel "follower" is the proper word,
because she is a leader.

not just an icon.
not just a legend.
not just a media maven.
& definitely not just a talkshow host.
not even just a teacher.

oprah is a leader.
a cultural leader.
a thought leader.
a world leader.
a force for change. a force for good. locally & globally.

& even though i'll still subscribe to o magazine
& listen to oprah radio
& watch own tv,

make no mistake:
this is the end of an era.

stage five is acceptance.
i'll get there eventually.

but not yet.
not today.

today, i'll be watching.
& listening.
& still learning.

from my best girl.
our o.


image: reuters.