Oprah Winfrey embraces the fundamentals of motherhood, though she has no biological children of her own. She has stressed the need for ethical ideals and intellectual standards and over the years and many children around the world have looked to her as a surrogate mother.
Her latest and most noble effort was to create a Leadership Academy for girls in South Africa. Approximately 237 young girls in South Africa will benefit immeasurably by her generosity. She has adopted these children in her heart and her concern for their welfare could not be more genuine than if she had had borne them all herself.
She refers to these children as "her girls." It's remarkable seeing these young girls thrive and gain confidence in the midst of some of the most deprived conditions. This is further evidence that Ms. Winfrey has a spirit that nourishes, loves, and bolsters those in need, especially children. She continues to use her wealth to be a blessing to millions in education, entertainment and the media.
Ms. Winfrey continues to inspire thousands, if not millions, of children to look beyond the limitations and the disappointments of their current existence and to concentrate on the limitless possibilities of tomorrow. Many have accepted her challenge and have gone on to prove that while they may be forced to live with violence and subsist in deprivation, they are not defined by those conditions. Anyone who has watched her show knows that on any given day Ms. Winfrey may be seen weeping over a story of child abuse or giving scholarships to children considered unsalvageable and chances are the world was weeping right along with her.
Despite having a schedule that can boggles the mind, Ms. Winfrey never forgets the children. She often stresses the need for young women to rise above their circumstances, to be proud of who they are and to not walk the streets selling themselves in an effort to prove their worth. She tells these young women they are valued and many believe her. She has become the quintessential mother to the children of the world as she coaches; lectures; praises; expects, and often receives, bountiful returns. She continues to elevate females on so many levels by constantly reminding them they have worth; she never gives up on them.
One gets the impression Ms. Winfrey does not have "if," "can't," "but," or "maybe" in her vocabulary and she conveys this to her girls in the most comprehensible terminology.
Over the years and countless times, she has described her rebellious pre-puberty and some adolescent years, which she has never attempted to sugar coat. She tells how she was sexually involved earlier than she should have been; and how she was molested by a family member. Somehow, through it all her dream to rise above it all sustained her. She has shown many children, as well as young adults, that childhood indiscretions should not forever define who you are.
Many identified with her earlier struggles and heeded her advice, believing that if she could pull herself up and out of the trenches, so could they. She tells her story, not because she finds it fascinating, but because she wants young girls to know if they fall they can get up and keep moving forward. It seems all her life she has had a healthy respect for excellence, which is another of her hallmarks.
Young women rely on Ms. Winfrey's advice on matters of the heart as she has related over the years the repercussions of the ups and downs in her love life, especially during her earlier years. In those struggles, she showed how one problem can metastasize into many others, for her she was driven to overeat. Even though she is one of the most accomplished women in the world, she is still plagued with her weight issues.
What is especially incomparable about this remarkable woman is she never tries to hide her failings. Millions witnessed her on the Oprah show, hauling pounds of fat in a small wagon before her audience. The purpose was to show her viewing audience what fat looked like and the amount of fat she had carried around before her massive weight loss. Of course the story did not end there, her battle continues, but she continues to discuss all the gains and the losses with equal candor and with total objectively.
One thing for certain about mother Winfrey, she certainly practices what she preaches.