Farewell

"I shall wear a crown,
I shall wear a crown
When it's all over....

I'm going to put on my robe,
Tell the story how I made it over."

I love that song. Whenever I hear it, I think of the fact that someone's life is over but they know that they are on to a better life eternally in heaven. The life will be so glorious, in fact, that they will wear a robe and crown. Majestic. They end their lives here on earth victoriously and go on to everlasting life royally and triumphantly.

Yesterday and today marked the "end" for some but I say that they learned their lessons, triumphed victoriously and are going on to triumphant new beginnings now. The biggest "end" that comes to mind for me is the end of the Oprah Winfrey show. After 25 years, Oprah has truly become a legend. So influential has she been that anything that she touched was guaranteed to make money. The Oprah effect. She went to a bakery outside of Chicago and mentioned a pastry that she loved there. They couldn't keep up with the demand for this pastry afterward. All because Oprah liked it. Amazing.

I have grown accustomed to knowing that Oprah was on the air and, while I didn't always watch the show (I didn't always find interest in the topics or guests), I always had the comfort of knowing that she was going to be on at 9:00 am CST and again at 11:00 pm CST. I looked forward to laying in bed to watch her on my days off. She was just like a trusted friend in that sense - always around. At the end of her 24th year, though, she announced that she was going to end the show after 25 years. We knew the entire season that this time would come but many were still saddened once the end finally came. But Oprah ended the talk show talking about the lessons that she learned over time. Aha moments. That people need to be validated. That education can change lives, etc. I remember when she decided to change the format from the "who's the baby's daddy?" genre to something more constructive. She grew as her show grew and her fans reaped the benefits. The show is over now andt Oprah wears her crown and robe, knowing that she is going on to continue to do great things. Oprah will now run her own network, the Oprah Winfrey Network. She will continue to do philanthropic activities. I know that we haven't heard the last from her. She ends something to begin something bigger.

And then, today, the Chicago Bulls lost the series against the Miami Heat. This will mean that the Heat and the Dallas Mavericks will play in the NBA Championship. The season is over for the Bulls. They need to hold their heads high. Put on your crowns and robes, Bulls! By all accounts, they shouldn't have made it to the playoffs, let alone to being just short of making it to the championship! In the process, we crowned the youngest NBA MVP in history, Derrick Rose (22 years old). We have a team that has learned to play through injuries, naysayers and, perhaps, a little insecurity in their abilities. But they have learned that they CAN win! We didn't get swept! In fact, we played very well against the likes of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and other veterans. The team will be fine! We end this season but look forward to what's to come in the future.

To quote Oprah, "To God be the glory". Well done, Oprah and the Bulls. Well done.