Dear Ms. Winfrey,
I want to take this moment to thank you from the deepest part of my soul for building the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls.
I realize that you will probably never read this. But, I have to write it anyway.
As the mother of a young girl, I seek The Lord's Guidance in how to bring her up to be a courageous, educated, loving young woman. Her father and I have prayed over her as we carefully consider all of the possibilities for her future.
I always thought I was aware of the many opportunities for Americans. I thought I was grateful.
Until I saw the faces of South Africa.
I saw the smile of a young girl and the tears that softly fell from her face when you told her you would pay for her to attend a university.
I saw the eyes of a girl as she strained to see her homework by candlelight.
I watched my television, in my suburban, comfortable home and saw a young lady who wakes at 4:00 AM each day, walks across town in fear for her life, then rides a bus for an hour just to go to school.
I saw the faces of mothers, fathers, and grandmothers who struggle to feed their families, who live in small shacks without running water or electricity.
I saw how one woman can reach so many by sharing her success. But this has nothing to do with money.
You have shown me that one person can give so little, but it can mean so much. In the midst of tragedy, a simple gesture of kindness is worth a fortune.
A hug.
A smile.
A helping hand.
Hope.
Thank you, Ms. Winfrey, for showing me that I can give all of these things to young children and to my own daughter. I cannot give the millions that you may give, but I can love a child. I can show them they are worthy. I can give them praise when no one else has confidence in them. I can treat them with dignity and honor.
And for that, I am forever grateful.
Sincerely,
An American Mother
If you did not view the Oprah Winfrey Special about her new school for young girls, I encourage you to visit her website.
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5 comments:
Thank you for posting. You summed up my feelings perfectly!
Blessings,
Renee
Hello. I found your blog a few weeks ago. I agree with you so much! We cannot begin to comprehend what most of those girls have experienced, but we could certainly witness their gratitude. I don't wish that my children would have lives like those children, but I do wish I could help them to understand that the MANY things we take for granted everyday are such blessings! Thanks for this post!
You are so right! When I saw that show, I couldn't imagine anybody that could fault Oprah with spending her money this way. Of course, we know that some have but these young ladies deserve everything Oprah is giving them.
Blessing on Ms. Winfrey for sharing her money, power, and love with this girls.
I haven't seen her show in years...though I use to watch it faithfully. So thank you for this post...what a beautiful thing she's doing!
And you're right...we take so much for granted here in our part of the world...I know I do!
I, too, am so glad that (for lack of better wording) Oprah put her money where her mouth is. She knows that changing the life of a child can change the whole world. . .and she also knows which hand rocks the cradle.
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