Recently, my daughter and I attended Oprah Winfrey’s 2020 Vision tour at the Pepsi Center. Since tickets were difficult to come by, our attendance didn’t look promising. My daughter’s employer, Breckenridge Grand Vacations, awarded us tickets to this incredible and meaningful event. Grand Vacations is widely known for its magnanimous practices, and we send to you two grateful hearts. Because of you, a dream that I’ve been courting for 30 years has manifested itself. We were not disappointed!

An illegitimate black girl from the South, existing in crushing poverty, rises above adversity, a shining example of the phoenix rising above the ashes. Her life epitomizes a journey of triumph and transcendence. Her vulnerability, her presence and her words in 25 years of television programming brought much healing to many desperate and injured souls. She wore the mantle of friend, teacher and visionary. She represents an integral fabric of our nation. Her lessons, her messages were unparalleled.

On our drive home to Breckenridge, I found myself silent and reflective — not unlike a third-grade reverie. Oprah is a spiritual role model. As 15,000 souls departed the Pepsi Center on Saturday, it was quite apparent that many of us would never be the same, that Oprah would reside in our hearts forever.