Monday, April 11, 2011

Waiting for a call from Oprah

Yes, it is true.  I am waiting for a call from Oprah. Oprah Winfrey. Well, at least from the producers of her show.  It all started like this...
Ever since I was young, I have dreamed of starting a non-profit for disabled children.  In fact, this dream is the reason I went to graduate school to get my MBA.  Now that I no longer have to study, I've devoted more energy towards making this dream a reality.  A friend and I were chatting the other day and he casually sneaked a little pep talk into our conversation.  "Be bold, girl.  If this is what you really want, you just have to go for it!" I took his words to heart moreso than I had before, but I wasn't sure what to do with his "A little less talk, a little more action" encouragement.  I do really want this, but it seems daunting. Where do I start?
Just a few hours prior to this conversation, a colleague had pointed out Habakkuk 2:2-3.  This verse says "Write out a vision and make it plain..." So, I had a sense that I was being nudged to actually put some pen to paper (or fingers to keys) and write out what I had envisioned for my non-profit.

Fast forward a few hours

Sitting on the couch, I perused the newsfeed on Facebook.  I stumbled upon an update from "The Oprah Winfrey Show": Last call for Harpo Hookups.  This headline caught my attention.  My first thought is "Oh, Oprah's now a matchmaker! What exactly is a Harpo hookup?"  I clicked on the link and notice that Oprah is not promoting a dating service, but she does want to help people's dreams come true.  I read the description and realized that my dream might fit perfectly with what she was looking for as she searches for her last Harpo hookups.  And, goodness knows, I need help with this non-profit.  Help from Oprah would be um, MONUMENTAL!  I searched for a deadline to submit my story, but couldn't find one anywhere.  So, I quickly but concisely (2000 character maximum is really hard to stick to when you are as passionate as I am about this) articulated my dream and submitted it into cyberspace.  Hopefully, it lands in Oprah's hands and she wants to give me a Harpo hookup.

My favorite pastor at my new church spoke on Sunday.  What did he speak about?  Miracles!  He used the story of the feeding of the 5000 as an example of how God uses what you have in your hand to perform miracles.  Jesus took a little kid's lunch (just fish and loaves) and fed 5000 people.  That truly is a miracle!  If Oprah was to "hook me up" with my non-profit, that would be nothing short of a miracle.  But, God calls us to expect Him to do big things.  He has the ability to combine what I have and my favorite talk show host and perform a miracle. I am praying for it.  If you want to join me, I'd appreciate it!

I posted on Facebook that I took a big step in getting my non-profit going.  My friend had advised me to be bold.  Asking Oprah to help seems like a pretty bold move to me.  My status update prompted others with experience in non-profit startups to offer their advice and assistance.  Thank you to all of you who did that.  I am excited to connect with you and further explore my ideas.  With or without Oprah, I know my dream of helping kids with disabilities will come true.  In the meantime, I am following up with my real life friends who offered to help....and EXPECTING a call from Oprah!

I'll keep you posted!

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