I have to pick better shows to watch at 6am.

I got up this morning to work out. Well, I got up after the Spousal Equalization turned on the light and threatened to get the dog to lick my face. (I gained a half pound this week, so I NEED to work out.)

After the aerobics and my shower, I sat down with my coffee and oatmeal to watch Oprah's last show. I'd recorded it yesterday afternoon and hadn't had a chance to watch it. I was a sporadic viewer over the years, but the last show of a 25 year run just begged to be watched.

She said something that just about punched me in the gut. "...Validate them. 'I see you. I hear you. And what you say matters to me.'" I guess I'd always known that there were people out there like me. People that were afraid of being forgotten. People that weren't listened to. People that were pushed aside. (I'm also sure that it didn't help that I was watch it at 6am.)

That simple phrase is, what I believe, leads many people to blog. They want to be heard. They pray that what they say matters to others.

I want to counter that statement with song lyrics... dedicated to my friends and family:

I've heard it said
That people come into our lives for a reason
Bringing something we must learn
And we are led
To those who help us most to grow
If we let them
And we help them in return
Well, I don't know if I believe that's true
But I know I'm who I am today
Because I knew you...

And because that's the best way to leave it... I'll leave it there for now.