So Much More Than Meets the Eye- my experience with Oprah! By Meg Nocero
As the inevitable was creeping closer and closer, I refused to even allow any doubt that my mother would not recover to enter my consciousness. My mom told me that she did not want to give up and I made it my mission to help her in any way I could. While I had experienced depression before when I was coping with the life changes of having a baby, I had never contemplated the kind of depression that accompanied grief. At this point in time, I was not willing to accept the real possibility that I would face a life circumstance that would open the door to that kind of traumatic experience again. I did not have the luxury of preparing myself because as long as my mother was still alive, I had something to fight for.
Back when I had my first child, a good friend of mine commented that she could not understand how I had one foot in my old world without children and one in the new world with all the responsibilities of caring for a new baby. In a way, now witnessing this moment in time, I felt that history was repeating itself. I had one foot in the old world where my mother was a force to be reckoned with, was healthy and robust; I had one foot in the new, where I was helping to care for a very sick woman as she entered the last days of her life. The only difference between the time when I first became a mother and now as I was losing my own was that this time, when the difficulty of caring for my mom passed, I would have to face the absence of her physical presence in my life. Not a fun task by any stretch of the imagination. This was truly a process of letting go, a surrendering that I was not ready for. Nevertheless the metamorphoses had begun.
Looking back, I remembered the challenge I faced after I had my first child on December 18, 2002. While I had always wanted children, there is nothing that I could have done to prepare myself for the “shock” to the system a baby introduces into your life and your marital relationship. While I had a very difficult pregnancy where I was incredibly sick with debilitating nausea for nine months, I thought that when I delivered him my husband could take more of the responsibility so that I could recover from the pregnancy and get back to my life again. I never really caught my breath. I still have not many years later. While my husband helped a lot with the childcare, the majority of the responsibility lay on my shoulders. It was a responsibility that filled my days with love; however, I grew increasingly frustrated and resentful that I lacked the opportunity to do the things necessary to take care of myself, like rest and exercise. Caring for my mother was like taking care of an infant once again, except this time she was in unbearable and excruciating pain and there was not much that we could do to help her. And once again, for me and the rest of my family, rest and exercise were two luxuries that went by the wayside.
I have always had a difficult time dealing with change. If a certain lifestyle worked for me, even when life circumstances changed, I would fight making adjustments. In 2006, three years after Michael’s birth I was sure that if I organized myself better and delegated better, things would change. But, in reality I was still doing the same thing over and over and it was not working- isn’t the definition of insanity doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result? I must have been certifiably insane because I would attempt over again to make my old life fit into my new. Instead of allowing the new to be what it was, I refused to surrender the past so that I could really experience my present. So, the result of this ridiculous exercise and learning experience was that many times I felt like I was losing my mind over and over again. I was working full time, taking care of a toddler, renovating and redecorating our small apartment while we lived in it, and trying to keep myself together. I was exhausted, I was increasingly depressed and my relationships, especially with my husband, suffered. That time of my life was not easy at all. I felt stuck in a life that took away my freedom. I felt more and more resentful as I looked in the mirror seeing a shell of the person that I once was, the free spirit and dynamic individual that had an incredible zest for life was gone, or so I thought she was.
Moving through my days in automatic mode, I did have moments of joy, but still carrying 30 pounds on me and never feeling fully rested, I truly believed that my life would never be good again. One evening, I was invited over for tea at one of my friends. We were not particularly close at that time so I was extremely apprehensive to share with her what was going on in my life. While I wore my heart on my sleeve with my close friends at work, I did not want to air my dirty laundry to more people for fear that I would be judged. But that day, I don’t know what came over me. I needed to be with this friend and I needed for her to hear me. I spilled my soul and I felt heard. This was the beginning of a beautiful friendship. She validated me and made me feel like I was normal, normal with all the feelings of desperation and loss of control. Validation is a beautiful thing. Many people always seem to be comparing their insides to other people’s outsides. That is where we all can get into trouble. While I may presume something, it may not be their truth. So here I was thinking that I was not coping well with the hand life dealt me and looking around seeing others and believing that they were handling 3 or 4 kids effortlessly. When I connected with my friend and she shared her own frustrations and concerns, I was given the permission to be gentle with myself and perhaps accept where I was with loving-kindness. And, as my friend often says and I quote “One thing is for certain, we will not die of terminal uniqueness.” As defined, I am not the only one feeling what I am feeling and the more that I open up and become vulnerable to others, I don’t have to go through the storms alone. I have always believed that the bad stuff in life is easier when you reach out for others to help. And, the good stuff in life is more exciting and wonderful when you have others standing by your side to experience the joy.
During this visit with my friend, I experienced a lot of love. I also experienced a lot of wisdom. It’s amazing the healing you can experience over the ritual of sharing a cup of tea, and thank goodness this would be the first of many tea circles. Before I left that night, my friend lent me a movie that changed my life called by introducing me to the law of attraction. I was so disillusioned at that time in my life that I thought that I would never pull myself out of the sadness and frustration that I was feeling. As a self proclaimed true Sagittarius, I was a free spirit who thrived when I could run free. I had not felt freedom for three years at that point and I believed that I was trapped and had nowhere to go. I had nothing to lose and the law of attraction that was taught as one of the concepts offered in that movie changed my life, changed the way that I saw my situation, and changed me. After I watched that movie, everything started to make sense. As Henry Ford stated, “If you believe you can, or believe you can’t – you are right.” I really was inspired to believe that I could. As I saw a way out of my self-imposed trap, I was so excited. I wanted more. I wanted all my friends to hear this simple message, you are in charge of what you attract into your life. So, if I wanted to attract love, happiness, and good feelings, then I had to be love, had to be happiness, and shift to a positive perspective with an attitude of gratitude for all the blessings in my life. It was then that I fell in love with the creative outlet called the “vision board”. I first made a list of what I wanted in my life and then I set out to make a visual representation that I could look to on a daily basis to remind myself that all was possible in my life.
With this shift, I was on fire. As I was empowered to make positive changes in my life, my attitude changed and my relationships with others changed as well. My depression was falling away. As I would repeat my affirmations each morning, I set out to change the negative thinking that I had become used to. I was grateful to God as I recognized the blessings in my life, the magic returned, and the miracle of a renewal of my spirit followed. I was determined to make a difference in my life and I could not wait to share this change with others as well. I was determined to bring what I was learning to my office and to my home so that I could have a greater impact on my immediate sphere of influence. Things were happening for me in so many wonderful ways. I was receiving the tools and knowledge that I sought because I was opening up to a higher vibration of energy.
It was during this time that I came upon and was inspired by an acceptance speech given by Oprah Winfrey for the Elie Wiesel Foundation. As I was listening to her speech, I received so many God winks that catapulted me to look at my life in a different way. I started asking the questions that she posed so eloquently, “Dear God, how do I fufill my potential here on earth? Dear God, how can I be used in service to that which is greater than myself? Dear God, Am I on the right path?” I don’t think I ever thought about my life that way before. I was just moving through it, on the defense, just hoping to survive what life was throwing in my direction. Here, with these questions, it was time for me to really pay attention to the song in my soul. Oprah went on to say that we are all blessed with privilege and when we leave this earth, we will be asked how did you serve, who were you able to save, what did you do for the powerless- broken and those who suffer? Then the “Aha” came to me as she stated that we were all free agents for the divine, managers for the spiritual forces within us and we have the power to transform our lives and the lives of people who we know. That was God talking to me. I heard the message that I needed to hear. My message was I can be of service and teach and inspire exactly where I was and that I have the power to transform my life and the lives of people who I know. Wow! This was huge! I was not a victim but a volunteer; it was time to decide how I wanted to volunteer my time and myself.
And, I did just that to make a difference in the world in my own way. When I began as a young immigration lawyer with the Federal Government in 1999, I had the privilege and opportunity to mentor law students who served as legal interns within my agency. As a result, my confidence as a teacher grew. After this insight, I made a conscious decision to share my own personal mission with my colleagues. I started to believe that if I showed up in life on a daily basis and chose to bring something special and positive to that day, I could impact so many people and even change my own life for the better. If I wanted to realize my dreams and inspire others to do the same, I had to be proactive and do my best to lead by example. For example, in my office, I introduced the complaint free world bracelets by handing out over 60 to my fellow attorneys, I have gifted magnets that share inspirational quotes that I have placed on the doors of the attorneys’ offices (my colleagues have referred to them as “MEGnets”), I sent out e-mail insights daily and I extended myself as a sounding board for people to help guide them to realize their own dreams. As a result of introducing the complaint free world bracelets in my office, I was contacted by the founder of the movement who asked whether I was interested in participating in another Oprah show that was in the works. I was beyond excited because there was a possibility of actually meeting Oprah and experiencing her incredible energy first hand. While the show never happened, my dream of meeting Oprah Winfrey in person was born.
Now, how does this past experience apply to my life as I was facing the reality that my mom was no longer in remission and the cancer returned in July 2009? Well the reality was that it did not, I forgot everything as if I were experiencing temporary amnesia. Everything that helped me heal after I first had my son those many years ago, I just forgot. Or more appropriately, when I went into panic mode because I felt helpless to the circumstances of life once again and I chose not remember anything that could help me through it.
This was also the same time that Oprah announced that she would go off the air after 25 years. The other place that I would go to for inspiration was also no more. I felt completely helpless as I was facing two very real possibilities where my life would change, in a large way, losing my mom and a small way losing a dream. While I supported my mom with love and set out to keep her hope alive, I felt out of control as to the outcome of any further treatment she was undergoing. I needed to go back to what I could control to help me get through this challenging time. I went back to the tools that saved me from my depression in 2006. I modified my vision board to show my mother protected by angels as she healed and I would check the “O” website on a daily basis to see if there were any opportunities to get tickets to her final shows. I put my meeting with Oprah on my vision board alongside my hope for a complete healing of my mother.
We humans are very interesting in that during times of challenge or pain, we may conjure up in our imagination the image of something that will bring hope into our lives or inspire us to keep moving forward. I felt that if I grabbed on to my impossible “Oprah dream” and it came true, then it was possible for my mother to have a complete and miraculous healing. Silly and simple, I know, but I was looking for ways to cope with what life was throwing at me and I did not want to let go. While attaining my “Oprah dream” became a symbol of hope and inspiration for me, I would submit paragraphs targeting certain topics that they would be discussing on future dates and even my friends would champion the cause by submitting their own entries as well for me. I even flew to Chicago with my best friend and sister with the intention of making the miraculous happen in that it was extremely difficult to get last minute tickets. We even took a taxi to Harpo studios in hopes that a divine intervention would happen and we gained entry into the show. We ended up spending time in the Oprah store, not wanting to face the possibility that my dream would not come true, but we never got tickets. We did have a lot of fun trying though- happiness is the journey not the destination right?
It was twenty-five years of “the Oprah Winfrey show” that showcased the tremendous endurance of the human spirit during times of challenge. I needed to exhibit this endurance now as I was facing the process of letting go of my mother’s physical presence in my life. My mother died in April of 2011 and Oprah went off the air in May of that same year. I felt defeated on both fronts. I remember sitting on my couch as I watched Oprah’s last episode and experienced the loss of my mother all over again. How strange that and intensely symbolic, the end of one chapter of my life would give rise to the birth of another- I just was not sure what that new chapter was going to look like and was incredibly scared to move forward without the love and support that I was so readily receiving before. In the end, I was left with the challenge of finding a new dream, one that would take my ordinary live and transform it into extraordinary.
Did I think that my self-proclaimed enlightenment would protect me from my present or future suffering? Perhaps I did. Did it protect me from the pain? I would say a resounding no- but am I aware –definitely aware. I was aware that I was building a brick wall. My brick wall was made of my fear. As I faced the reality of losing my mom, my prayer remained, God please take care of me and guide me towards my purpose. I had no idea at the time the profound imprint that this whole experience would leave on me. While I still wish I could change the outcome of this part of my life, I wish I still had my mother here, and to a lesser extent I wish I could have met Oprah so that my faith in the impossible could be reinforced, so much character is built upon the big issues- the drama in your life. And, it is when I faced the big issues and looked at the lessons that they offer me, that I would be free once again to look myself in the face and love who I see. Then the story of angst and heartache transforms into a survivor story. For the law of attraction still exists, I just needed to remember what it was that I wanted to attract and I needed help this time as the dark night of the soul was coming upon me. A new path was unfolding before my eyes, one where I would need the light of others, new actors on my stage of life who have gone through it before to help me remember that my own light will shine brightly and beautifully once again. Depression would revisit my life after grief took over, the question was not if I was I ready for this life challenge, but how would I face it this time around?
October 25, 2014
The opportunity of a lifetime just happened. One of my biggest dreams just came true. Some would like to believe that it was all luck, but I know better. I am a believer in synchronicity. As the Brazilian author Paolo Coelho set forth, “When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.” I know what I put out to the universe came back to me today in so many ways. I will never be able to count my blessings on both hands. There is a story to be told and it is a story of surviving and thriving a difficult period in my life. If you had asked me nearly four years ago whether I would be standing on a stage with Oprah Winfrey, I think that I would have broken down in tears because I did not think that I would survive the day.
After my mother died, I had what felt like a nervous breakdown filled with moments of depression, panic attacks and anxiety beyond belief. This period of grieving left me questioning whether life was worth living, forget about making it to the next year. I have many angels in my life, as do we all. Mine showed up for me when I needed them most. They were close friends, family members, and sometimes, complete strangers. After watching my mom suffer from the end effects of cancer, being the visual person that I am, I suffered from Post-traumatic stress. Suffering from exhaustion, I developed tinnitus, a high-pitched ringing in my ears, and as a result insomnia took over. I am not sure how I got to work everyday, all I knew was that when I got home I would sit in my closet and cry. My angels, let me have time to mourn, but they did not let me stay stuck for too long. I needed to find new tools to help me forward. I was introduced to meditation. I joined a long distance Divine Mentoring Group for over a year of five amazing women located all over the country led by a shaman in Hawaii. Because I did not want to rely on anti-depressants or anti-anxiety medication, I started to receive weekly acupuncture treatments. I started bodytalk and cranio sacral with a healer who could channel. I started an exercise and nutrition regime. I started to do yoga. I worked with a life coach who helped me set up a tennis scholarship with my family to honor’s my mother’s legacy. I found an amazing psychotherapist who did Psych K and NET therapies. I participated in Emmaus women’s retreats. I started giving Follow Your Dreams workshops. And most importantly, I found time to connect with my mom daily by writing a thought of the day. In 2011, at one of my Follow Your Dreams workshops, I met my friend Mari for the first time. And that is when we both shared our mutual dream to meet the amazing Oprah Winfrey.
Pay attention to what is going on around you became my mantra. When opportunities present themselves, say yes, another. So in 2012, when I read that Oprah was holding an “O You!” conference in LA in October, I bought tickets to go to see her with my husband. As you may know, October is breast cancer awareness month and for me it was too much awareness and too much of a reminder of what breast cancer took from my family. My anxiety was triggered so high that I could not get on the plane. Panic or anxiety attacks are no joke! You feel that you are going to die and there was no way I could function 1000 miles away from home feeling like that, let alone fly 5 hours across country- maybe it was the fear of not having a dream come true again, who knows! Yet once again my dream to see her and feel that energy in person slipped away!
I think it is the power of positive vibrations that draws me to her. People who are seekers and share that energy are attracted there and God knows we all need positive energy in our lives! I have come so far and healed so much. I am so grateful for the many angels who came to my aid that now I want to give back in a big way! I know I had to go through this journey and I am blessed to have met and reconnected with so many fabulous people!!!! I am not sure if I would have been so vulnerable with my life if my mom was still here for I had her to confide in everyday, I did not need anyone else.
Now, I have written and almost ready to publish a book of daily thoughts of the day called The Magical Guide to Bliss to help inspire others to get through challenging times and keep the faith (God is good). It is a 365 day guide to unlocking your bliss within. Even my dad is a part of it as he wrote an amazing introduction on what it means to be human.
So the signs and synchronicities continued. In 2013, I met Elizabeth Gilbert when she came to Miami on her book signing tour and was just taken in by her honest vulnerability!!! After the event, I started to follow her on Facebook. When she announced on her page that she would be coming to Miami with OPRAH on this tour I nearly cried. When I saw the lineup of speakers, I nearly fell to the floor in excitement. Deepak, Rob Bell, Iyanla, Elizabeth Gilbert AND Oprah. What!?!?! On the day tickets went on sale, I was shaking so much. I actually had to place the order a few times. Each time losing the seats that I booked as my cell phone froze up. When I got my confirmation for Row L, seats 7 and 8. I felt a sense of excitement and peace at the same time. I really did not know if they would be close enough to her, but they would do. It was May, I was getting my chance the following October and believe me, I told anyone who would listen how I was finally going to meet Oprah. She was coming to my backyard and this journey of almost 4 years was coming full circle! And there is not much more of a monumental event than the Life You Want tour!!! Also in May, I met Dr. Oz at a National Organization of Italian American Woman gala in NYC where they honored his wife Lisa Oz. On the return flight home, I greeted Suze Orman as she was sitting right behind me in coach. There was too much serendipity going on.
When Oprah started the tour, I would follow her as she went from city to city on Facebook. I wanted so badly to get to meet her that I posted on the Houston Facebook page a brief version of my story and in bold letters at the top of the post wrote READ THIS! Well a woman who had gotten on the stage in Atlanta with Oprah decided to respond and told me to inbox her. When I did, she told me to call her. When I did, she stated that she never does this kind of thing, but was moved by what I wrote and had to talk to me. She told me that Oprah chose her to come up on the stage and told me how it happened. I almost fell off my seat with exuberant joy. It was more than possible as she told me that Oprah came down into the audience to pick out a few individuals who moved her. Why was this wonderful lady calling me if not to give me more hope that my dream would come true??
Then two days before the show, I had a clairvoyant dream that upset me. In this dream, I was sitting in the audience at the Oscars with Steven Spielberg. I was so excited and was just chatting with him as if it were no big deal. Then, I saw Oprah in the crowd and she was coming my way. As she approached me, she stopped, then turned and walked away from me. Nooooooo, I thought this was not the way it was supposed to happen!!!!! When I woke up, I wrote it down and did my best to dismiss this as my fear speaking to me. I am a big believer in dreams and the messages that they bring and I did not like this one. Even after this dream, I did my best not to sabotage myself. So to get me all pumped up for the event, I kept visualizing and that this meeting was going to happen like my experience in1991 when I went out to California and was chosen to be on the game show, The Price is Right. And if out of that audience, I was singled out to “come on down” then I could believe that the same thing could take place now. I also attended a workshop with the Miami Acting Studio were we did a closed eye meditation visualizing a goal that we wanted to accomplish. Of course, my experience had me on stage with Oprah looking out into the audience and taking it all in. I also read and presented the teachings of Pam Grout in her book called E2/E3, to 15 women in a Soul Talk at my house. Prior to The Life You Want Weekend, I did Experiment #9 in her book E3 called The Yabba-dabba-do Corollary or Transcendence: It’s Just How We Roll. With this experiment, I had 72 hours for the universe to provide me proof in the form of a transformative moment in confirmation that life is miraculous. I connected with the amazing Reiki Healer who supported my dream. I went to Body Talk with to balance me. I went to Acupuncture to relax me. I was prepared.
On Friday night, October 24, 2014, the event begins. On Friday morning at 1:00 am, I get an email from OWN that I won two extra VIP tickets. What??? I was so excited I could barely contain myself. I did not sleep at all that night. I was sending out emails to invite my friends who I knew were a part of my journey and that I wanted to pay back the incredible gifts of kindness. Finally, the woman who offered me free sessions of life coaching was able to arrange her busy schedule to come, calling me over and over in disbelief and doubting that the gift was for real. And, my husband’s aunt who has always been an Oprah fan drove 5 hours from Tampa to Miami that morning to attend. My best friend Lisa could not make the trip, so I asked my dear friend Karyn to come with me. She agreed and Friday morning, she too won VIP tickets out of the blue and invited her friends to join us as well. Now if that were not lucky enough, this story continues.
I had a great insight during Zumba that we would all wear the tiaras that I bought for my trip to New York in December. If ever there was a perfect time to be a queen, it was now. I chose my favorite canary yellow jacket with electric blue. And away we went. All of us so excited beyond belief.
When we got there, the energy in the house, was off the charts. People were dancing and buzzing with excitement. Everyone was so kind to each other. All 6 of us got VIP bags that had all sorts of goodies in them. And when Karyn and I got to the floor, we were greeted by a security guard whose name was “ANGEL!!!” It was going to happen, I just did not know how. The first night, Oprah came out and set the whole arena on fire. The bracelets that they gave us lit up and as you looked around, it was a beautiful sight. Her message, you are the master of your destiny and the captain of your soul! To top off the evening, we decided to go over to the Mandarin on Brickell Key (I live in a condominium on the island) for drinks and danced the night away to awesome jazz and spotted Oprah’s staff but no Oprah!
So now I go back to October 25, 2014. I woke up that morning and thought to myself today was going to be the day. I believed beyond belief, but still did not know how it was going to happen. As we entered the arena again, we went diva spotting and called out all those beautiful women. On the floor, dancing away with our new friends. My friend Mari said that she spotted my yellow jacket and she somehow had to find her her way down to me. I turned around and saw her and we were so excited as we were hugging, dancing, and jumping. When it was time for the activities to start, I told her to stay because there were two seats available right next to me. Her real seat was up in the nosebleed section, so how could she pass this offer up. Even the assistant appeared with an extra workbook because she had left hers with her friends.
Deepak came out with Oprah and conducted an amazing meditation. Afterwards, Oprah had all of us answer a question in the workbook, what would we dream or wish for our loved ones if we could dream big for them. As the calm music was playing, Oprah starts to descend from the stage onto the audience. I almost jumped out of my seat because I remembered that the women I spoke with from Atlanta told me that is when she was picked. Oprah went up the side isle and passed us then came back around and walked right in front of us. We could touch her if we wanted to. She made eye contact with me at one point and I was crying with excitement. Was this really happening??? She came up near me, looked at the workbook that Mari was writing in, told her that she liked her and said come with me. As I saw Mari walk away, my heart dropped, then I remembered my dream. The night before Oprah has talked about Steven Spielberg and her dream to be in the Color Purple. She said that she wanted it so much and it felt like it was going further and further away from her. At the moment she finally let it go, she got the call from Mr. Spielberg. Mr. Spielberg was in my dream and Oprah had walked away from me then. My friend Karyn looked to me saying that should be you, and I said that I was so happy for Mari and that this was her moment. I let it go because all the signs showed me that mine would come. Not even 2 minutes after I declared that, I heard Mari say to Oprah that she was so grateful for that moment, but how could she be up her when I was in the audience. Then Oprah said the words, “Where is Meg?” “Look at you Meg with your crown on, Meg come on down” she said come on down!!!!!! And the rest was just all sort of amazing. The rest of the day so many people came up to me to congratulate me and Mari and give us hugs, asking for photos, etc. The actual unfolding of the dream of meeting her was even better than I could ever have imagined!! God has big plans for us. I know this. I am a big dreamer. I believe. And that morning, I asked God to please make this dream come true so others will believe in the magic and miracles of the world as well! And because so many people knew how badly I wanted this, I felt such an outpouring of love and generosity from my friend Mari that is beyond compare and an outpouring of love from my friends and perfect strangers. This had nothing to do with luck, the universe conspired in my favor and what a wonderful amazing story it was. As Oprah said to me on stage, this is the beginning of the Life You Want, I broke into tears because I knew in my heart that I really believed her as well! I took a moment on that stage to look up and say thank you God and thank you Mom for I know for sure that what happened there was so much more than meets the eye! It was like my fairy godmother told me that the magic was mine all along and for this message I am so grateful and am beyond blessed!
My Personal Encounter with Oprah and the Story Behind it…. By Mari Vina-Rodriguez
My dear friend Goldie Zayas, has been my friend since high school, and was also my roommate in college. Goldie called me over six months ago to tell me about the Oprah, “Life You Want Tour” and how it would be in Miami on October 24 and 25th, 2014. Goldie and I have been huge Oprah fans since those college days when we were both studying Public Relations at the University of Florida in the early 90’s. Every afternoon when we returned to our apartment we had our ritual at 4:00 o’clock to watch the Oprah Winfrey show. This was by far our favorite class of the day, after all who better to learn how to relate to the public from than by this great teacher and speaker. Oprah made us laugh, cry and most importantly think of important topics and who we wanted to be, and our place in this world.
I always imagined myself sitting across from Oprah one day in those comfy chairs and having a real heart to heart with her and sharing on our life’s experiences and lessons. I would share my story with her and let her know that at the young age of 14, I had had a near death experience in an awful car accident where I broke my back and was lucky to come out of alive. I would tell her that one night while hospitalized and crying myself to sleep, I was completely terrified and kept repeating the words the nurse had left me with, when I asked her if I was going to be able to walk again. Her response was simply, maybe yes or maybe no. That, was the night, I met God. Although I was being raised Catholic and I knew who Jesus was, I had not felt the presence of God and heard him loud and clear within my soul until that night. As I wept and questioned what my life would be like going forward, the voice inside of me told me that everything would be all right and that I should rejoice because I was still here and I was overjoyed and thankful to be alive.
The next nine months to a year were painful and difficult for me because I had to wear a steel brace that held my back straight and I had to undergo months of physical therapy all while experiencing my freshman year in high school. I knew for sure, that this experience made me stronger and was a huge part in making me the woman I am today. As a result, my faith began to develop as well as my desire to question many of life’s biggest questions early on. Having gone through a near death experience makes you focus on what truly matters and helps you always seek joy. The most important lesson I learned from surviving the car accident was that everything happens for a reason and that certainly God kept me here for a reason.
On the first night of the “Life Your Want” in Miami, Oprah shared many of her own life experiences and the lessons she has learned from them. When she spoke of her wanting her role of in the movie The Color Purple, she explained how badly she wanted this role and everything she did to get it but at the end of all of it she had to do the hardest thing of all, to surrender and let it go! This is something that for anyone who has tried to do this, it is far easier said than done.
I too have had to this and it has been very painful and difficult thing to do. My husband Rolando and I dated for five years before we got married. The last three years of our dating years together we were long distance with him in working and living in Puerto Rico and I in Miami. As we approached our fifth year anniversary I told him that if we got to our 5th year together and he had not mentioned the word marriage that we would both go our separate ways. This wasn’t really a threat or an ultimatum more as a, this where I draw the line for myself. Low and behold we celebrated our 5th anniversary together and I was true to my word and told him that we were no longer together and that we would go our separate ways and if life brought us back together again then we would know that we were meant to be. The next six months were some of the hardest of my life. I cried and prayed that if he was the man for me that he would come back to me. On December 23, 1996 my then boyfriend Rolando proposed marriage to me after having been separated for six months. I was so shocked and overwhelmed but so grateful because my letting go and surrendering had been well worth it.
Along with my faith in God, I consider myself to be pretty open minded to the universe and the way it functions and I have always been a very big giver in my life. On the first night of the “Life You Want Tour,” Oprah talked about one of her favorite laws, Newton’s law of physics. This law or basic principal simply put means that for every action there is a reaction. This law I have observed closely in my life and I see clearly, that when I give of myself to others the reaction of what I receive is so much greater than the output. This is one of my favorite laws as well. “For it is in giving that we receive,” St. Francis of Assisi.
I like to consider myself a very happy and positive person and I realize that staying happy and positive takes work so I consciously surround myself with positive people and more specifically people who add to me not subtract. Three years ago I was blessed to meet an even greater positive person my friend and religious retreat, spiritual leader, Meg Nocero. Meg and I coincided on so many levels and her intense energy was contagious. We both shared our love of Oprah and the huge impact she had made on our lives. We share a hunger for learning about the law of attraction, positive energy and the tools we used such as our vision boards.
Three weeks before the “Life You Want weekend in Miami, Meg and I went together to brunch after serving breakfast at a spiritual retreat for women. She was so excited about the countdown for the event and she told me how she believed that she was finally going to have the opportunity to meet Oprah this time. She had already tried on three previous occasions and it had not happened. I truly believed Meg would have her moment with Oprah and I reaffirmed it and told her to believe.
On the Saturday, October 25th my dear friends and I had spent the night at a hotel since we wanted the “Life You Want” to be a special girls weekend. Something we never due because of our hectic schedules and busy family lives. As we began to get ready in the morning, I made a positive affirmation in the mirror as I was putting on my make up, and I said “I am going to be wear a little bit more makeup than usual since I am going to be on stage with Oprah today”. They probably laughed to themselves and thought there she goes again our nut case friend, but deep down inside I knew it to be true.
When we arrived at the American Airlines Arena we saw people we knew said hello and quickly made it to our seats, which were on the first row of the top tier. DJ Kiss was fantastic and she was spinning some get out of your seat and shake your booty music. So much so, that it got me up and I instantly wanted to go find Meg and dance with her in celebration. I told my friends that I would be back soon, and asked them to watch my purse and program because I needed to go find Meg who’s tickets were on the floor of the arena. As I walked my way down and maneuvered my way through the aisles I was not stopped once by anyone in security. Once I made it to the floor section I looked around for Meg for a while, but quickly spotted her with a bright yellow jacket and her tiara. She looked radiant and emulated the excitement and energy in the room.
The program was about to start and she told me there happened to be two empty seats next to her, and that I should just stay and sit next to her. I said yes, after all I had nothing to loose. So I texted my girlfriends and told them I would be seating with Meg until I was asked to move. Oprah introduced her first trailblazer Deepak Chopra who walked us through a meditation. Meditation is still foreign to me and is not easy for me to do since I have such high voltage energy, but on this day I was able to do it for the first time ever!!! The meditation left me feeling completely relaxed and very aware. The next exercise was for us to write an intention for someone we loved dearly. I was very caught up in the moment as this intention was one that I knew all to well since I have been praying for it for a long time now. As I wrote, I became emotional and cried since my intention was for my husband. As this is taking place Oprah begins to walk down on the floor section of the Arena to glance over what other people were writing.
Although I was very focused on writing my intentions, I was also very aware that Oprah was walking closer to us. Meg was extremely excited, but as for myself, for some unknown reason I remained calmed and focused. I was having my own moment and I was feeling a great sense of peace and kept telling Meg to relax, and I reaffirmed that it was going to happen. Oprah kept coming closer and closer and she did look closely at Meg smiling brightly at her but she continued on over to me. She walked up to me and asked me if she could read what I had written. After she read what I wrote, she grabbed my arm and told me she really liked me and asked me to come with her. As I began to walk with Oprah she had her arm around me and pulled me close to her as if she was hugging me the whole time we were walking together. I felt such peace from her and such an amazing grace; she made me feel completely at ease. I am and will be eternally grateful for that moment because not only did I get validation from Oprah Winfrey but also she gave me a huge feeling of strength and grace in a very vulnerable moment.
As we were walking up the stage I was still very caught up in my emotions and the very personal intentions that I had written for my husband and Oprah had chosen another lady to come up to the stage as well. Oprah asked the other lady to read her intentions first and I cannot remember one single word thing she said. The moment was completely surreal. Then Oprah turned to me and asked me what my name was and I told her, but I quickly began to speak and did not let her get a word in. I told her that although I was extremely thankful and grateful for this moment I could not be up there without my friend Meg who had so longed to meet her for soooooooo long.
For those who are skeptics or may think that there was perhaps just too much estrogen in the room to begin with there was much more to this moment than meets the eye because in that moment I was not “doing” rather I was being “done”. In my most intimate prayers, I constantly ask God to use me as an instrument that I may know exactly what he wants me to do it and for him to take over completely. That is exactly what happened on that stage. Not only was I given my own moment of surrender where I let go of my intentions for my husband and learned that perhaps those same intentions were things I wanted for myself. Simultaneously, I also knew in my heart that I had to make the connection of introducing Meg to Oprah and it was revealed to me in that precise moment. This moment reconfirmed my purpose here, and it shouted out to me, that I am a connector and I am meant to connect people.
I am so thankful to God for this moment for giving me a clear sign that miracles do happen when you believe and for Oprah for her immense grace and spirit. Thank you Oprah for all the lessons learned this weekend and for continuing to awaken me towards my purpose. Blessings!!!
The following are pictures of my vision board and Meg’s vision board:Mari ‘s Vision Board
Meg’s Vision Board
