I thought the story of Oprah discovering her baby sister (Patricia) was a true love story. Oprah didn’t know she had a baby sister until recently; her mother hid this news from her and others in her family.

Her sister, Patricia knew for years, but kept it a secret. It remained a secret even after she reached out to her mother who was not open to seeing her. She discovered she was Oprah’s sister after being rejected from her mother. One day while watching TV, she saw that the profile of her mother and siblings matched the profile of Oprah’s mother and siblings. I’m sure this was an earth-breaking shock!

Patricia was raised in foster care until she was seven, not having any knowledge of how she looked as a child and any knowledge about her family.

Patricia could have easily gone to the tabloids and made thousands, perhaps millions of dollars after being rejected by her mother and not receiving a follow up from the emails she sent Oprah. She remained hopeful that one day she would be reunited with her family.

What did she Patricia do? She was patient and remained hopeful that she would meet her family.  She showed concern or care for her sister, in that she didn’t want her sister to be part of another big scam; so she didn’t acting out of selfishness or lack.

Often times, when we are in undesirable situations, we may feel we want to get back at another person by doing something hurtful as a result of thinking someone owes us something or that someone has hurt us.

Patricia is someone we can admire at this time as a result of her patience and seemingly sincere appreciation. She knew how to approach her big sister with love, no matter what the past looked liked and that is something to be admired. It also seemed that Oprah was truly grateful for her patience and sincerity.

Dr. Jessica is a Psychologist and Empowerment Coach with the Center for Discovery. She helps women experiencing a personal or career transition discover their highest potential, using proven principles and practices of mind, body, and spiritual development.
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