Will the Walk reach the millions of television viewing families?

All of our loyal followers know that these past few months have been as triumphant as they have been disheartening. I certainly do not regret cancelling the Walk to stay home with my mom during her health crisis. (Great news, by the way. We just find out that she does not need surgery!) Such a decision epitomizes the spirit of the Walk, embodies strong families in action. In the meantime, I have also witnessed and experienced more magical times with other members of my family. I must admit that while these experiences have been priceless, I’ve been feeling ansy, anxious to hit the road, primed to fulfill my duty to helping families around the globe. A few weeks ago, I asked God to grant me a road trip–anything to clear my head and reset my resolve.

In response to my request, I learned about Oprah’s search for creative shows to be produced on her new Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN). I certainly have an idea for my OWN show! Could this be the medium by which the Walk regains its footing and starts moving again? There was only one way to find out: attend the audition.

Again, my family came through for me. This past week has been hectic for me to say the least. As such, I was still scrambling on Friday to finish up all of my business and prepare for the audition. My mother–who maybe slept for an hour last night– drove me four hours away to Plano, TX to attend the audition. I spent for the first 2.5 hours of the drive completing the lengthy application and the other 1.5 hours getting my only sleep in a 24 hour period. When we arrived, I strapped on my pack, turned on my light, and walked onto the set of the Oprah Winfrey Network auditions.

Of course, everyone looked very professional and ready for a comfy couch on a sophisticated set. Of course, I did not! I was dressed for action and ready for action. Needless to say I stuck out like a sore thumb which is a good thing in my book. As happens while I walk, everyone wanted to know about the blinking light. The greatest thing was not sharing the Coalition’s vision and purpose of the Walk though; the gem came in meeting other people, hearing their visions, and encouraging them to go for it.

All in all, I had a blast on just 1.5 hours of sleep. My mom stuck by me the entire time on 1 hour of sleep taking pictures and making sure that I had everything that I needed. Her presence there and her support made the entire experience worth the trip whether or not the Walk is selected for a TV show.

I believe the pitch went well, and I am just waiting to see if I get called back for an on-camera audition tomorrow.

I’ll keep you posted!

Sapphire