Media sensation Oprah Winfrey (1954-) and the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin (1942-2018) are two women who praise and celebrate life daily. With their talent they inspire others to live life passionately.

"When I look into the future, Oprah said, "it’s so bright it burns my eyes."

Oprah's star did not always burn so brightly. According to biographer Mark Bego, in 1968 Oprah was homeless and living in Chicago when she saw Aretha drive up in her limousine.

"I ran up to her crying my eyes out," Oprah recalled. "By the time we reached the from door of the hotel, she pulled one hundred dollars out of her purse and gave it to me."

Activist Cesar Chavez once observed that "You are never strong enough that you don't need help." And with Aretha Franklin, the dynamo who gave the world such hits as Natural Woman and Respect, a chance meeting and her compassionate heart, propelled Oprah Winfrey out of a moment of desperate need. 

"None of us has gotten where we are solely by pulling ourselves up from our own bootstraps, said Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, "We got here because somebody… bent down and helped us."

Praise and celebrate those who help.