Cramer's 'Mad Money' Recap: Piercing the Gloom (Final)

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Norman, Okla. (TheStreet) -- "If you remember where the markets were a year ago, then you have to be impressed with where they are today," Jim Cramer told a live audience from the Price College Of Business at the University Of Oklahoma Friday.

He said while it may be hard to find a silver lining in today's trading, it helps to remember just how far we're come.

Cramer reminded viewers that just 12 months ago, our entire financial system was teetering on bankruptcy. There was doom and gloom in every paper and on every TV, he recalled. But now, he said, so many companies that were written off for dead back then are in great shape and are ready to seize the recovery at hand.

Cramer said no matter what sector you look at, whether it be manufacturing, technology, the financials, retail, or the oil and natural gas stocks, there are opportunities.

Cramer said he'd be a buyer of 3M (MMM Quote), United Technologies (UTX Quote) and Caterpillar (CAT Quote) for instance, once the market settles down.

He said he'd also be a buyer of Apple (AAPL Quote) on a big down day like today.

Cramer said the markets are well past the crash, and investors need to harness the optimism he's seen in Oklahoma, where the unemployment rate is just 6.5%, well below the national average. He said investors need to learn from the optimism and celebrate just how far the markets have come from their lows.