Monday, July 13, 2009

public speaking: an intro to my next entry

It was my senior year at college. I took Public Speaking (at the last possible time because I was dreading it!) with a class of one young man and about 24 young women. I have to admit I was terrified at first because for one, I did not want to speak in front of a room full of people, and secondly, the fact that it was mostly women somehow made it worse! It was a turning point for me spiritually, however. I was a full-time student, working part-time at a Judaica store, and planning my wedding. Looking ahead to what type of ministry I would be involved in as a married woman and looking forward to having children of my own, it was a very exciting time. Still, to reach the goal of obtaining my BA in Biblical Studies, I had to survive this public speaking course. Let me just say that public speaking is not my forte, and that is probably an understatement!

We were told from the beginning that we would be responsible for 4 speeches (and that we would critique each other along the way). I remember pondering what my speeches would be about. I knew I would talk about my ministry trips to Israel, about my love of writing, etc. But as I made my plans, I understood that I should cater to my audience so as to make the greatest impact, and for months before this, I knew that G-d had laid women's ministry on my heart. Growing up as a tomboy (which I made sure to remind G-d of this as well), I found it challenging to relate to women, to connect with them, to be one of them. So as I was on my personal journey to womanhood, here I was in a class full of women younger than myself on their own journeys. And as I told G-d what I was going to speak about, He told me that I was going to speak about something very near and dear to my heart (and His): modesty. After giving my excuses as to why I couldn't possibly speak about that, we compromised (smile) and my final speech in that class was indeed on modesty. I fought the fear and the nerves in order to tell these young ladies something they needed to hear, and from what the professor (also female) commented on my paper, a topic that was often neglected at PBA. (If you've been there, you know what she means...) I definitely have no regrets about giving that speech. Neither will I have regrets about writing my next entry on modesty. We'll consider this an introduction since it has become so long! :) Excuse me while I gather my notes and my thoughts...

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