Living a Faith-Filled Life

Personal Victory:  I aced my first Toastmasters' speech.

Yesterday, one of the ladies who was going to do a speech had to cancel due to sickness.  She sent out an email letting everyone know.  Before I knew it, my fingers hit "Reply All" and typed in "I'll take her place."  I hit Send before I had a chance to overthink it.  I'm so glad I did it!

I still felt very nervous. The evaluator said I had good eye contact and expression.  Really??  I can honestly say that I wasn't aware of that. I knew it went well, because I made it through the script and didn't faint or throw up. But, my evaluator, and several other people said it was really good for an icebreaker (introduction) speech. 

In fact, I won "Best Speaker" for the night.

With all that encouragement, I am ready to keep going.  Oh, the day I can feel comfortable (or not scared) about public speaking — it can't be too far away!

Here's my speech (I held up shoes for each section):

If the Shoe Fits

 

          Put aside your stereotypical view of women.  I do not love shoe shopping, and I do not have a shoe closet that would rival Imelda Marcos. I do, however, have a few shoes that will give you insight into my life.

 

[brown shoe]        First, I’ll show you my very practical side. Plain, brown slip-ons with orthotic inserts. Could I be more boring? My children say, no, it’s not humanly possible. You want to know the really scary part? I have a matching pair in black. Yes, I’m a conservative, practical person who works on my feet part of the day. I’m a teacher in a small, parochial school in Winona. My shoes match my dark pants. They keep me comfortable as I lecture 7^th and 8^th graders about metamorphic rock or guide my 5^th and 6^th graders through a new reading strategy. These plain brown shoes also keep my feet in motion as I patrol the playground during recess or run up and down the stairs with armloads of art supplies and copied worksheets.

 

[organ shoe]  My next shoe is a bit different from what you may have in your closet. It’s even a little dusty, because I haven’t worn it since I moved to La Crescent. See the soft, flexible sole, and the firm heel? This is a shoe I was so proud to purchase when I was learning to play the pipe organ. The sole is specially designed to allow my feet to feel the pedals and glide along smoothly. The heel allows me to heel-toe up and down the pedalboard as fast as I can manage.  When I really get going on a pedal solo, it is so fun! I hold on to the bench and work the pedals as if my fingers were in control.

 

[tennis shoe]  I’m not going to lie. I’m no athlete. I don’t have an athletic gene in my body. This tennis shoe does take me on walks, where I listen to audiobooks and try to destress. This tennis shoe also helps me run errands most of the weekend. This shoe even convinced me to try running. However, it’s going to take a lot more than one shoe to get me to run a marathon!

 

[slipper] Fuzzy footwear is what I wear when I’m spending time at home. It keeps my always cold feet from turning blue. It keeps me company when I’m surfing the internet or when I’m writing. I could sit at my computer all day, if my slippers had their way.

 

I tried to find a shoe that conveyed the most important things about me. That’s when I realized they’re more like socks.  Socks for my heart.  No matter which shoe I wear, I always wear my faith and my family. My faith in Jesus as my Savior and my family (my husband Greg and my two girls) are so natural, so deep in my heart, that I’m wearing them with each set of shoes.  My faith and family keep my heart warm all the time, and I wouldn’t think of wearing my shoes without them.

 

Oh, and one more thing.  Guess what I just bought.  A new pair of shoes!  What do you think this one says about me? [purple]