Color me proud

I got up and spoke in front of a congregation today. And I was relaxed. And I had something to say. And it felt great. How cool is that?

Let me back up. Last Wednesday I received an email from one of the ministers at Sacred Center, a wonderfully spiritual place I've been attending for a few years. It seems they had decided that October would be "miracle" month and they asked me, as a congregant, to be the first one to get up and tell a "miracle" story.

My first reaction: NNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!

But truly I knew this was something I must do. Yes, instead of simply looking forward to a dose of spiritual juice at Sunday service I'd have to deal with butterflies in my stomach. I'd have to actually think about what to say and how to say it. But wouldn't it be worth it?

I'm here to say, "Yes, oh yes." It was worth the worry time. It was worth the prep time, the thinking about content. And truth be told, the butterflies were minimal. This morning I took a long walk at the waterfront and thought about what I might say. I liked what I came up with; it felt good and real. I realized when I got there that's what counted. I knew I could just simply relax and channel it, much like Rev. August Gold does every week. And she's a master in front of a group.

Judging from how I felt when I sat down afterwards and from the fabulous comments I received after the service, I did it well.

It was a Mary Tyler Moore, throw-your-hat-in-the-air kind of moment. I made it after all.