Psalm 34:4 I prayed to the Lord, and he answered me; he freed me from my fears.
I had the pleasure of speaking at a womens conference on Saturday in Coldwater. The group of 150 or so women attended mass together first at Holy Trinity and followed with a day full of prayer, great speakers and reflection centered around Luke's gospel story of Mary and Martha. I spoke mainly about finding balance/time for prayer amidst the chaos of having a large family. (I'm not sure who I fooled into thinking I've mastered any sort of balance here, we are a work in progress...but someone asked me to speak, and I said "yes.")
Anyways, I think things went amazingly well, despite my complete lack of experience/confidence. When my name was announced to come forward and share, I felt the usual lump in my throat, and could feel my heartbeat in my ears...a bit of a mini panic attack, I think. But as I reached the podium and adjusted the microphone, the Holy Spirit took over, and things couldn't have gone more smoothly. I felt relaxed, and enjoyed sharing my story. It seemed well recieved too, which is a bonus. While I'm quite comfortable typing away behind a computer screen, my experience talking with a crowd (that's actually listening) is pretty limited. It scares me to death really. I'm grateful for answered prayers. I felt truly moved by the Spirit! Praise God!
In addition, I met some amazing women who had such incredible stories and kind words to share. I was inspired by the new young priest who celebrated mass (Fr. Stechschulte) as well as Deacon Rob who is to be ordained a priest next May. In this "Year for Priests" I continue to pray for more great men such as these to answer the call. Just wonderful!
