When I was little, I wanted to be a nurse. My grandmother and my mom were nurses and I desired to help others. I was fascinated by stories my mom would tell about her patients and the experiences she had working at the hospital. As I grew older (highschool), I became interested in pshychology. I liked our social worker at school, and so I decided I wanted to be a social worker. Then when it came time for college, I selected elementary education as my major. I don't think I ever really wanted to be an elementary teacher, but I needed to select an area of study and so many people were signing up for it, that I just checked the box and viola! I was an education major. I really enjoyed the education classes I was taking. Being a liberal arts school, I was required to take a religion class. It was a challenging class and raised many questions for me. I decided to take another religion course and loved it. During my sophomore year, the chair of the Religious Studies department contacted me. She noticed I was taking quite a few religion courses. After my conversation with her, I decided to change my major to Religious Studies. I wanted to be a religion teacher. I graduated with a BA in Religious Studies and began a career in Parish Ministry - not quite what I had in mind, but the door was opened to me and I walked through it. It has been apart of life for 15 years.
With all of that being said, I am going to share a dream of mine that I have never shared with anyone before. For most of my life, I have pictured myself being a motivational speaker. I know it sounds crazy, even more so now that I've put that thought out there, but it is true. Growing up, I spent a lot of time at my grandmother's house. She enjoyed watching Public Television which aired one of her favorite authors; Dr. Leo Buscalgia. He was a professor who taught classes on love. She would have me sit with her and watch Dr. Buscualgia lecture to crowds of people, all listening intently. Even at my young age, I was impressed by his passion. I thought it would be invigorating to have the ability to stand before a group of people and speak so eloquently.
A few nights ago, I spoke at my church about the Saints and The Beatitudes. I was quite nervous as the time drew nearer, but once I began, I felt very comfortable speaking in front of people. I am very passionate about my faith, and tried to incorporate life experiences into what I was saying. My talk went pretty well, and as I reflected on my experience that night, I was reminded of my "dream" and thankful that I had the opportunity to share my passion with others. Although my dream is far-fetched, it is fun to just dip my toes into the river of possibilities as they present themselves. As for now, I am called to be a wife and mother. I can motivate my kids, can't I?
Go for it Shelly!!
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