This weekend I’m attending a 50th Celebration of Chi Omega at Stephen F. Austin State University. A small portion of my pledge class has come together and we get the opportunity to see other ‘sisters’ from older & younger pledge classes.
It is no secret that I love to ‘pass a good time’ (as my Louisiana friends might say) dancing and we wasted no time last night. You know you’re ‘aging’ when the DJ sees the ‘circle’ of women on the dance floor (by the way they don’t ‘circle up anymore these days) and plays throwback 80’s and 90’s tunes…how did he guess?? 😉 Yes, the ‘Running Man’ was resurrected…and no, there was no ‘twerking’.
Man we were pretty confident back when we had the support of 80-100 other ‘sisters’ rallying together forming one united front.
Look at the old pledge class shirt and Greek Week shirt. Chi Omega, ‘No Slogan Necessary”. We reeked of confidence (or some might have said arrogance… lol) Could you imagine if I made a shirt that said, “Shannon M. Deitz” on the front and then the proclamation on the back “No Adjective Necessary”
Wait…shouldn’t we all have shirts that can ‘proclaim’ this about ourselves? We are who we are. Individuals recognized by the unique traits we’ve been given?
I think about this in reference to the Beth Moore study I’m doing with a group right now called, “So Long Insecurity” and I think how ironic that we are secure in numbers but when you get us on our own as individuals that security tanks. As one woman said in the group, “I don’t even know who I am.”
My heart ached when I heard a few ladies in the group make this same proclamation…admitting they are in the study essentially to ‘find their own voice’. I’ll admit I’ve found my voice but I’m in the study to find my way out of internal scrutiny and the propensity to let the judgement of others muddle my vision.
I want the confidence of this bartender who wanted to share his ‘gifts and talents’ by serenading us. He called it a Latin ‘Ballad’.
His ‘need to sing’ came out of nowhere…just a friendly waiter anxious to show that he had other abilities that were worth while. The ballad was beautiful. I was impressed not only with his talent but the security he had to say “I have this talent and I want to share it. Will you listen?”
Truly our gifts and talents…the qualities about us that make us unique…are our ‘slogan’ our ‘adjective’. When we listen to the ‘lies’ that we aren’t good enough or ‘as good as’ then we not only hinder our purpose but deprive one another from being enriched by what we each have to offer.
What I have to give is not what you have to give and I’m thankful for this because I enjoy learning about all the ‘gifts and talents’ from every person I meet and recognizing how our individual uniqueness forms together so well to create an amazing body of life.
Blessings
Shannon