An new step of courage

A little while ago I told myself that I needed to be more courageous when it comes to men. I have a strong tendency to get a little shy and insecure (and anyone who knows me can testify I am NOT a shy person). I often find myself at a loss of words when a handsome man talks to me. I lose all spontaneity and get even more clumsy than I already am.
So I told myself that I needed to get out of my comfort zone. Risk something. Be bold.
There was this particular young man. There was just something about him that was very attractive, very appealing.
I decided to challenge myself and introduce myself to him. I told myself to get out of my comfort zone and that I had to do it and there was no way around it.
I worked up all my courage and went straight up to him, reached out my hand and introduced myself. Frankly I was a nervous wreck on the inside but I tried to play it as cool as possible. He shook my hand and introduced himself too.
What followed was a brief conversation in which he did lay his hand on my shoulder several times quite to my surprise. At the end of the conversation I wished him a great rest of the day and we departed.
There was no exchange of phone numbers or anything else and frankly that was not the intent of my introduction. It was not the reason for my doing this. But there could have been something. We could have exchanged numbers and that in itself is enough.

I walked away from the conversation, my whole body shaking and it took me quite a while to calm down again but oh the happiness I felt for putting myself out there. For being bold and courageous.
I walked away from that conversation knowing that I had just grown a little bit. That I can actually do this if I want to and feel the urge to.

And it is not like I am now walking around introducing myself here and there and everywhere. No. It was something I needed to do in that particular moment. I needed to proof something to myself.

xoxo

Ramona

If I were...

As most of you know I love watching So you think you can dance. I love how dance is such a great artform to transport emotions, statements, stories and can bring you to other places.
This is why I want to use one of the routines to make a statement. This routine represents or shows how many women/men live in abusive relationships. Yet the people around them might not know. I want you to watch this video and encourage you to keep your eyes open. Where can you help?
Also with this I want to make you aware of the thousands of slaves traded in the world for sexual services at the moment. Human trafficking is the 2nd largest crime in the world today. The A21 Campaign, situated in Greece are trying to reach out and make a difference. Please start being aware of what is going on around and about you. Inform and educate yourself, keep your eyes open, pray and then through campaigns like that one life after another will be rescued and changed.

With these words... enjoy the video:

Lauren 10 @ Yahoo! Video

Also stay tuned for my update about the fundraising for Be her dignity which will be released tomorrow.

xoxo

Ramona

Why they are like they are

I've been thinking a lot about men lately... well not the way you think now ... well maybe a bit, but more like why they are like they are.
Let me explain that a little. I''ve been thinking about why men hold back, whey they are afraid, why they don't stand their man... I could freak out. Society tells them to be super smart, super strong, super soft, super understanding and so on... and they try... but how can they ever fulfill an image that was not meant for them. Women: We've done a huge mistake... I mean not that it is our fault... the fault was made a few thousand years ago but what I mean is feminism... I mean those women who try to take over control, women who try to form their men, women who only want the soft parts. But that is sooooooooo wrong.
I tell you what I want. I want a man who is strong in the Lord, a man who knows who he is in Christ, I want a man who love the Lord with all his heart, soul and spirit. I want a man willing to rescue me and hold me, somebody strong, somebody I can rely on, somebody who lives the adventure with me, somebody who doesn't bring his question ("Do I have what it takes", Wild at heart, John Eldredge) to me, but to the Lord, somebody who is fierce and dangerous (in a good way), somebody who is willing to fight for me!!!! I don't want to take control, I don't want to always be the one pushing the relationship...
So men, this is for you:

"Too many men forsake their dreams because they aren't willing to risk, or fear they aren't up to the challenge, or are never told that those desires deep in their heart are good. But the soul of a man (...) isn't made for controlling things; he's made for adventure. (...) If you had permission to do what you really want to do, what would you do? Don't ask how, that will cut your desire off at the knee. How is never the right question; how is a faithless question. It means "unless I can see my way clearly I won't believe it, won't venture forth." (...) How is God's department. He is asking you what. What is written in your heart? What makes you come alive? If you could do what you've always wanted to do, what would it be? You see, a man's calling is written on his true heart, and he discovers it when he enters the frontier of his heep desires. To paraphrase Bailie, don't aks yourself what the world needs, ask yourself what makes you come alive because what the world needs are men who have come alive." (Wild at Heart, John Eldredge)

To have what it takes

In letzter Zeit habe ich viel über Frauen geschrieben, besondere Dinge an ihr und auch wie sie eine Lady sein kann.
Und das ist auch etwas, dass mir sehr auf dem Herzen liegt...

Doch ich denke, dass es nun an der Zeit ist etwas über die Männer zu sagen, sie zu ermutigen, ihnen ein paar Worte mitzugeben. Doch ich bin kein Mann und ich denke, dass wahre Ermutigung von Mann zu Mann kommen soll. Deshalb möchte ich John Eldredge zitieren aus Wild at heart... also Männer, das ist für Euch... es ist nur der Anfang... ich werde bestimmt bald wider zitieren:

"Am man does not go to a woman to get his strength; he goes to her to offer it. You do not need the woman for you to become a great man, and as a great man you do not need the woman"

"We are made to depend on ‘God; we are made for union with him and nothing about us works right without it. As C. S. Lewis wrote, “A car is made to run on gasoline, and it would not run properly on anything else. Now god designed the human machine to run on himself. He himself is the fuel our spirits were designed to burn, or the food our spirits were designed to feed on. There is no other."

"I mean you stop looking to her to validate you, stop trying to make her come through for you, stop trying to get your answer from her. For some men, this may mean disappointing her. If you’ve been a passive man, tiptoeing around your wife for years, never doing anything to rock the boat, then it’s time to rock it. Stand up to her; get her mad at you. For those of you violent men (including achievers), it means you stop abusing her. You release her as the object of your anger because you release her as the one who was supposed to make you a man"