Hearts and Soles

Good Monday Morning, Friends!

Due to a case of complete fatigue and brain fry, I am temporarily interrupting my “Question” series to bring you a post about my weekend at the SheSpeaks Conference. (Plus, it’s just too cool not to share with you.) Please check back with me on Wednesday, as I will be continuing my “Question” series with another question that has been resting on my heart. But for now…my weekend at SheSpeaks…

I got these shoes at SheSpeaks. It’s kind-of a long story. But I’ll get to that later.

My other kind of “soul” was touched this weekend, ya’ll. I loved the SheSpeaks conference for several reasons. And only one of them had anything at all to do with shoes.

See…though I am not an official member of the P31 Team, I have a deep love for Proverbs 31 Ministries. So when my friend, Executive Director of P31 Ministries, LeAnn Rice, asked me to come and help her with the logistics of the SheSpeaks Conference, I jumped at the chance. Honestly, I was looking for an excuse to be there.

It’s not just because I love the girls who are on the team. But yeah, that is definitely one of the reasons I love the ministry. I have made some of the best friendships with the most amazing women in that ministry over the years, and I am constantly blessed to see how many talented women can actually be in a room together at one time and still get along. It’s just way too cool.

But I know there were people who came to the conference this weekend and saw me scurrying about who wondered who in the world I was and why I was there. Clearly not an attendee, I wasn’t officially one of the “team,” either. (I didn’t have the aqua P31 t-shirt, ya’ll.) I couldn't really stop and explain it them at the time, except for to say that I was helping LeAnn with the logistics of the conference. Which was true. In a way. But there was another very important reason why I was there, too. It is actually tied in to one of my “questions” in the series. But that’s for another day. (Sorry to keep you hanging, but look for that question and the answer to that next Monday. Which, incidentally, at its core, has nothing really to do with SheSpeaks. :))

Though I loved many aspects to my weekend, there are a few things that stand out in my mind about the conference. I tried to think of a super clever way to describe them to you this morning. But well, I already told you I have brain fry today. So the best I can do is say that they are…yeah…just way too cool.

First, I got the privilege to meet some of my friends from out in blogworld. Since I have never chatted on the Internet before this blog thing came along, I have never had an experience like this before. I’ve never gone on a blind date before, either, but this has to feel like the closest thing to one. (Without the dreaded "goodnight kiss" on the front porch at the end of the night, of course. :))

I cannot tell you how amazing it was for me to meet women I would have likely never otherwise met if not for this blogging thing. I have grown so fond of these women over the 10 months I have been blogging and trading comments with them, it is not to be believed. And all of them were exactly as I expected. All 5 of my “blind dates” from blogworld...

I met Amy Brooke first. I recognized her right away, from her picture. But the one thing that stood out to me immediately was how great her smile really is. Her picture, though beautiful, just doesn’t do her smile justice. In person, it is completely radiant. Poor thing, I scared her to death by walking up to her during her quiet time and introducing myself. But I just couldn’t help it. I couldn’t walk by and not introduce myself to my dear friend from blogworld. The only regret I have is that I did not get a picture with her! (Amy, I am so sorry about this. Please forgive me for not grabbing a free minute to do this. I really wanted one! :)

The next friend I met was Laura. Oh my, if that wasn’t a fun reunion. Like Amy, Laura looked like her picture but was even more beautiful in person. I was so excited to meet her, and I think I might have even gushed a bit when talking to her about her writing. But I couldn’t help it…I am nuts about things I am nuts about. :) Laura is one of those women who I wish I had 5 hours to just sit and have coffee with. I doubt we would run out of things to talk about.

Then came Angie. I met her sister, Aimee, first. I was standing behind the book table and asked her if she happened to be one of my friends from blogworld. She sweetly said she wasn’t, but I was probably referring to her sister. I passed on a “hello” to her sister, and within minutes, I was meeting Angie face-to-face. Such beautiful eyes on her, that woman. It was really special to meet someone I had spent some time in prayer for. A true spiritual connection.

I had been looking for Lelia since I got there. Laura and I kept asking the other if we had seen her yet. In the back of my mind, I was thinking I might have missed her, somehow. But then on Saturday, standing in front of the bathroom, I was approached by an striking woman in a gorgeous blue and white outfit. “I’m Lelia,” she said. Then came the hug. It was a really good one, and I found myself wanting to hug longer. We had several occasions to talk over the weekend, but it was not nearly long enough for me. I told her she had great hair. And I meant it. (She does.) But it doesn’t compare to the heart on that girl. Man, do I like her.

Meeting Elaine was unexpected, but very cool. I liked her immediately. She is just one of those people who I am betting can talk to anyone. But I was glad she chose to talk to me. She’s funny…smart…and a great writer. I have a feeling we will continue our friendship far into the blogging future! :) Plus, I read in her "bio" that she likes anything written my Ravi Zacharias. And she loves Lisa Bevere's writing. Ok, it's official. We're twins. :)

Another highlight of the conference had to be hanging out with MaryBeth and Shari in their room during my spare time. Such fun should not be had during breaks in a conference. But those girls rock so much and I just love any excuse to get to be with them. Lots of laughter came from room 218, for sure! (Thanks, girls, for sharing your room and squirts of hairspray with me!)

And I cannot end this post without telling you one last thing that I loved about this weekend. I made a new friend in Zoe Elmore of P31. Yes, I already knew who she was. But man, did God use her to bless my heart in a very unexpected way. Sitting in MaryBeth and Shari’s room on Friday afternoon, I began lamenting to the girls and Zoe about how bad my feet hurt. (Yes, wearing cute, yet painful shoes is a vice of mine.) After a few minutes, Zoe excused herself and left for her room. She came back just minutes later with the cutest pair of heels and insisted that I put them on. Though I was hesitant at first to do so, I soon came to realize that Zoe was not presenting me with another option. So, I relented. I tried them on and loved them immediately! Ok, they were still heels (and how comfortable can heels REALLY be?), but they were actually really comfortable, considering! I was so touched that Zoe had gone to find me some shoes to wear for the rest of the evening, but I saw it as just a really kind gesture. But when I tried to give them back to her, she wouldn’t take them. She flat out told me she wouldn’t be taking them back home with her. They were mine, she informed me.

And that is how I got the really cute cork shoes.

They may be my new favorites.

My heart and soul was touched this weekend, friends. I was touched by the people I met and didn’t already know and those I met who I felt like I already knew in all the ways that really mattered. I made connections with people I already had a heart connection with.

The hugs and smiles were just a bonus.

I didn’t need to meet my friends in person to know that I loved them or that they were important to me. But boy, was it fun.

Great fun.

Even more fun than getting my new pair of really cute cork shoes.

And without any foot pain, to boot.

Ya’ll, this weekend touched both my heart and my sole.

Too cool.

Lisa