A Brave weekend...

This weekend I got the chance to get away with my friend, Gina, and go to a women's retreat in Lexington, KY. The theme was Brave Women. The reason I wanted to go is because I had been reading this amazing blog , Bring the Rain,since the summer. My friend Joy told me about it, and said to read it with a lot of kleenex. Angie Smith, the writer/ blogger/woman who writes it started the blog when she found out last January the baby she was carrying was terminal. This blog is a testimony of her faith, and a huge encouragement to me this summer, as I was longing for my own baby that I had miscarried earlier this year. All I can say is, read it, you will love it and her...
Anyway, she was speaking at this retreat and I just really wanted to go. So I did.

Pretty much there were the women of Southland Christian Church there, and me and Gina. (who were feeling a bit stalker-ish by going...and we did end up meeting a few more stalkers there) I did get to meet and talk with Angie, and let her know while I did feel like a stalker, I was so glad to meet her. Turns out she likes that people stalk her blog...so no harm done.

What I didn't expect from this weekend was everything else I got from it. I can't write down all I learned and loved about this weekend, but I can say it was comforting to my soul. Comforting that so many women are going through storms, and I am not the only one. Comforting to know I am not alone in the storm I am in...and learning that there really is joy in every circumstance, and if I could just choose to be joyful....well, then I can make it through this and any other storm...

And I had a great weekend with Gina. I got to learn more about her, and really hear her heart about the storms in her life. It was real refreshing to get away, and to drink a lot of Starbucks (it's really nice when your friend gets her discount there)

Of course, I had to come home to girls who were filthy (thank you Diane!) and exhausted, and weepy, and hungry, and whiny.....and a little boy who had spent his day looking for pot, I mean pottery....sometimes I wonder if it pays off to get away when you come home to everyone grumpy and tired....but it was worth it, especially since I did get to meet Angie and ask her about her pirate panties...