Sunday, July 23, 2006

Contagious Joy


So, this weekend in DC....Women of Faith!  So many stories, so little time, still so tired, but I'll do my best. 

For any of you not familar with WOF, it is a group of core speakers, who have been through different walks of life.  Sheila Walsh was the co-host (I think) of The 700 Club and suffered from depression, Patsy Clairmont suffered for years as an agoraphobic, Marilyn Meberg lost both her baby daughter and her husband (not at the same time), Luci Swindol is Chuck's sister, Thelma Wells was a business woman.  Nicole Johnson also travels with them as their very talented dramatist (and writes all her own stuff).  All these women are published authors, they are insightful, funny, motivational and at times, painfully honest.  The conference also consists of musical guests.  For this year it was Sandy Patty, Avalon and Babbie Mason.  We also had a hysterical performance by Christian comedian, Chonda Pierce.  So this is the outline for the weekend.  The way it all fits together just depends on how each woman hears and views each message.  (and did I get my crazy on with the linking or what???)

So, Shell and I left Smithsburg around 7:30 Thursday night, heading to Shady Grove and the metro.  The metro, for me, is the only way to get to Washington DC, as this girl is not so much about driving in the city.  I have enough trouble not getting lost walking in the city, nevermind adding a very heavy vehicle and about a kabillion other horn honking cars to the mix.  We made good time and as Shady Grove is the first metro stop, seating was not an issue. 

However, by the time we were two stops before our exit, the car was jam packed full of people.  Shell had to resort to hoisting her suitcase unto her lap and a had a gentleman's rear end pretty much in my face as it was pressed against the glass beside me.  (I think Shell had told me he was cute, but hey, never saw the face.).  At the Metro Center stop (and for those of you who don't know, this is pretty much the busiest stop as you can change trains there, ect) a handicapped gentleman in a scooter attempted to board and got stuck.  At first the people just sort of worked their way around him, before someone finally had the idea that they should perhaps HELP him instead.  Two people were pulling, two people were pushing and I had visions of the train taking off with this poor man's tailend hanging out the door.  They finally heaved him inside and his basket fell over, which resulted in stuff having to be picked up in a train that was already packed as tightly as a can of sardines (or as tightly as my yarn baskets, but we won't go there).  Thankfully, our exit was next and we emerged on the other side relatively unscathed.

Now, per my directions to the hotel, we were to leave the metro station, turn right and walk for two blocks.  The normal person would have probably found this rather simple, but please remember you are not dealing with normal people.  When we left the metro station it opens on a corner, so you could technically walk out onto two different streets and turn right.  I hope you see the dilemna.  Nevermind that I had purposely chosen this hotel last summer because it was so close to the Verizon Center.  It was a year later, dark, and there were many people about.  We chose a direction and walked two blocks.  Nothing looked familar.  Thankfully, Shell always has a cell phone (as I hate carrying one.  My feeling is that there are just times I don't want to be reached) so I called the hotel and spoke to John, who was way helpful, though it was way hard to hear him with all the traffic and people about.  John directed us to go back to the metro center and take a right. 

Now, had I been smart and not dripping with sweat from the freakin' humidity, I would have by chance explained to John our original problem, with the corner.  I didn't do that.  Instead, we about faced and walked two blocks back and hung a right...and walked two blocks.  Again, no deja vu going off for me.  So, we called John again, who this time explained to us we had gone the wrong way (stupid corner!) so we walked four blocks back and lo and behold, our hotel!



So, we were finally able to check in, cool off and we didn't waste too much time getting to bed, as the pre-conference started at 9:00 the next morning. 

The pre-conference consisted of Patsy Clairmont (who is one of the funniest people I have ever had the priviledge of hearing speak) and Contemporary Christian singer, Sandy Patty (and way too high for me soprano.  There were moments and notes she hit that I was sure only dogs were really able to hear).  It is general seating for the pre-conference and this was the first year it had ever been held at the Verizon Center.  Before they always had it in a smaller theater somewhere across town, which was a headache on its own.  So, we opened with worship and then Patsy spoke and I swear she was talking to me directly about this whole writing thing.  But, that's another story. 

Here is Friday night's crowd:


Lots of people but still empty seats all over the place.

We let out about 3:00 and we didn't need to return until 7:00, so we headed back to the hotel to chat, which allowed me to join in my second skein of yarn on the project I had brought along.  We were fortunate to have a pub in our hotel that served all meals (we'd had breakfast there Friday morning) so we decided to have dinner there.  So we headed down and sat at a table in the bar, listening to all the Friday night kids chatting, and the business men who had just gotten off work catching up with their buddies. 

Across from us sat two older gentleman.  Just your average joes really, they were probably in their sixties.  About the time Shell and I started eating dinner, one of the men went to the bar and the other man....proceded to take off his sneaker AND HIS SOCK and then sit them on the third and vacant bar stool.  Not sure what the issue was, but when facing this when eating and thinking about the sweaty foot in that sweaty sock that was now sitting on that bar stool.....it was so SNAKES ON A PLANE!  I have to add here that I am WAY upset as Shell took a picture of this and my computer apparently ate it, plus I have already cleared the memory off my camera!  I have just spent the last fifteen minutes searching for it and cannot find it!  So, you are just going to have to trust me that it happened...and that it was gross.

Friday night conference we heard from Sheila Walsh and as always she was amazing.  She was speaking right to Shell. 

Friday night's crowd looked a bit like this:



Still empty seats, but definately more people than the morning session.

After the conference Friday night, we hit Hagen Daus....OMG.  Way good!  Then we headed back to the hotel.  Now, if you have never been to DC, it is like most other large cities, where you have people asking you for money.  We walked past a man who was sitting on a step and he asked if we could spare some change.  Unfortunately, I think I have been conditioned to block a lot of these pleas out.  There are so many, and the story my older sister told me about telling a homeless man in Vegas that she wouldn't give him money, but she would go over and buy him lunch.  The man then yelled and cursed at her as he apparently wanted the money for something a bit less "filling". 

But anyway, I kept walking and I said something to Shell and she smiled.  Now, I did not hear this (as I am destined to have my mother's hearing) but the man said, "That's okay, ladies.  Maybe next time.  Oh, and you have a beautiful smile."  That stopped Shell right in her tracks.  She immediately began digging around in her wallet for some money.  Looking at me, she said, "It's Jesus, you know."  To which I replied, "Back there on the step or making you do this?"  She said, "Yes."

We stayed up way too late talking on Friday night, we discussed God, and why things happen as they do, and pondering if we knew God's reasons for making things happen as they do.  We talked about our kids and our husbands until after midnight, which made Saturday morning come around WAY early!

I can't go into a lot of detail from the conference because there was just too much to tell.  Things may pop up in the next several weeks that I will share with you because they suddenly come to mind in a situation.   But, let me just say it was wonderful and I loved every minute of it.  Though still tired, I do feel spiritually renewed, though not quite ready to face tomorrow at forty! 


Not the best picture, but trust me, it was packed.  15,000 women was the rough count.



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