Community (in)RL

Sometimes you find yourself on a journey you NEVER IN YOUR WILDEST IMAGINATION expected you'd be on. And sometimes in the midst of that journey you feel alone. Completely alone. As if no one has ever possibly been there.

It's not really a great feeling, wandering the great unknown, scared and confused. But it's at those very moments that community appears and embraces you. When you least expect it.  So it goes with my story.  Learning to navigate the world of single mommy-ing. Learning to redefine my family.  Dealing with frustration and learning how to forgive. Some days just figuring out how to put one foot in front of the other and make until bedtime, so I could collapse and do it all again the next day.  And right in the midst of all that, the Lord directed my reading - someone sent me a post from somewhere (no clue where now) which had a link to another post, which had a link to somewhere else, which led me to (in)courage. 

Here I found so much of what I was seeking. Other ladies walking journeys. Some like mine, some totally different, but all of us seeking a way to be encouraged, or to BE an encouragement to another. You can share your heart. You can share your fear. You can share your prayer requests. And someone, often lots of someones, will respond. You'll laugh together; cry together; groan at the latest sticky-fingered mess one of you is cleaning up.  All on-line, from the safe place behind your computer screen.  Which for a long time was just what I needed.

And then, last year, the lovelies who spearhead this effort had a stroke of genius. And an opportunity was given to start to make the community at the keyboard a community of real live hugging ladies too.  (live hugs ... and chocolate ... a winner for sure).  So they embarked on the trek to bring a conference - for all of us. No travel. No hotels. No overnight babysitting extravaganzas.  One night at home, in your PJs with a cup of cocoa.  And one glorious Saturday morning where a few (or a lot) of the names you've read in comments or at the end of postings, become real live people. Hugs, tears, laughs... tons of laughs.  Sharing our hearts and our lives in real life.  Powerful weekend. Life changing for me.  I got to know Rachel a lot better (she goes to my church - we should have done this long ago. But life gets in the way.) And I got to meet Amy.  And Lisa-Jo (I had been reading her stuff for a year - and she knew one of my college girlfriends - and she lived only 20 miles from me ... and I had NO IDEA. That's the confusing - and fun - world of the internet).  We shared stories. We shared snacks. We laughed; we cried. We prayed and we (in)couraged each other.  

I'm so excited that we get to do it again this year. And it's only TWO WEEKS AWAY!  It's not too late to join in. Find a meet-up where you are - Ireland or Illinois or Japan or Jersey.  Or even if you can only join us from home on Friday night and from your laptop again on Saturday, your heart will be blessed. It's fun, fabulous ... and did I mention FREE?  So come play. Register here. Bring your online community to your real life location.

See you there :)