My heart was so full last week that it was hard to process all God was doing. But I think I’m finally ready to share a little bit about my time at the She Speaks conference in North Carolina two weeks ago.
As I gorged myself on delicacies like friend okra and chicken and dumplings—with a tall glass of sweet tea—God reminded me that sometimes the best friends pop into our lives in unlikely ways. Annie picked me up at the airport, and like any good Southern girl drove me straight to Cracker Barrel so I could finally eat at one. The story of how I met Annie is unique. Several years ago she was freelancing for the now defunct Radiant magazine and she called me to conduct an interview about the Being a Girl…series.
During the course of the interview we realized we had a lot in common, and since Annie was an aspiring writer she asked if we could keep in touch. Of course, I said yes. Emails turned into phone calls, and then phone calls turned into visits. Annie’s been to my house in California twice and she played hostess to me when I first got to North Carolina. She’s a fulltime writer with an awesome agent now, and a blog you definitely have to check out. Although I don’t get to see her that often, I’m grateful to have Annie as a friend because she understands the craziness of a writers’ life and she’s always there to pep talk me when I need it or to pass on valuable info—she’s the one who told me about the She Speaks conference in the first place.
Another friend who came into my life in an unlikely way is Sarah. I first met Sarah through her writing. She was one of my students in the Christian Writers Guild program. Instantly I was mesmerized by Sarah and her way with words. During the three years I worked with the CWG I only got to meet three of my students in person, and Sarah is the only one I’ve met twice.
I first met Sarah last year when she and one of my other students, Hannah, drove a few hours out of their way to connect with me at a speaking event I had in their native state of Ohio. It was a short visit—but I loved connecting with the two of them and their moms. When Sarah entered a writing contest to win a scholarship to the She Speaks conference I held my breath and prayed. I knew she was an incredibly gifted writer and I was really hoping she would win—and she did!
So, on Thursday night Sarah and her mom met me at the hotel and we went to dinner. It was so great to sit and talk with Sarah about what she could expect at the conference, and where she planned to go with her writing. I connected with her again numerous times throughout the conference and was able to watch her in action as she interacted with other authors and got some really valuable advice. Sarah will be a novelist someday. I have no doubts about that.
A writer’s life can seem lonely on most days. I have an office in my house and some days the only person I see is my husband. I can work an entire day in my pajamas doing what I love. So, it was really refreshing for me to start my time in North Carolina among friends whom I love dearly. Overall, being at She Speaks made me feel like I really wasn’t that far from home.
What about you? Has God brought unexpected friends into your life? What’s the craziest way you met someone who turned out to be a great friend? What’s your favorite thing to do with a friend you don’t get to see that often? Take some time and stop and thank God for the unexpected friends He has brought into your life.
