I posted a few days ago that I’d be gone to a conference, and left an inspirational quote from the woman for whom the conference is named, Edel Mary Quinn. I didn’t know what to expect. I mean, I had a general idea, you know. There’d be women there. Lots of women who are mothers, so there were babies, too. So many cute babies.
And there was going to be this shoe thing. And a number of women I knew either in person or from their writing.
What I found was lots of women — a good cross-representation in fact. I wrote the following to a friend:
My favorite thing about it was that there was a level of intimacy that built upon common experiences. I was able to find women who shared some of my experiences. You know, not the picture perfect life we’d like to project to the world, but real women experiencing the joy and the pain of motherhood. I met single moms, divorced moms, widows, happily married women, mothers of babies and grown children. Women praying for their fallen away children, women joyful at their large families. All of us were there, you know what I mean? And all of us were reveling in the silliness, and reveling in the source of true joy!
I couldn’t have anticipated the blessing and graces from such a truly joyful gathering. There were inspiring talks, dancing and singing, Adoration and Benediction, shopping (some awesome vendors!) delicious, I MEAN Delicious! Food!, a fantastic cocktail name Edel (naturally), and a sense of community that built upon last year’s event, but remained inclusive throughout. That is surely a hallmark of the event, a testament to how the organizers were present throughout, and how the women themselves were friendly and outgoing.
*Check back later for an update with pictures facing the right way.