I’d never met in person any of the six women who I invited into my lake house for the weekend, but being with them felt familiar. The internet is a crazy place, and so good when we use it to foster real connections.
We became friends when Kayse recruited us three years ago to be in a Facebook group together to talk about blogging and writing. We agreed to share each other’s posts, but we ended up sharing our lives virtually. We’ve prayed for each other and used emojis that meant we were laughing.
So last weekend they came from five different states. We’ve decided only comfy pants and real life were allowed. We are all writers, but we are all also wives, moms, friends, volunteers, and employees.
Carving out time to gather with like-minded
people is sacred because the world is so loud.
There’s something sacred about carving out time when the world is so loud to gather with like-minded people who can encourage one another in our similar but unique callings.
I spend so much of my life multi-tasking, and I’m a fairly high-capacity person who can have my mind going in different directions for a limited time. But this past weekend was a gift of focusing on this crazy calling to share stories through blogging, books, and social media. We talked and laughed and brainstormed and encouraged one another. Some people napped and some went on a walk. We all ate well.
Our conversations covered all sorts of topics while we were able to take a break from the usual multi-tasking ways and soak into the truth that God calls us to faithfulness, regardless of the kind of work or activity we are doing. I’m grateful for the opportunity to retreat with these friends I had never met in person but who knew me well already. I came away with a full heart, new ideas, and some deeper friendships.
*****
I’m happy Kate Motaung chose FRIEND as this week’s Five Minute Friday prompt. I wanted to post about the weekend, so it was the perfect prompt for that. The rules for Five Minute Friday are simple: Set a timer and write for five minutes. Then link up at Kate’s place and this crew that’s like a flash mob of writers.
And if you’d like to get to know these writer friends of mine, you can: Kayse Pratt. Anna Rendell. Mary Carver. Erika Dawson. Christen Price. Amanda Conquers.
All the warm-fuzzies
Same here. I was out there today tending to some things and missed you girls!
Yep. Me too. Next year – longer. 🙂 Love you girls!!!
Love you, friend! Thanks for bringing us all together. xo
Our weekend together was just perfect. Thank you so much for hosting us and feeding us. I can’t wait until we do it again!
You’re so welcome. I would do it all over again because it filled me so much.
LOVE this recap, friend. So, so deeply grateful for our time together!
I needed that time more than I realized. So grateful YOU were part of it.
What a wonderful, warm post, and a lovely picture to go with it. You’ve brightened my evening; thank you for sharing this.
Thank you, Andrew. I hope you’ve been feeling better today.
I love that y’all did this!
Me too! It makes me want to gather even more of my writer friends (including YOU!) in the same room!
“Carving out time to gather with like-minded people is sacred because the world is so loud.” What a fabulous opportunity you provided! This past year, God has provided venues, community, and time through which to devote to writing and blogging. It’s a new season in my life and I’m loving it. The Five Minut Friday Writing Community has been such a gift. I’m looking forward to meeting these women in real life at the retreat. I never realized how valuable these online communities could be and how online friendships become just as sacred as in person encounters. I’m number #49 at the link-up.
So much value is in those communities – I’m glad you’ve had those opportunities recently. Thanks for coming by here, Stephanie!
This sounds like the most amazing experience. Many of my online connections have become so important to me and I would love to meet with these friends one day the way you did. Thanks for the inspiration.
Jeannie (#34 in the FMF linkup this week)
I’m so glad I got to have this experience, and I hope you get to do something similar! It’s well worth the time. Thanks for coming by here, Jeannie!