Due to carpooling, and not driving, I had every intention of doing schoolwork via my laptop on the way to and from PA as I usually do when I get a ride home. I think my laptop came out of the bag all of maybe twice before I put it back in the bag never to be used again during that weekend. This trip happened at a pretty inconvenient time for me due to it being in late September about a month into the semester and the class I was teaching. I had deadlines to meet, dissertation writing to do, and a bazillion other things hanging over my head. Yet, I have no regrets from that weekend, nor the lack of getting work done in the car ride to and from PA, because it was such a spiritually rewarding weekend! I learned so much about my three carpool buddies, and they about me, and we bonded from being in the car so long together.
Unexpectedly, at 1am, after bidding goodnight to Chris, our fearless gentleman driver from NC, and us three girls checking into our room, I had an eye injury. After three hours of trying to sleep it off, I realized that I needed to go to the doctor. So, first thing in the morning, and thanks to my chivalrous police officer friend from NJ, I found myself in an eye doctor's office being told my contact had "dried up" on my eye from overuse (I had worn contacts from 6:30am until 1am the previous day) and that I must wear my glasses for the next week and use drops.
This was not good news as I was about to embark on a singles conference (my first one)! Granted, I honestly didn't go into that weekend thinking I would meet anyone because what do I have to offer? I'm currently living with family. I have no clue where I will go after graduation in May. It would not be fair to try to start anything with someone when I can't definitively say what will be happening in my life in at that time, eight short months. Or at least that is what I told myself going into that weekend. So, I think some of the pressure was off for me since I went into the experience looking forward to reconnecting with old friends, making new ones, and learning from the speakers. Oh, the speakers! What glorious talks and topics they discussed. I also loved the contemporary style music at some of the masses and was appreciative of the opportunity to receive Confession and participate in Holy Hour, all in our hotel!
Anyhow, back to my eye injury. I had to smile at the irony. I also thought back to the three step prayer my friend, Lisa, had shared with me many years ago that I talked about in the car the previous night. The prayer goes something like this:
1.) Draw me closer to my future spouse.
2.) Repel from me anyone who is not my future spouse (don't you just love that wording? I always think of a bubble surrounding me and the men being repelled like bugs bouncing off this bubble...quite a funny image no?).
3.) Give me the eyes to recognize my future spouse when I see the person.
This last part, # 3, is the part that I tend to "forget" to say when praying this prayer. It's easy enough to say oh, God, please bring us closer and keep the bad ones out but then to say give me the eyes so I may recognize this person...what if it's someone you didn't think it would be? What if it's that good friend of yours who has always been there in the background but you've been so busy chasing others? What if it's the person you never would have otherwise thought it would be? So, subconsciously I think some of those questions may be why I didn't complete the prayer at times. I had to smile at the irony about being given the eyes to see the person when I had an eye injury at a singles conference. LOL!
Anyhow, Chris picked me up from the eye dr. in time to drop off my prescription and make it back to the hotel to join some others for a pre-conference event of taking in some history at Valley Forge (this was one week before the government shutdown thank goodness). We had a beautiful day to sightsee, an entertaining tour guide, and even touched the original railing George Washington would have touched in the headquarters!
We returned from our historical trolley tour at Valley Forge in time to go to the Speed Dating Event. It was wonderful seeing Lisa, Michael, their little boy, and Lisa's parents again, as well as other old and new friends!!
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| I was so tired at this point from teaching early in the morning prior, making the trip north, then having the eye injury that resulted in less than 3 hours of sleep followed by the early morning eye dr. appt., the historical Valley Forge tour, then helping with the Speed Dating Event.....all before the conference officially started at 6pm that night! But, boy oh boy, how I loved seeing Lisa! :) |
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| Don was the one who so gallantly came to my rescue and dropped me off at the eye doctor appointment in the morning. |
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| Vinay flew in from Chicago and so kindly took us to the cowboy bar after the conference events of the day had ended where we were greatly entertained by folks who rode the mechanical bull among other things. |
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The next day, we packed up and departed PA after mass with the bishop. The ride back was spent chattering with each other, much as it was on the way up on Thursday night. I didn't get one iota of schoolwork done but wouldn't have had it any other way. I'm thankful for the experience and am still reaping the benefits of having gone to such a fun retreat experience!!
NCSC 2013 was such a boost to the morale of so many from what I heard and observed of others. The folks I traveled with were certainly so blessed by it.
As for me, I felt very much an observer of all that was going on around me, both within my NC circle and outer circles, throughout the weekend. I don't think that was necessarily a bad thing and ponder what it all means. My intentions going into the weekend were not to "find someone" but to serve and share in fellowship and receive our Lord's awesome graces through the talks and sacraments. Sounds strange I know given the theme of the conference but it's true. Does that mean I wasn't deep down inside hopeful of maybe talking or meeting a potential new friend? Not necessarily but I'm not disappointed in the fact that the conference served more as a retreat/reunion of sorts. I'm beyond thrilled over the brewing romance of some friends but time will tell what will come of that. I grew in friendship with others and hope this weekend was the start of healing of past wounds and I hope others keep up with the momentum of willing some changes in life. Those are not my stories to tell so I will leave it at that.
Anyhow, on the way home, I thought about my interactions with my friend, Michael. As we were getting ready just before the speed dating started, he turned to me, smiled, and said, "You're looking good.". I thought I heard him wrong and asked him to repeat himself to which he did and I realized I heard him correctly the first time.
Of course he would think that since I wore the nautical striped outfit just for his wife, my friend, Lisa. ;) Seriously though, my spirits were low, head ached, eye hurt, and confidence was down due to the lack of sleep, feeling out of sorts, and being forced to wear the glasses I never wear due to the "eye injury". It was like he somehow knew I needed that little boost by sharing the compliment even if I didn't think it was true at the time. What a true man of God he is to give up of his time by taking off work and assisting his wife at the Speed Dating event, to make time to lift a fellow sister up by saying this simple statement, and then to be beside himself with boyish glee as he tried to play matchmaker by discussing his friend, Dennis, whom he wanted to introduce me to via email. I told Lisa, a few days after the retreat, how she is so blessed, as he is for finding a spouse in her, and I count myself blessed 5 x's over for counting this family as friends. I thanked her for the gift of planning and providing the Speed Dating Party for the 100+ people they served on Friday afternoon and thanked her for being such a strong sister in Christ I look up to and hope to emulate even further within my own circumstances and life. In pulling off such a huge event that I know took a huge amount of time, thought, and effort I hope she knows that it made a difference in spite of the impossibility of being able to please everyone all the time.
Anyhow, other things that were revealed to me or made clearer throughout this weekend had been on my mind over the last couple months. I do recall feeling a bit overwhelmed by it all, especially as I received feedback from my "NC caravan" such as these texts:
Thank you again for the gift of the invitation this weekend.
It was an incredible weekend Meg. I would say life changing, but it wasn't the weekend that was life changing. He is life changing. This weekend was just another step down that path He has created for me. I'm glad He chose you to help me on that path. You are a valued new friend! Thank you for praying for me and for us. God bless your day!
I realized even more now after this weekend how BLESSED I am to have you in my life. Sweet dreams my friend. Thank you for an amazing opportunity. I had a blast with you guys and will never forget it.
The irony of it all is....is that my friend, Lisa, was the reason I went to this conference. She had emailed me on Jan. 13th.....telling me about the conference. That was the first time I had heard of this conference. I had no intentions of going...then slowly God worked in my heart, through Lisa, Don, and others. Lisa and I had had a picnic lunch at the park this past summer. We had enjoyed a conversation on the park bench as we played with her baby, Liam, and enjoyed the sunshine. She shared her experience of attending a similar conference a few years ago. Along the way, these little conversations and emails changed my heart from saying I can't afford this, I wouldn't do this sort of thing, I don't have the time to take a weekend off from writing, job hunting, schoolwork, (you fill in the blank here) to go to this to actually going and I thank God for these signal graces along the way. The conversation on the way to and from PA was proof enough for me that I was to be where I was that weekend and that my motley crew of friends (we all didn't know each other well at all) was where they needed to be as well. We now count one another as companions on the journey after this experience and I'm so excited for what the future holds for each of them.
As I was reminded during the talks at NCSC 2013, only in God's timing, will the best plans HE has for us be revealed. So, I guess what I'm trying to say, in case you haven't already figured it out, is that I'm excited and definitely open to what's to come in 2014 and can't wait to see what's in store knowing how well God surprises us and all.
They have not made the announcement as to where next year's NCSC will be but a little birdie told me it is going to be in California, one of my favorite states!! :)
They came out with the announcement regarding NCSC 2014 today!
When:
August 8-10, 2014
August 8-10, 2014
Where:
Town and Country Resort
San Diego, California
Town and Country Resort
San Diego, California
A very affecting account. Hope your eyes all well now. If not, then you more than deserve added treatment. So you can see as well the visions you enthrall us with here. These are some nice outdoor pictures, by the way.
ReplyDeleteWilliam @ RediClinic