Time Out For Women - Saturday

Awoke early Saturday morning and headed back to Covington, Kentucky from Sadieville. This time Iz (Israel Kamakawiwo-ole) was my musical companion.  I was back in Hawaii for an hour to begin my day and it was so relaxing.

I found our ladies again and took my seat for a great morning.

Hilary Weeks would be the performer of excellent music Saturday.  She sings Christian music and is amazing. Throughout the day she would treat us to her 10 favorite songs (She says they change from time to time but for that weekend these would be her 10 favorite songs.)  Here are a few comments made by Hilary throughout the day:

• Let your dreams be bigger than your fears.
• Quoting R.W. Emerson: "It's not the length of the life but the depth.
• Music is what feelings sound like.

The first speaker was Whitney Johnson.  Her talk was titled "The Kingdom of Heaven is Within".  Here are a few thoughts from her talk:

• We are on a hero's journey.
• What you loved as a child is a clue to your dreams.
• Date your dreams...

Chris Williams was the second speaker.  He and his family were hit by a teenager who was drunk. The wreck killed his wife and two of his four children.  His story is one of forgiveness and healing. His talk was titled "Steps for Peacefully Overcoming Anything". His seeking out the teen who was the cause of this tragedy and frankly forgiving him and encouraging him to not let this horror make his life another tragedy. His forgiveness of this young man was so complete that he attended the young man's wedding and is friends with him. Chris and his two living sons moved on with their lives. Eventually Chris remarried a wonderful woman whose husband died of cancer. She had two children. She and Chris have since had two more children.  These are thoughts from his talk:

• He heard three words that clarified for him how he was to handle his grief. Those words were "Let it go."  His council was to trust in Christ. That is where the peace will come from.
• His three daily commitments to maintain an eternal perspective are:
  1)  Remember the words his wife used to say to him, "Buck up Charlie!"
  2)  Look up - Realize we do have a Savior.
  3) Serve other - Do not be wrapped in our own problems.

Our third speaker was Laurel Day. She works for Deseret Book.  At the age of 40 she finally met the man that would be her eternal companion. The title of her talk was "His Way, His Truth, Your Life". Here are a few thoughts from her talk:

• Steel gets strongest by the right combination of hot and cold temperatures.
• We get strong through trials and good times. Neil Maxwell called this 'customized curriculum'.
• Some experiences are just part of mortality. Others are given to us.
• We would scorn ourselves to ask so little of a God who would give so much.
• God places desire for things he has for us.
• Make it enough. What needs to be enough for me today?

It was time for lunch. We had 1 hour and 20 minutes for lunch.  Again, I went my own direction for that much needed time to reflect and center myself.  This time I walked down Madison street toward downtown Covington. I walked to 8th Street, crossed the street and came back toward the Convention Center.  This allowed me a chance to see if I found a place to purchase a little lunch. If not, I would enjoy a walk on a beautiful spring day outside.  I did note a little cafe and that is where I enjoyed a chef salad for lunch.

During this walk I passed a building called Children Inc.  It had a sign in the window indicating it was part of a United Way program.  The thing that caught my eye was the beautiful statues of children at play all around this corner building. Here are the pictures of these statues:

 

 

 

Nestled back at the Northern Kentucky Convention Center, I was now ready for the afternoon speakers.  Hilary started us off with more great music and set a good tone for learning. 

Our fourth speaker was Wendy Ulrich. Wendy is a psychologist by profession. Her talk was titled "Hope, a Gift and a Need".  Here are some thoughts she shared:

• Susan Boyle achieved success without winning the contest.
• False hope is something impossible that we cling to. It denies the Plan.
• Miracles do not always come without pain.

The concluding speaker was Emily Watts. Emily is a lover of words. She is an editor at Deseret Book. Her talk was titled "The Light at the End of the Mom Tunnel". 

• I may one day be geriatric-ly as I was once pediatric-ly. 
• If you remember why you are doing what you are doing, the doing becomes a lot less tedious.
• Give children questions and resources more often than answers. It teaches them to think about it and to discover things on their own.

With another song from Hilary Weeks, we were finished with the 2014 Time Out for Women. It was a great use of my precious time. I truly appreciated having some time to myself and time to be with other women. It was healing and filling. I would definitely go again.

Here are some of the ladies from the Georgetown, Kentucky Ward (congregation) with whom I enjoyed Time Out For Women.

Back Row:  Eliza Fairbanks, Vicki Parret, Billie Mussman, Sandi Christensen, Amber Marcum, Amy Coyne, Shayanne Charles, Nicole Charles.
Front Row:  Heather Zwygart, Amanda Johnson, Summer Dudley.