Yesterday, I was fortunate to attend the Wake Women’s Conference at my church.  My friends Sue and Veronica joined me.  Since this was the first conference to held at our location, I didn’t know what to expect.  I knew we’d have the opportunity to learn and meet other women and hear from inspirational speakers, so for me, it was a win-win.

Upon check-in, we received a Wake notebook, t-shirt, and had pastries and fruit.  The auditorium was decorated beautifully.  Each table had cookies and beautiful centerpieces.  The decor provided a warm, and relaxing environment and we immediately felt at ease.  The three of us found a table and introduced ourselves to the other 4 women there.  

The morning began with worship songs and prayer.  I must admit I had the warmest feeling being in a room with over 150 other women who were also there to praise, worship, and grow.  Our first speaker was Erica Parrish who came all the way from Salt Lake City.  The topic of her keynote was “The Fog of Slumber”.  Regardless if you are a church goer or not, this applies to us all.  With all of the daily routines we have, we tend to walk around in a fog.  There are days when I feel like I am a Stepford Wife.  Work, home, sleep, repeat.  Even though we know we are supposed to take time for ourselves and reflect on what’s important to us we don’t.  I jot down notes all the time with ideas of things want to do for myself, but I don’t get to them or I feel as though there isn’t time.  This needs to change!  

If we remain complacent in our daily lives, we miss out on all the wonderful opportunities around us! Erica stated when we are in the fog of slumber we cannot do the following things (regardless if you apply these terms to your relationship with God or yourself they are relatable): 

*We cannot sense presence 

*We cannot recall purpose

*We cannot recall power

If we take the time to really sit down and figure out what this means to us in Midlife, imagine the growth we can achieve. We had a chance to participate in a breakout session and meet the women at our table.  Soon, we were chatting like old friends.  Of course, during this time the topic of Mid-life came up.  We were all over 40, and we all had the same concerns.  Empty nesting, finding purpose, life after divorce, finding ourselves.  It is amazing to me how many of us ponder these issues, and feel as though they are all alone in experiencing them!  Our table came alive and I loved it!  

The second speaker was Laura Sonsken, the founding Pastors wife.  She was the fireball we needed after our lunch break!  Laura also talked about having a FULL LIFE.  This is so very important.   It made me think “what do I need to do to have a full life?” “what changes do I need to make in order to achieve this?”  She gave us tips that help her on a daily basis, and encouraged us to complete a 21-day devotional and stay true to ourselves.  If devotionals aren’t your thing,  you can always journal your thoughts and goals to give yourself the motivation you need.

Photo credit: Sue F.

The conference ended with a Q&A session.  The panel was made up of 5 of the Pastors Wives.  The audience picked a few questions and we got to hear their open, honest answers.  One question was of particular interest to our table.  It was along the lines of dealing with change and finding ourselves.  We all looked around the table as if someone was eavesdropping on our conversation!  That proved my point that there are so many of us that need a community for Midlife women!  One of the speakers used the term “thirst” in regards to community.  This could not have been more accurate.  I feel the “thirst” to reach more women and learn more about this season of my life.  

All in all, the conference gave me a renewed sense of self and an energy that I have been missing for quite some time.  It was also such a pleasure to attend with my midlife gals.  WAKE was the perfect theme for this conference,  We all left feeling a sense of a revived spirit and a sense of renewal.  I can’t wait until 2019!

Veronica, Sue and I

Do you ever feel like you are in a “fog of slumber?”  What are you going to do to change that?

Until next time…..