Lunch w/ Ann Voskamp

I had lunch with Ann Voskamp today.  It was so brief, she didn't even know about it, but it had quite the impact on me.

 I've been following all the happenings of the IF: movement, since it went public, and desperately wanted to attend the conference down in Austin.  Unfortunately it sold out its 1200 seats in 45 minutes, and I missed my chance.  Then the founders launched an auction for a few more seats WITH the opportunity to snag dinner with Ann Voskamp and Bianca Olthoff to sweeten the pot, and I was all but drooling.  Enter the teensy, tiny, fact that I have bills and babies, and the ever increasing bids upwards of $5K immediately squelched the ever so brief dream.

The dream may have crashed before it ever really took off, but my day dreams had just started taking flight.  Suddenly my lunch time turned into my date with Ann, (I didn't mean to slight Bianca, I'm sure I would have a lovely time with her too, but my brain is a fickle creature, and simply didn't add her to the day dream).  There we were, me all starry eyed, her wondering if my lack of speech was indicative of a developmental delay, or if I was about to go all single white female on her..... Neither of course being true.  When I finally managed to regain command over my speech, I asked my first, not realizing it would be my last, question.  "How do you do it?"..... An innocent enough question at face value, but toss in that she is a mother of 6, who Home schools, speaks around the world, and writes NY Times Best sellers, and it gets slightly more loaded.

Her response, in my fictitious daydream, shifted the entire paradigm in my very real... reality.  "Same as you", she said.

My brain tried its best to sabotage that small truth with its aptly rehearsed lies...  "No, No, No.... You are amazing"  (with the implied, I'm not) "I could never do what you do"..... It really was amazing how quick and fierce they came, one after the other.   But her little truth, just sat back there marinating for a bit..... and then started to build momentum.

You like to write too, accolades don't matter....  You have your babies too, how many doesn't matter..... You speak too, crowds don't matter....  You are being faithful in your attempt at Home School too, I've just had more time... more practice.

And then, ever so quietly, behind that internal conversation, I heard "Be faithful with little things, and more will be given" (Lk 16:10)....

Ok.... so I guess I had lunch with Ann Voskamp, AND God..... I know, I keep pretty cool company these days, and I didn't have to spend $5k to do so, Kevin will be thrilled ;)

Fake lunch is over... time to get a real one!