Something's Coming

Photo borrowed from Kenju

Have you ever looked up from your everyday life and noticed something big headed your way?

BYU Women's Conference is May 1st and 2nd. This is an annual two-day event at Brigham Young University, attended by about 20,000 participants from all 50 states, and many other countries.

Both days start and end with general sessions. In between the general sessions there are three one-hour concurrent sessions with 15 venues to choose from each hour. The topics are varied and include:

Single Parenting; Adoption; Music; Maintaining Good Physical, Emotional and Spiritual Health; Marriage; Dealing with Death; Parenting Adult Children; Finances; Mental Illness; Prayer; Menopause; Addiction; Influence of Grandmothers; Style; Caring for Aging Parents; Forgiveness; Eating Disorders; Determining Life Priorities; Turning to the Scriptures for Answers...

These are just a few of the subjects being discussed. Speakers range from university professors to doctors, lawyers, artists, musicians, family therapists...and a blogger.

Yes, I am speaking about blogging: Staying Connected Using the Internet. I am intimidated, and overwhelmed. I go back and forth between being terrified my room will be full (it holds 600 people) or even worse, empty. One day I write down thirty great ideas, and the next day all thirty seem totally boring. I timed myself presenting all my material and it took over an hour. Then I timed myself reading all my fascinating material and it took less than two minutes.

I find myself hyperventilating in the car as I think about it, and I can't eat without taking a Zantac. I am bringing on hot flashes worrying that I'll have a hot flash. I spent an hour tonight trying on earrings wondering how to make my neck look long and graceful.

In spite of my short comings (and short neck,) some of you have emailed asking for details.

I speak on Friday, May 2nd, at 2:00 in room 3220-24 in the Wilkinson Center. If you have a guest pass you should arrive 30 minutes before the session starts. You can register online or the day of, and the cost of a full ticket is $47; a one-day ticket is $27.

On Thursday evening there are service events and cultural performances. The evening of service is awesome. Some of the things accomplished over the last 10 years are:

509,200 packets prepared for various non-profit agencies; 371,425 hygiene kits assembled for the LDS Humanitarian Center to send to victims of natural disasters around the world; 38,101 newborn kits sent to maternity clinics in developing countries; 104,144 school kits for schools in developing countries; 6,000 blankets sent to children's hospitals; 145,200 food boxes put together for the food bank. The list goes on and on.

During the conference there are Take 'n' Make and Return Kits. Women take projects to the classes and sit and crochet or knit hats, scarves, mittens, or slippers that are then returned as finished projects and donated to those in need. There are Service Learning Rooms that are set up for women to listen or view live conference sessions while tying quilts, sanding and painting wooden toys, or putting together children's books.

Sharing Stations are set up on Thursday night in a large ballroom. It is a "trade show of service ideas" featuring over fifty displays created by different women to share ideas on loving, serving, and teaching in the home, school and community. These ideas and relevant handouts, patterns, recipes, etc. will be available free of charge on the web site after the conference. (Ideas from previous years are available now.)

And, of course, there's a giant Blogapalooza Party for paid up members! Thanks Celia Fae.

I'm hugely flattered (and humbled) to be included in this marvelous event, even in a small way. But I feel like something huge is coming right at me and it's too late to duck!