Today we journeyed toward a lovely destination. Not a particular physical place, but a space inside. The catalyst for this journey was called Time Out for Women. My mom and I have been planning this trip since January 1, 2009.Time Out for Women (TOFW) is a tour of sorts. An inspirational tour/program sponsored by a branch of Deseret Book and affiliated with Latter-Day Saints. My mom and I attended the event in Richmond, Virginia. Richmond is generally a three and a half hour ride from our home. Here is a link to their website http://deseretbook.com/time-out/
Looking at the actual trip down, I think of a quote by Booker T. Washington. He was an American educator, orator, author and the dominant leader of the nation's African American community from the 1890s to his death. He was born into slavery and freed by the Civil War in 1865, he led the new Tuskegee Institute, then a teachers' college for blacks. He said, “Nothing ever comes to one, that is worth having, except as a result of hard work.” In a more modern interpretation I have heard the adage "Nothing worth having comes easy."Since my eleven year old little green Ford car is literally limping on its 198,000 miles and my Mom's Kia is in desperate need of new brakes we asked around to see if anyone else was heading down that way for the event. Luckily, a lovely lady from our congregation at church was in need of traveling companions and was willing to drive us in her van. Of course in strict adherence to my "Preparation" Code of Ethics the trip was planning to the last detail and yet again my plans were thwarted. I am in way too good of a mood to contribute it to the world and universe combining against me, but...sometimes I get that niggling in the back of my mind, mmmm, it could be (smile) ever since I fell in love with the X-Files I have always loved a good conspiracy, but I divert...sincerest apologies.Our well planned 3.5 hour journey lasted a patience testing 6 hours. At one point it almost took an entire hour to drive five measly miles. Just five. No exaggerating (which I admit to enjoying on an occasion or two). Again I was foiled by Washington D.C. traffic. It never fails. And yet time and again, I am surprised and somewhat annoyed.
Blessedly, my traveling companions saw the humor of our situation and took it as it came. The lovely lady who drove was ever patient in the daunting traffic. It made the trip more bearable. The magical kingdom of Leesburg did not wield any power on this trip and we escaped unscathed of such detours.Our plans included staying at a remarkable and historic hotel in downtown Richmond called the Linden Row Inn. Originally built in the 1840s, Linden Row Inn is a 70-room hotel located in the heart of historic Richmond. It has stunning period architecture, fireplaces, chandeliers, and high ceilings. It is reminiscent of a more gracious era. The rooms are filled with antiques and reproductions from the Victorian and Empire periods. We stayed in one of the Main House Rooms - #318. These rooms are located in the 7 connected row houses and feature 12' ceilings, rich jewel-toned color schemes, contemporary amenities, and access to the veranda over looking the courtyard. We found out that this hotel is the only in the city listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
After our 12 Noon departure from Taneytown, Maryland we anticipated arriving in Richmond, checking into our lovely little inn, walking to one of the local quaint eateries, then traveling the few blocks to the start of the TOFW event at 6:30 PM. Such was not the case and it is good to learn to "roll with the punches" so to speak. I-95 Southbound from Washington D.C. was simply put - a parking lot. Some people just pulled off to the side of the road to take a nap until the worst of the traffic eased up. There were accidents of all kinds most of which were the garden variety of vendor bender, but those came with police and rubberneckers. Nevertheless, our faithful and stalwart travel leader pushed on.
We arrived in Richmond just minutes before the event started. Our travel leader said, "I'm just glad we got in one piece and aren't going to miss any of the program." I am grateful for both.The Friday evening portion of the program included a lot of music. I love music. It does something inside of me. Lyrics are so critical to me. Music has great power and influence in my life. I have changed the course of my life with inspiration from two lines of one song - oddly enough a U2 song, but that is a story for another day. The words echo in me. I feast on them. I move them around in my head, peer into and through them, and follow where they lead.The opening performer is a singer and song writer who centers her music on the human condition in relation to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Her name is Hilary Weeks and she has at least six albums out now. Her music really touched a chord within me. She spent time talking about her experiences, sharing stories about her family life, and sharing her strong feelings about Jesus Christ and our Father in Heaven. Here is a link to her website http://hilaryweeks.com/
Blessedly, my traveling companions saw the humor of our situation and took it as it came. The lovely lady who drove was ever patient in the daunting traffic. It made the trip more bearable. The magical kingdom of Leesburg did not wield any power on this trip and we escaped unscathed of such detours.Our plans included staying at a remarkable and historic hotel in downtown Richmond called the Linden Row Inn. Originally built in the 1840s, Linden Row Inn is a 70-room hotel located in the heart of historic Richmond. It has stunning period architecture, fireplaces, chandeliers, and high ceilings. It is reminiscent of a more gracious era. The rooms are filled with antiques and reproductions from the Victorian and Empire periods. We stayed in one of the Main House Rooms - #318. These rooms are located in the 7 connected row houses and feature 12' ceilings, rich jewel-toned color schemes, contemporary amenities, and access to the veranda over looking the courtyard. We found out that this hotel is the only in the city listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
After our 12 Noon departure from Taneytown, Maryland we anticipated arriving in Richmond, checking into our lovely little inn, walking to one of the local quaint eateries, then traveling the few blocks to the start of the TOFW event at 6:30 PM. Such was not the case and it is good to learn to "roll with the punches" so to speak. I-95 Southbound from Washington D.C. was simply put - a parking lot. Some people just pulled off to the side of the road to take a nap until the worst of the traffic eased up. There were accidents of all kinds most of which were the garden variety of vendor bender, but those came with police and rubberneckers. Nevertheless, our faithful and stalwart travel leader pushed on.
We arrived in Richmond just minutes before the event started. Our travel leader said, "I'm just glad we got in one piece and aren't going to miss any of the program." I am grateful for both.The Friday evening portion of the program included a lot of music. I love music. It does something inside of me. Lyrics are so critical to me. Music has great power and influence in my life. I have changed the course of my life with inspiration from two lines of one song - oddly enough a U2 song, but that is a story for another day. The words echo in me. I feast on them. I move them around in my head, peer into and through them, and follow where they lead.The opening performer is a singer and song writer who centers her music on the human condition in relation to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Her name is Hilary Weeks and she has at least six albums out now. Her music really touched a chord within me. She spent time talking about her experiences, sharing stories about her family life, and sharing her strong feelings about Jesus Christ and our Father in Heaven. Here is a link to her website http://hilaryweeks.com/
The second presenter was a professional photographer named Mark Mabry. He is as a professional photographer with his own private studio, focusing on family and commercial portraiture. Over the past few years, in conjunction with Mesa, Arizona’s annual Easter pageant “Jesus the Christ,” he created a portrait exhibit called Reflections of Christ. Work from this project has recently been published in a book, CD, and DVD titled Reflections of Christ. He shared a video about the making of the Reflections of Christ exhibit. Then he spoke quite frankly about the transition that he made from "high fashion" photographer to a more Christ centered work portfolio. He was so open and honest about the changes he had to make in himself to become worthy of the project he was undertaking. I was so impressed by the things that he shared. So few people, men especially, are not capable or willing to show such transparency into their weaknesses and foibles. Here is the link to the website about the project http://www.reflectionsmg.com/
The final performer is another singer and song writer named Michael McLean. I had seen him in concert many, many years ago - 16 - and enjoyed it immensely. He sang songs about change. He shared that he had been struggling with clinical depression for quite some time and had found the way through it and wanted to share how he had done this. Many of you know that I live with Bipolar - or more commonly called Manic-depressive disorder. I feel a connection to other people who suffer with mental illness. When you feel like the only person in the world struggling with something it is lonely and isolating. It is a fallacy that I am the only one suffering, but there are those days nonetheless. He was upbeat and frank about his struggle. It takes great care and work to get past the dark times. His recent album is entitled, "Changed." Again, his performance has a spiritual side. A lovely Twitter quote of his from his website is "The problem isn't that there's no evidence that God loves His children. The problem is we're afraid to believe it." His website is http://www.michaelmcleanmusic.com/
There is more to come from our Saturday event.
The final performer is another singer and song writer named Michael McLean. I had seen him in concert many, many years ago - 16 - and enjoyed it immensely. He sang songs about change. He shared that he had been struggling with clinical depression for quite some time and had found the way through it and wanted to share how he had done this. Many of you know that I live with Bipolar - or more commonly called Manic-depressive disorder. I feel a connection to other people who suffer with mental illness. When you feel like the only person in the world struggling with something it is lonely and isolating. It is a fallacy that I am the only one suffering, but there are those days nonetheless. He was upbeat and frank about his struggle. It takes great care and work to get past the dark times. His recent album is entitled, "Changed." Again, his performance has a spiritual side. A lovely Twitter quote of his from his website is "The problem isn't that there's no evidence that God loves His children. The problem is we're afraid to believe it." His website is http://www.michaelmcleanmusic.com/
There is more to come from our Saturday event.
