Once upon a time, (To)Gather did gather.
Several months back, I blogged about creating a logo for a small women's gathering. The "big event" was held this past weekend and I couldn't resist catching you all up on the happenings that went down.
We began the week with load-in and supply-runs as we transformed our living room into a make-shift conference facility. One of my favorite moments during our three-evening setup was the five minutes we thought the tables we'd borrowed were kid-height and immediately imagined sitting on the floor for two days with equal parts joy and fear (my husband kindly pointed out the legs raised and lowered for transport).
We fully embraced the fall season (even if it stubbornly refuses to embrace us!) with glowing candles and white pumpkins and tried to create a welcoming environment - complete with multiple Keurigs and and lots of yummy snacks. Once everything was hidden, covered, or set out for consumption, my sturdy little tribe of Rachael, Rae and myself - along with last-minute aides Tripp, Shannon, Luke, and Amy set about preparing our hearts for the time we'd spend together (except for Tripp and Luke who seemed pleased just to depart from the odd jobs and heavy lifting).
May I just say, the preparation time was so worth it. This event reminded me how important it is to bridge the Mary-Martha gap in my personality. It was indeed important to consider the small details, to ensure a full experience for each attendee, but it was equally important to pause and take in the moment for myself, too. For a day and a half, we sang together, laughed and learned with speakers who bravely challenged us to pour out our lives, and fellowshipped together. We all met at least one new friend, shopped the divine NoonDay Collection, and began a quick fundraising campaign to help refugee women in need.
Here are a few snaps from the weekend (see above about staying in the moment to explain how there are so few of them documented):
As Saturday dwindled to evening and our final charge was issued from Jennie Allen (via video), we sang together once more. Then, we shuttered the conference facility doors, returned the couches to the usual spot, and cleaned up the left-overs before heading back to "real life." There's already much talk of next fall and questions about "will we do this a second time?" And, you know...I think we just might (To)Gather again.