The Day the Internet Wrapped Her Arms Around me

I just returned from the amazingly wonderful Influence Conference. I've spent the last few days just taking it all in, absorbing the information, and processing all of it. One thing I discovered while I was there was that I'm in a season of messiness, and I'm just now becoming okay with it. These past few months have been a whirlwind of airplanes, and trips, and new adventures. I'm incredibly blessed for the opportunities that have come my way, but haven't quite embraced the season.

I chatted with the roomies on good ole' google+ prior to meeting them in real life. Alissa and I have met before and joke that we go way back as it was our third time as roomies. We giggled about the fact that I'd be bringing my surplus of pink and green items, which I did. She even joked about the fact that it was likely that my suitcase would explode all over the room as it had done during prior conferences. And time after time, it's proven to be true. Somehow little bits and pieces of my belongings seem to find their way around the hotel room, and this time was just the same.

But that's just it, I want people to see the inside of my suitcase or so to speak. I want to be okay with the overflow, the spillage, and the vulnerability because y'all its a mess. The beautiful thing about the Influence Conference is that community ran deep throughout the weekend. I know living in community is risky, and its scary to let people in, especially those you interact with mainly behind computer screens. But when I got there, those countless black words that I had been typing out for months translated into hugs, laughter, grace, and truth. The second I walked into conference, the internet wrapped her arms around me. I was embraced fully; mess and all.

There are so many more things to say, so many more things to process, and bits and pieces of my heart to share. I'm sure there will be plenty more that I'll share in the coming weeks as I take it all in.