What an awesome weekend!

My three lifelong friends came out to join me at the Hearts at Home conference, which is all about professionalizing motherhood and giving Christian moms the resources and tools they need to be the best they can be. Makes sense to me… every other profession has organizations and national conferences, so why not the same for moms?

My twin sis Steph and dear friends Amber and Kristy were just what my spirit needed… I don’t think we have all gotten together for at least 4 years, so this reunion was long overdue! Needless to say, we stayed up way too late on Friday night, but we just had so much to catch up on! Doug remarked how amazing it was that he never heard a break in our conversation and that he could discern two conversations almost always happening at once! (Not that he was listening in or anything!) What a blessing to have these incredible friends who love God and each teach me something important about being a good mom. I miss them already. I think this quote sums it up best: “The most important discovery that true friends can make is that they can grow separately without growing apart.”

Kristy brought us some hometown treats, Amber made us each a beautiful bracelet, and Steph brought a box of super-yummy chocolates to share. I made a little month-by-month calendar featuring our favorite recipes, important dates, and some fun photos… Here are two photos from our high school days:

And here we are today…

The conference was great – this is my third year attending, and I always learn something new to apply to my life as a wife and mother. Some takeaways from this year’s conference, celebrating its 15th anniversary:
- Comparison kills contentment.
- Have perspective for the moment: Ask “will this matter in 15 years?” If not, let it go.
- Have perspective for the future: Who do I want to be in 15 years? Who do I want my children to be in 15 years? What steps can I take today to get them (and me) to that point?
- The best thing you can do for your kids is to love their daddy!
- Do I allow God’s light to shine through my “cracks”?
- I should think of my list of priorities as a watercolor… whatever is on top will drip down and bleed into what’s below it.
- Make a committment to share every day with God in some way.
- Think and live with an eternal perspective.
- Marriage takes hard work to make it work.
- Ask myself: “Do my words wound or edify my marriage?”
- A good marriage is not so much about marrying the right person as it is about becoming the right partner.

~ Erin