ON BEING A POSER

In the last few weeks, I have entered a strange new world.  I was asked to join the board of a non-profit here in Little Rock.  I would love to share more about that and will in another post.  I am looking forward to being an advocate for this important ministry helping kids that are aging out of foster care.  I am in Bible Study with the wife of the director, and she thought of me when they were looking for help in organizing a fund-raising banquet.

And here I am, in charge of coordinating a pretty major event for a couple hundred people or so that is happening right before Thanksgiving.  Now, my natural over-confidence serves me well in times like these, because while I did bat an eye at the request, I still said, "Sure, I could help with that."  I am thankful to have a really worthy opportunity to use some of the gifts I have in organization and event planning.  I am by no means an expert, but I do have a few ideas of what to do.  We also had an amazing training for planning a banquet that equipped us all really well.

The best part about it is that I get to work with an amazing group of strangers who are becoming friends.  I have been blown away by their level of commitment to the organization, the cause and the Lord.  They are fully invested, ready and willing to work and just generally awesome.  Right now, we are meeting weekly, and I am enjoying the peeks I am getting into each person's world.  I haven't had the chance to really get to know them, because right now, we have to get this banquet planned.  It is practically right around the corner.

That has also meant that they haven't really gotten to know me.  This morning the revelation that I am a stay-at-home mom of two really young children and waiting to adopt two more came to light.  By no means had I been trying to hide this, but it just hadn't come up because we really have been head-deep in details.  They all knew that I was with Chick-fil-A, but beyond that, the details of my daily life have been non-existent.

This is the first time in a long while that I have been doing something wholly outside of CFA or my family.  I have been negotiating contracts.  I have been making phone calls and trying to network.  I have been an email fiend trying to figure stuff out.  I feel like a giant poser who is trying to play in a world that I don't really have a part of anymore.  The professional world that lives outside of my home. Part of it is really fun, and part of it is really stressful.  Like when I have to take a phone call at Target while I am herding my cats, I mean my children.  Or when I have to explain that I have very specific times that I can meet - times when I have childcare.

Thankfully, this is a most gracious group - like I mentioned earlier.  Today, people came over to my house during nap time to make a meeting work for me.  And most people like to do emails instead of phone calls anyway, so I don't have to talk over screaming kids often.  All in all, I think it is working out really well, and I am excited to be able to serve in this way.  Also, I find that I am usually more productive when I have a lot going on.  You have to be.

Ultimately, I am so thankful that I have the opportunity to stay home with these jokers most of the time. (This picture is from last night when they were going "Night, Night" under the rugs with pillows from our banquette.)