The Summit is Like a Big Wad of Toilet Paper
The Summit….it’s like a big wad of toilet paper.
I mean that in the best kind of way!
Haven’t you been in a public restroom stall and you reach beneath the gray plastic holder hanging on the wall that’s supposed to contain a roll of toilet paper the diameter of an old 33LP (kids, that’s what we used to listen to music on before CDs or ipods were invented) only to discover that there is NO paper?! There’s someone in the next stall so you tap-tap-tap on the wall and ask timidly, “Um, do you mind giving me some toilet paper? There’s none over here.”
You hear the rattling of the roll rotating in the plastic holder and from under the divider comes her hand with 2 squares of tissue. NOOOO! I NEED MORE!!!! But you just take it and do the best you can.
This is how so much of our interaction with others goes. We are right there, next to each other, sharing space and time. But our relationship is unsatisfactory. “Hi, how are you?” “Fine, how are you?” “Fine.” It’s two-squares, not sharing, not caring emptiness.
But then there’s that occasional time when, miraculously, from under the stall wall comes a giant wad of toilet paper so plentiful that you can probably leave enough extra for the next unfortunate soul who comes in. Thanks to this stranger you have everything you need….she really understood and gave you all she could.
That’s what the Summit is like. The women there give it all, love, joy, hurt, concern, sympathy, truth, grace. The masks come off, we share our hearts, we are honest and open, we see each other and for the first time in a long time we feel understood.
Personally, I am terrible at chit chat. I go to these big events or church or a party and I want to get in a corner with someone and dig into life and its messiness. I want to laugh hard and cry the ugly cry and pray together and really, I mean really, care about each other. But people don’t do that. They hide. We stay in our comfort zones and think we are safe. But the truth is, it’s an illusion. Let’s be real! Let’s give grace! I’ll share my toilet paper with you when you need it and make sure you have enough to give to someone else!
Ain’t nobody got time to drip dry.
OK, maybe this analogy is going a bit too far.
But I want you to really get a sense of what happens at the Summit so you will go next year and experience it for yourself! We worship, we pray together, we let the walls down, we share our pain, we find healing, we get ready to go home changed. Women last weekend testified that they had been able, for the first time, to let go of bitterness, confess secret sin, fall back in love with their husbands, feel equipped to mother their children, on and on each story humbled me over and over.
There’s a lot of laughing too. I mean a lot! In fact, my friends and I did a skit called, “Mrs. Homeschool Universe” and we took it to the extreme. I can’t tell you the whole thing, but here we are finding out what the winner gets and when we heard that part of our prize was a whole week of uninterrupted showers we pretty much started to cry.
Those other 3 gals in the skit are the funniest people! I had to keep from cracking up at their every word.
And they each are sharing on their blogs about their Summit experiences from last weekend. Don’t miss their posts! I’ll bet none of them even mention toilet paper, so they will be much more interesting.
Kris at Weird, Unsocialized Homeschooler shared her “Top 10 Experiences of the Homeschool Moms’ Winter Summit”
Heather at Joyful Socks Mom gives her “Why Finding My Tribe at Winter Summit Makes All the Difference” (Heather’s site is down right now, so check back!)
Connie at Smockity Frocks is sharing about “Winter Summit 2016 ~ Homeschool Moms’ Retreat”
I also got to have two of my daughters with me, which was a double blessing! They came to help serve the moms and I was just so happy to spend some of this time with them!
Aren’t they gorgeous? Yes, I am blessed. (and they both have blogs, J. Grace Pennington and The Epic Place)
Next year the Summit will be in Oklahoma Jan 20-21 and in Texas Feb 3-4. Go register NOW! You’ll get the best prices AND you can just put it on the calendar and start inviting your friends. Like one gal told us all during a time of sharing, “I will never miss the Summit again if I can help it.” She already registered for next year. What’s stopping YOU?!
And be sure to book your room! This year the hotel filled up and some of the gals had to stay at a different hotel. The price is great, the rooms are all suites with plenty of space for at least 3 ladies and that keeps the cost low.
If you have a Summit story to share, hop over to my Facebook page and spread the news!