I spent most of this weekend in Springfield, MA, at the NESCBWI conference. On the way home, I listened to the soundtrack of Wicked in the car and heard the following words:
I've heard it saidThat people come into our lives for a reasonBringing something we must learnAnd we are ledTo those who help us most to growIf we let themAnd we help them in return
After listening to it a few times (it's one of my favorite songs on the album) I realized that the words captured my feelings about attending this conference.
I listened to a keynotes about finding meaning in the mess by Sara Zarr and was reminded that even though I am waiting for the milestone of being published, I can be proud of how far along on the journey I've come.
Kate Messner gave her TED talk about having the courage to do the things worth doing, and I felt empowered to keep trying and not worry about things being too hard or too overwhelming.
I spoke to authors about their journey and was reminded that becoming published took time for everyone.
But it wasn't just the keynote speakers, presenters, and authors who came into my life this weekend, it was also the conference attendees. At each meal, in the hallways, at events, and even in the elevator, I met writers. And after talking to them I was reminded that the waiting is not the hardest part. The hardest part is continuing forward after rejection. And everyone I met was doing that, no matter where they were on their journey.
Thank you to conference coordinators Kathryn Hulick Gargolinski and Joyce Johnson and to all the people I got to know this weekend. I probably don't know all of the ways I was touched by this conference. As the song ends:
Who can say if I've been changed for the better?I do believe I have been changed for the better.And because I knew youBecause I knew youBecause I knew youI have been changed for good
I end my weekend changed for good. I hope many of you were helped by me in return. I can't wait to do it all again next year.
