Manchester YSA Conference 2010 early Monday morning: unexpected answers

I like to think that no matter what your beliefs, no matter how much you might now believe in religion, that at some point in your lifes everyone says a prayer, whether it's on your knees with your arms folded and projected your hopes skywards, or even if it's a internal monologue in your heart where you hope that maybe something in the universe may hear you and affect events in your favour.

We all have problems that can seem insurmountable, problems that you feel you can't solve with your inner resources and you just need some direction, a way to skirt the problem, or just an answer when you need it most. Sometimes this answers can come in the more unexpected way.

After the end of the choir practise there was a short time before the official " end of the sabbath" i.e the stroke of midnight and then it was time for one of the main traditions of conference. The dash across the road to the Fast food shop! Of course the YSA found ways to keep themselves occupied waiting for midnight. As always there were games of Ninja!

Mixing with friends, and chatting. Swapping stories about the weekend so far and ........

well I'm not entirely sure what was going on here but it seemed to be a game that involved a lot of shouting and dancing :-)

I joined L and his friend to go and get some pizza and chips. We sat in the main square whilst eating our "supper", and it was quite a surreal experience as the square was pretty much empty, it was pretty quiet and the sky was clear. In fact it had been for most of the day as the weather had taken a turn for the better. However our supper didn't last long as L got a better offer from his friend shall we say and they promptly disappeared leaving me sitting by myself. With a philosopical shrug I went in search of leicesterites but my search proved to be somewhat fruitless. I was planning on heading for bed when I suddenly ran into someone I wasn't expecting.

Really, really long term readers may remember conference from two years ago when I met a friend of travellers in a massage class and who had unexpectly sent me a friend request via facebook when I returned home. Well she wasn't supposed to be at the conference this year due to other commitments which I was really dissappointed about, as she's such a lovely person. I don't think I've met a person who is always so geniunely pleased to meet new people and also pleased to see people she knows. When it turned out that she had been able to attend on the Sunday and I had seen her very briefly earlier for a couple of minutes and said a brief hello as she was going to be rushing off straight after the fireside and choir.

However she had decided not to leave and was staying over night. Anyway we starting talking and I think she knew maybe something wasn't right as it were as she starting asking some more questions and next thing I knew I was in depth "friend" conversation then I had, had with anyone in months. We went for a brief walk while we chatted, although it was more me speaking and she lending a sympathic ear. It wasn't a long time but it seemed longer and I felt so much better by the end of it as I felt a burden I hadn't realised I had been carrying suddenly lifted. I don't think I can explain it any better then that or want to, to be honest. I just went back to my room feeling ever so grateful that I had been sent a friend when I needed it even if I didn't know that's what I needed.

I feel asleep with a peacefulness to my thought which I haven't felt in a while. I had felt the spirit so strongly that day I still don't know how to describe and maybe that's because what I felt was intended for me alone. It was certainly a thought to ponder as I closed my eyes.