The Big Finish!

Convention is like a great meal (and any mom/cook knows this is true): you work, work, and work to prepare, and everyone gobbles it up lightning speed, and then it's over. That's always the way I feel on Saturday, our final morning of Convention. I'm almost awestruck by how quickly the event has flown by. That's probably the lack of sleep talking!
 
This general session day I get to do something I love—get comfortable and get real, answering Consultants' questions onstage. It is just a delight for me, because I don't have to worry about following a script or hitting my mark, I get to just be myself and see where the answers take me. This year brought a great crop of questions, from the odd "Have you ever ridden a horse?" (Nope! I rode a donkey as a child and quickly learned I'm allergic to hairy beasts) to the mandatory "What's your favorite new product?" (Artiste, of course!) to the more challenging "What's the update on your health?"

 
As ever, I answered every question as thoroughly as I could and with complete honesty. It's hard for me to talk publicly about my health because it's such a personal matter. But I love my team and I love Consultants, so I made the decision to share what I'm going through. Thank you for your unwavering support of me! As I talked about my ongoing battle with anxiety and I could SEE the love on your faces. I could FEEL the concern radiating from each of you in the audience, and it made me not only free to share my thoughts, it refueled my spirit.

If I could share just ONE THING that I have learned from my journey as a wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend, entrepreneur, and CEO it would be this: learn to forgive. I shared that thought with our general session audience, and if you weren't there, I share that thought with you, too, every bit as fervently. Forgiveness is liberating. Forgiveness helps you grow closer to your Heavenly Father. And most importantly, forgiveness brings you the peace you can't find any other way. I love my life, every bit of it, even the challenges, and learning to forgive has been the single most powerful gift I have received on this earth.
 
Oh, yes, and I did share a few other things, too: my favorite food (homemade Pico, but don't let Kristine anywhere near it!), what silly things David has done that I just had to scrapbook (too many to list, but falling out of his chair while dozing during a business class is pretty high on the list!) and my feelings on American Idol, yes, I do know how to pick the winners!
 
The rest of the day sped away in a flurry of game shows, Operation Smile auctions, crop projects, and dancing till the cattle came home (we were in Dallas after all, it's cattle down there!). Thank you so much to every single Consultant who joined us for this incredible, unforgettable, whirlwind experience of friendship and fun. I will never forget it, and I'll never forget you!