It all began with a Facebook post from my cousin saying she stayed up too late reading one of her favorite books, Les Miserables. From there, a conversation started about the Broadway play, the plot, the characters, how amazing the music is, etc.

The next thing you know, we are communicating through Facebook Messenger details about a possible girls weekend in of all places, Des Moines, Iowa. This locations is conveniently located halfway between where my cousin who stayed up too late and myself. We gathered a total of eleven family members to make the weekend trip to go see the play.

Tickets were purchased, hotel rooms booked and we were set for a girls weekend all planned because my cousin just couldn’t hold in her excitement about a beloved story of forgiveness and redemption.

What really made this weekend exciting is that it brought together my grandmother, her two daughters and nearly all of the women in those families (two of my daughters and my sister-in-law were unable to make the trip). It was also special because it was during the same week as my grandmother’s and two of my cousins daughters birthday’s so we were able to celebrate together.

We did it up right too by getting all dressed up, going out to a nice restaurant and then staying up way too late talking and reminiscing about our family experiences together. Another feat was capturing a couple of “selfies” fitting in all eleven of us!

Too often I hear stories from women who never met their grandmother or no longer talk to their mother. I love this story because despite anything that was happening, whether we were frustrated with someone or disappointed in a decision, we were able to put all of our junk aside in order to make this a memorable experience. We knew it was something special even as it was happening. Similar to the story of Les Miserables, our faith calls us to forgive those who have wronged us AND work to right the wrongs we have done in our own lives.

I’m also reminded of Proverbs, verse 31 where it is described how strong and beautiful women are in the eyes of God. In order for these women to take a weekend away, they had to work EXTRA hard 1) to put aside the funds to do so, 2) still provide arrangements for their family left behind, 3) pack, plan and travel to our destination. As anyone who takes a trip, it is often a production of what to pack, last minute trips to the store for travel sized items or a pair of new shoes (you know who you are). God sees the work we do and the beauty that surrounds us, we deserve a little time away to be reminded of our much fun it is to dress up for pleasure, laugh with the girls and take a break from the every day demands of being a woman!