A Shared Experience -- Comments on the Thirst Conference 2016

Several days have passed now since I attended the Thirst Conference in Bismarck. I wanted to attend to sell books, let's be honest, but I got much more out of it than I expected. I did wear my "vendor" name tag, but I also got a chance to hear great speakers and to visit with like-minded people of faith. I soaked up the marvelously positive attitude, not only of attendees, but also of the exhibitors who surrounded me.

There was Br. Jacob, a Benedictine monk from the Richardton Abbey, who always (and I mean always) had an impish grin on his face. We discussed the reasons why silence and perhaps a weekend at the Abbey might do me good.

There was Sr. Mary, who was a family doctor on a recruiting mission for her order, decked out in a traditional floor-length habit that allowed her to sweep by with a particular grace, almost as if she were floating. That was like a page out of my childhood memory book, when my schoolmates and I would speculate on what they were really wearing under those robes.

And Fr. Benny, who described what it's like to have somebody hold a gun to his head and yet experience the feeling of peace that comes from knowing God was caring for him, regardless of what happened. "I can only call it bliss," he told me. Not that he wanted to die, just that he didn't fear it, and what a comfort that was.

There were the dozens of people who shared their family stories with me as I sat at my table signing books. I guess if you write a book called Gift of Death it's not surprising that people want to share those final moments they've had with loved ones. Some came with tears in their eyes, looking for comfort. Some were looking to comfort others. But I believe I'm the one who received the greatest gift -- the love that flowed all weekend long. I really felt there were no strangers there and I can't wait for the next Thirst Conference to come around.