I came home from the Pursuit 31 Conference seven days ago, absolutely on fire and embracing this life God has given me. It isn’t exactly where I thought I would be at this point — a much younger version of me had assumed there would be multiple children and bestselling novels by the age of almost-twenty-eight. But I wouldn’t trade where I am right this moment with anyone in the world. I’m convinced that this conference was the kick-off to a new season of huge personal growth, and I can’t wait to see where that takes me. Along the way, I’m journaling again. As a teenager, I would pen several pages a day, but the journals all but stopped once I met Danny and had someone to talk to until the wee hours of the morning. Now I’ve pulled out a new prayer journal, and I open it on my desk each morning, along with my Bible. And it feels like coming home.

I’ve always cherished my journals — they are undoubtedly some of my most prized possessions. Now, right up there with them are the notebooks I’ve filled at the two Pursuit 31 Conferences, and at Showit United last year. The quotes, the inspiration, the conviction and assurances I’ve written inside these little books have led to big, big changes in my life, and in my heart. I keep them close, and I re-read them often.There’s something else in my life that I keep so close, even when I can’t keep them physically close: Friends. In some ways, the last few years have become progressively more lonely as friends moved away or friendships evolved into feeling like simply old acquaintances, but social media would tell you my number of friends has absolutely ballooned since 2011. We all know how close our social media “friends” are though, right? No. Really, they can be close. I’ve developed friendships, mostly with other photographers and many of whom I have spent time with in person, that have enriched my life more than I can explain. These are people I have inside jokes with. People I hug so tight they want to start coughing when we finally get together. People who just get me. Some of us have started an online small group to talk about business and Jesus, thanks to the wonders of Google Hangout, so we can get together even when we’re scattered on both coasts and anywhere in between. So they’re not my Facebook friends. They’re heart friends. And I couldn’t be more grateful for them.

~ Laura