Last week ended on a high note for me, an amazingly high note, and how it all happened is quite a story. It started Thursday morning when a good friend, Becky, called to ask if I would go to the Winnsboro Area Chamber of Commerce Banquet with her Thursday evening. She said “they” were making her go, although she didn’t clarify who they were, but she said she didn’t want to go alone. Please, please, please would I go with her.
Becky sounded a bit distressed, so I asked her what was wrong. “I can’t talk about it right now,” she said. “Will you just please go to the banquet with me?”
“I don’t know if I can. I have play rehearsal tonight and my daughter, Dany, is coming for a visit. I don’t know if she would want to go to the banquet.”
Becky pleaded some more, even offering to pay for me and Dany, so I told her I’d see if I could get out of rehearsal, and I’d ask Dany about it. So I messaged the director of the show, telling him I had a friend who needed my help with something, and could I skip rehearsal. He messaged back, “Sure, see you Monday.”
Then I got a message back from Dany that she was willing to go along with whatever I decided about the banquet.
When I called Becky back to tell her I’d arranged everything so we could go to the banquet, I asked her again what was wrong, and she said she couldn’t talk about it. She’d have to tell me later. She still sounded distressed, and in the back of my mind I wondered about that the rest of the day.
Well, folks, it was all a ruse to get me to the banquet to accept an award as Woman of the Year for 2014. When I heard the MC start the introduction of the woman of the year…”An author and theatre director…” I thought, who else in Winnsboro does that?” Then it dawned on me.
![me surprised](http://test.maryannwrites.com/itsnotallgravy/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2015/03/me-surprised-223x300.jpg)
Imagine my surprise. Becky, Dany, LeeAnn, and several other folks were all in on the campaign to get me to the banquet, and I was so surprised. Truly and completely. I didn’t have an inkling, and even thought Becky might be being honored for her contributions to the city and the area.
![me and becky](http://test.maryannwrites.com/itsnotallgravy/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2015/03/me-and-becky-300x268.jpg)
![me and dany](http://test.maryannwrites.com/itsnotallgravy/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2015/03/me-and-dany-300x294.jpg)
![woman of the year plaque](http://test.maryannwrites.com/itsnotallgravy/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2015/03/woman-of-the-year-plaque-225x300.jpg)
By the way, the director was in on the ruse, as well. LeeAnn had contacted him on Wednesday when she found out I was not planning to attend the banquet. She is an active member of the Chamber, and worked on the committee to co-ordinate the banquet.
I spent the rest of the weekend with very mixed emotions. I was thrilled to be honored, yet so surprised, and it was so much fun to go to town on Friday and Saturday and have so many people congratulate me. Yet I was sad, too, because my husband was not here to share the excitement. People said that he was here in spirit, and that may be true. But I really wanted to see his proud smile and feel his arms around me.
![tissues](http://test.maryannwrites.com/itsnotallgravy/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2015/03/tissues.jpg)
So the strong woman I’m celebrating to day is me. I hope you don’t mind. Mondays will be back to normal after this. I promise.
How was your weekend?