I met you about ten years ago at an Extraordinary Women’s conference in Florida. I was there with a group of friends from the town where I lived at the time. It was a girls’ weekend, and we had a lot of fun. We heard several wonderful speakers, including Beth Moore and Angela Thomas, and there was great music as well.
During a break, I saw you at your table selling merchandise. You were standing there by yourself, so I approached you and told you that I had really enjoyed watching you and your brother when I was a kid. You didn’t respond. You simply stood there and stared at me for what felt like a long time, although it was probably only a couple of seconds.
I remember feeling uncomfortable and thinking your behavior was rather rude. My friends noticed it as well. I also ended up buying a signed picture from you for five dollars. I had thought they were free, but I felt awkward about walking away after being asked to purchase one, so I bought it. At the time, I didn’t want to make you or your staff feel embarrassed either.
Maybe you were exhausted that day. Maybe you had a lot going on. I realize now that I don’t know what was happening in your life at that moment, and there may have been circumstances I knew nothing about. Still, the interaction stayed with me because I was genuinely excited to meet someone I had watched and admired as a child.
What made it especially disappointing was that, when you were speaking from the podium, you seemed so happy and warm. After our brief interaction, I remember thinking that perhaps what I had seen from the stage wasn’t the same as what was happening behind the scenes.
Interestingly, when I got home from the conference, I sat down to relax, started channel surfing, and came across your old movie No One Would Tell. I told my husband that I had just met you that weekend and explained how the interaction had made me feel.
They say you may forget what someone said or did, but you never forget how someone made you feel. I’ve thought about that experience many times over the years. I’m also someone who believes that once you address something, you can let it go and move forward. That’s what I’m trying to do by finally saying this.
I hope you haven’t made anyone else feel uncomfortable, embarrassed, or insignificant without realizing it. I know you often speak about your Christian faith, and I respect that. I’m a Christian too, and I certainly know that none of us is perfect. We all have bad days, get tired, and sometimes fall short of how we should treat others.
So I simply hope that, wherever your travels and work take you, you’ll remember the impact a brief interaction can have on someone—especially someone who genuinely admires you. Even when you’re tired, a little kindness can mean a lot.
Thank you for letting me finally get this off my chest. I’ve wanted to say this to you for a very long time.
Thanks…
