Amber Dietrick – Panhandle Harvesting, LLC
I’m not a social person. I never have been. In a situation where I feel like I am at the mercy of others and not in control, I get awkward, quiet, or even worse…way too chatty. I laugh a bit too loud and sometimes at the wrong time. The lead-up to events where I know I’m going to have to “hold my own”, so to speak, is when my anxiety goes through the roof.
So, when I (aka: my husband) signed up for this Lifted and Uplifted HarvestHER retreat in January, it was a little surprising. To begin with, I was really excited. I had met Kylee at another harvester association’s convention and we just clicked. She invited me, at that convention, to join her at a retreat in March. I had made a friend, AND been invited to a weekend women’s retreat with her. GO ME!
But the closer the weekend drew for me to head to Nebraska, the more nervous I became. I almost backed out several times. I prayed for a good excuse not to go. I had myself all worked up. “These women already know each other. These women have all been doing this for so long. They’re experienced and I’ve only been an active “harvest participant” for one season (and know next to nothing about most of it). There’s no way I will fit in. No. Way!” I’m feeling that anxiety creep up just typing this paragraph.
I guess by now, everyone has figured out God didn’t let me off the hook. I packed my bags, met Kylee in Woodward and headed north. The longer the ride with her, the more at ease I felt. We picked Amanda up in Kansas and I found that I really enjoyed her company and conversation just flowed with the two of them so easily. (Not really normal for me.)
Before I knew it, we were pulling up the drive to this beautiful “Mansion on a Hill.” Queue the nerves again. My heart felt like it was in my throat. It took me a while to settle in but each new person I met treated me with so much kindness. By the end of the evening, I knew this weekend was going to be okay.
I won’t go over the details of the entire weekend. That would be a lot. I will say, though, I learned so much. I learned about myself, I learned about the industry, and I learned about the women in the industry. I shared a ton of laughs and a few tears and built relationships with women who “get it”. Women who have been where I am at one point, women eager to share a laugh, a smile, or an encouraging word. I’m glad God didn’t let me off the hook. I’m glad He guided me into and through the weekend. As I’ve been saying for the last few years (and even more so these last few months), Where God guides, He provides. How he provides.
Last, but not least, thank you, Tracy, for planning and putting on an amazing weekend. YOU- you are a rock star. You have the most beautiful servant’s heart and I’m so happy to have met you. And thank you, Kylee, for taking the chance on me back in January and inviting me. For driving to and from the event, and, whether you know it or not, being my “home-base” during the weekend.
Thank you to each lady this weekend for accepting this newbie, for the laughs, the tears, the hugs, and the encouragement. I went in scared and feeling a bit alone…I came out of the weekend empowered and with a community.
I look forward to seeing each of you and following your harvest journeys. Because, like it or not, I think I’m in this for the long haul, guys!
Someday…ask her about this picture and her HarvestHER ingenuity.
