6am Saturday morning and I was wide-awake. The day had finally arrived, my anxiety about how I would be received just hit me and I became restless trying to push my emotions aside but I knew that I needed to honour these feelings so that I could manage them during the day. Once I entered the venue I just wanted to cry. Everything I had been doing, all my preparations led up to this day and it was finally here. Photographing the day was a blessing because it kept me distracted and meant that my anxieties did not get the best of me. But as the day went on and people that I knew  who had come to support me started to appear  I began to think about my talk and became very conscious of my emotions.

In preparation for my talk I went shopping for a new outfit and shoes, I had planned what jewellery I wanted to wear and spent a day having my hair done as well as some well deserved grooming but as I took myself off to get ready I was again overcome with the emotions that I was trying hard to suppress. So once dressed I did my ‘Wonder Women’ pose (which was difficult as I just wanted to run) after which my husband took me aside and gave me a massive hug. I relaxed in his arms and cried (but not to much as I didn’t want to ruin my make-up).

The moments before I was introduced felt like a lifetime during which I tried so hard to breath and keep my composure (yes my head screamed RUN as I was fighting back the tears). I think I was more worried that I wouldn’t be able to stop crying if I started but once I stepped onto the stage I managed to calm myself down and start what I had set out to do, to tell my story and I am now glad that I was brave enough to do just that. I received a wonderful response that I will always treasure. So for those of who couldn’t make it here it is…. My talk (click on the My talk link).