Those predicted hot days of summer have at last arrived, and now the air conditioner is buzzing and just getting into the car fries your hands because of overheated steering wheels and closed windows. It is something we expect here in the Central Valley of California as sure as we expect the snow to eventually fall in the mountains. But we have our eyes on the coming cool breezes of fall – and – the Central California Women’s Conference in Fresno.

Each year women from around the valley come together to experience a day of personal and professional growth through workshops and speakers – through exhibits and displays that enlighten and inform women of all ages and stations in life. It is a great day for all who wish to see what can enrich their lives.

This year the Women’s Friendship Network will be placing a booth in Valdez Hall. The founding members of the WFN will be handing out information, cookies and membership forms allowing women to sign up on the spot for a connection to the Network. It is our hope that by expanding our outreach we can enable more women to enjoy the advantages of on-line friendship.

The conference is a one-day event on Tuesday, September 14, from 7 am to 4 pm at the Fresno Convention Center. The luncheon keynote speaker will be Marie Osmond who will speak on “Live What Matters 2 U.” You can find information about the conference on line (www.ccwc-fresno.org). It is a great day for all women and we hope to see you there. Look for the women in the red aprons with the cookies!

So now the rush is on to get our booth together and bring all the information we can to this important event. The conference usually hosts about 3,500 women throughout the day! We hope it will be a time of real connection for women.

While attending last year’s conference we sat at a table with several young women who had planned a year in advance to attend. Apparently, they go each year and enjoy the conference as a day of self- improvement and entertainment. I asked each woman if she was involved in other committees or groups within her hometown. The women all had young children at home and their involvement was limited, but they took the time to come to the conference to meet others and to see what women around the valley were doing. They considered this their only “outing” for the year and they looked forward to it with much anticipation. They all said they had never been disappointed.

For women it is all about connections - especially connections with women who understand them and participate in their emotional lives. Men will talk about work or sports or any number of concrete things but rarely do they talk about their feelings or their emotional stress. Women need friends to share about the more abstract things of life – partners who will connect, listen and share equally in their lives. That is what the WFN is all about – a chance to connect and bond in friendship with women.

Well, back to booth decorating and cookie making. Enjoy these last days of summer and prepare yourself for the cool breezes of autumn and the Women's Conference. Hope to see you there.