In eighth grade I stood alone in the schoolyard every morning, a book my best friend, as I waited for the morning bell. I was a new student and not bold enough, or maybe not interested enough, in making friends. Despite that, two students invited me to join their little circle of friends. I still stood on the outskirts of that circle, reading my book, rarely joining in conversation, yet their kindness touched some deep part of me. They became my best friends until I moved away. At the ACFW conference I wasn't a disinterested stranger. From the moment I arrived, I met people I knew. Talked incessantly and smiled always. The night of the awards banquet was different. I showed up late and entered a packed room. Saw no one I knew well enough to sit with. And for the first time, I felt alone. I made my way through tables, scanning for someone I knew, wishing I would've hurried and feeling a strange sense of deja vu. Then I heard my name. Katie Ganshert was calling my name. She and o...