a. e. smith’s official website

Once again I’ve got an Oprah connection: last week she had a big hurrah for losing weight in the town of Meridian, Mississippi. I spent a small chunk of time there in 2006 volunteering with Habitat for Humanity following Hurricane Katrina. Meridian is a wonderful place. I liked seeing all the historic homes — I even stayed in one that was supposedly haunted. Mostly I really liked the sincere people and generous hospitality. A local Baptist church hosted me and the other volunteers for dinner one night and spoiled us with great food, song and spirit. I’ve never felt so welcome. As a result, I feel great love for every Baptist church I ever visit and try to extend that same generosity to anyone who might be visiting my own congregation, community or home.

Good news — the show went wonderfully. I’ve been getting a host of questions from people near and far, so please check out my FAQ’s.

From the Oprah Site:

The rumors are true: this Tuesday, December 4, 2007, I’ll be appearing on The Oprah Winfrey Show! The show was taped 2 months ago and is just now being broadcast. (I was flown out as a guest for writing about how the book Eat, Pray, Love affected me.)

Assuming they don’t edit me out, you’ll probably see a minute or two of me, looking wildly excited, talking to the author and Oprah (though I don’t exactly remember what I said).

I don’t know what time they’ll do my segment on the show, but I will be recording it and will be happy to share it with anyone who is interested. I’m hoping to put a clip of it here as soon as I can.

I’m also told that I’m actually featured in the promos for the show; I have yet to personally confirm this rumor, but am hoping to catch a glimpse of my oh-so-wonderful self during Monday’s show.

Hopefully everyone’s December is off to a great start. I know mine is!