Waiting

Did you ever stop and think about the amount of time that you spend waiting

in line at the grocery store

traffic lights traveling to work

on the phone with a health care provider

for a technician to come to your home

The more time that I spend waiting, the more I realize, just how impatient I am!

Just recently, I found myself standing in a line in center city that literally wrapped around the store. It didn’t seem possible that such a thing could exist, but there it was-with me in it!! After 30 minutes of waiting, I began to wonder if I should have brought a sandwich and a sleeping bag to spend the night in that line.

As I looked at the people in the line, my eyes came to rest upon a woman with five children. She didn't seem to notice that we were standing in an endless line of people, who seemed who seemed just as agitated as me. She was entertaining her children as she waited calmly. I wondered how she could remain so calm, with all of those children, in that crowded store. I watched her and looked around. The music was pleasant and there was an amazing sunset reflecting off one of the buildings just outside of the door. The birds were singing in a large tree off to the side.

Standing in that line, I had a revelation. I thought about all of the things that I miss in this amazing life, just because I am literally running from one activity to another. I miss the faces of the people I am standing with. I miss the beautiful sonatas that the birds sing every day. I miss the sunsets, even when they go out of their way to reflect off of a building just to get my attention. As I watched that mother with her children, I too, felt calm and appreciated the very moment I was in.

I will NEVER be a person who likes to wait in lines, but I hope to be more patient… to actually look at other people… to notice the beautiful sunsets ...and listen to the sounds of life around me. I hope to learn how to wait

and to give thanks in all things.