Waiting...

     As we have been with family and old friends this week, I have been asked several times about the status of our adoption. My response has been essentially the same. . .a big smile, a shrug and then these infamous words, "We are just waiting". Then I kind of feel bad because there is nothing else to offer. No new news (that looks weird). No exciting stories. No pictures. Nada. Nothing. Zip.
      Ahh. . . the ever difficult task of WAITING. Does it ever get easier? No matter the age, WAITING is HARD. Whether it is lovebirds waiting for their wedding day, or new parents waiting the birth of their baby, or even a child (or grown ups, for that matter) waiting for Christmas, time seems to drag. Thoughts are funneled into the expectancy of what tomorrow holds. Sometimes we yearn so much for the future that we fail to enjoy the present. Yep, it can be hard. But I think I have finally learned something the past few years about waiting. It is not a curse. It is not a bad thing. On the contrary, perhaps it is a blessing. It can be a time to prepare. A time to pray. A time to treasure the present before the future alters things. It is a time to be faithful with what you are entrusted with now. I know I still have a lot to learn about life, but I hope I wait well. Consider these lyrics to a song called While I'm Waiting:

While I'm waiting I will serve You
While I'm waiting I will worship
While I'm waiting I will not faint
I'll be running the race even while I wait.

I'm waiting, I'm waiting on You Lord
And I am peaceful, I'm waiting on You Lord
Though it's not easy no, but faithfully I will wait.
Yes, I will wait

And I will move ahead bold and confident
Taking every step in obedience...

Maybe you are WAITING for something too- a new job offer, a medical diagnosis, a new year for a new start.  Whatever it may be, let's wait well together, trusting that God's plans and timing are better than ours.

By the way, we got our fingerprints done this past Monday and are now awaiting our 1-797 form. Yes, we still wait. When that form arrives, we will step into overdrive to take our paperwork to get certified in Tallahassee and then send it to be authenticated to the Chinese Consulate in Chicago. Of course then, we will wait some more.

Thanks for reading. Thanks to those of you who have donated. We are so very grateful. Hope you had a great Thanksgiving and enjoy the wait until Christmas.