Waiting

Don't we spend a lot of time waiting?  We wait in lines. We wait for results.  We wait for change. When a baby is born we can't hardly wait until he/she can walk and talk.  As we continue to grow we keep waiting to get to the next phase in life as if somehow that is a better place to be.  I rode a bike a lot as a teen and could hardly wait to get my driver's license and then a car to drive.  

  

This is Joan the teenager waiting
to get her drivers license!

Waiting is an experience none of us can avoid.  In the urban area you might be one of those that spends time waiting in traffic.  That isn’t a problem I have in the rural area as sometimes I might not meet one vehicle on the highway route to town.   One continual experience of waiting on the farm revolves around the weather.  Right now we are waiting for a few dry days to plant corn.  

  

My husband and another farmer we work with are
discussing a field before it gets planted.   Waiting for the
right conditions to plant requires patience and preparation.

My garden is also on hold as I wait for drying time to get it tilled.  I  normally plant basic items like sweet corn, tomatoes, potatoes, broccoli and pumpkins.  Our daughter, Emily, has me convinced that we need some herbs and other items this year.  I always start the gardening season with high hopes of neatly planted rows with no weeds or pest damage.  As I wait for plants to sprout I often get sidetracked with other activities.  I never have to wait for weeds.  They seem to appear overnight and have been known to take over my garden very quickly.

I have numerous packages of seeds ready to
plant when we get some dry days.  The first week
of May gave us a couple of days of snow besides rain.

One of my experiences of waiting that has brought me the most joy is motherhood.  The waiting period of a pregnancy is a combination of anticipation and anxiety.  Our five children waited as long as they could to be born often requiring the need of inducement to get delivery going.  While this extended period of waiting was uncomfortable and frustrating it  taught me to control what I could and trust God for what I could not. 

My niece, Laura, and her husband, Dustin are
expecting a baby in May.  They are pictured at
a baby shower between two diaper cakes!

I have learned that waiting also teaches me patience and more opportunities to pray.  While waiting in line at the store I can pray for the family in front of me or the tired mom shopping with little ones.  My husband was sharing with me that while he is waiting for the supplement to load on the feedtruck he can say 10 “Hail Mary’s” for a special intention.  His choice of using a few minutes here and there to pray for another person inspires me to do the same.  So, if you see me waiting for a meeting to start or standing in line at the store and I don't respond please don't think I am ignoring you.  Maybe I am praying for you!