“Headed I fear, for a most dreadful place. The Waiting Place.

Waiting for a train to go or a bus to come,
or a plane to go or the mail to come,
or the rain to go or the phone to ring,
or the snow to snow or waiting around for a Yes or No
or waiting for their hair to grow.

Everyone is just waiting.

Waiting for the fish to bite
or waiting for wind to fly a kite
or waiting around for Friday night

or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake
or a pot to boil, or a Better Break
or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants
or a wig with curls, or Another Chance.

Everyone is just waiting.” ~ ‘Oh the Places You’ll Go’ Excerpt by Dr. Seuss

Welp…here I am again. In a most dreadful place…the waiting place. This time its different though and I have a whole week or more to flesh that out. This I have discerned so far: I intentionally find myself (ever so slowly) raising my head, straightening my shoulders and walking head-on into the place that I have cowered in, trembled through or hidden within so many times before. Why this difference I sense this time? I am held in a new and different way by the village that surrounds and upholds me. I was reminded by beloved friends to “Remember”… Remember that I have been here in this Godforsaken waiting place before, affirmed my feelings and held space for me. Remember that I am held, I am loved and I am not alone through this valley. God is with me…enfolding me in a loving embrace and inviting me to trust that “all shall be well” and that God is gonna walk with me through this time in the valley and never leave my side for a single breath. Remember that I cannot and am not doing this alone…leaning hard into my faith to strengthen me and reflecting upon the journey of things I have already overcome. It’s incredibly humbling to look back over my journey in and out of the wilderness and through the vastness of my valleys and mountaintop moments. It’s humbling, and yet, so empowering all at the same time.

The words from my Lenten devotional by Rachel A. Keefe continue to be timely and offer words that land on my heart:

“Death retreats into the shadows

as I emerge out of the ruins

You spoke a word and life was restored

to a beloved daughter

and an outcast woman

I am somewhere in between

and in need of a Word

find me here

my hands are open.”

The words that I sing from my soul during worship:

“Meet me in my wandering…deep within my soul.”

I wonder not that you will find me because I am already found. I wonder not that you will meet me because you are already with me…pursuing me with a reckless love and steadfast promise to always uphold me with a mighty hand and grace overflowing.

I wonder who else finds themselves in this place today? I wonder if these words will reach them and bring comfort…