Friday, October 21, 2011

A Season of Waiting


They sit on the porch. Blank canvases, waiting. 


Planting in spring is full of anticipation. Some seeds sprout in a matter of days, all within a week or two.

Planting in autumn is a measure of hope. The long winter lies ahead. Yet hidden in ordinary brown soil lie coloured treasures. Spring will come again. And so we wait.


Grey clouds rush across the sky today. Rain spats against the windows. Fistfuls of leaves fly from the trees. 


Their brief wild dance ends as they hit the wet ground and there they lie in a sodden heap, golden fading into brown.


Life is not a matter of whether or not we wait. Waiting is a given. We wait for seasons, for dinner, for children. Time passes and we wait. The question is, how do we wait well? 


Finding satisfaction and joy in the everyday moments is one way. Looking for the good in life, and there is much good. 

Today I bake bread, make soup, tidy my home and take pleasure in the mundane that is made meaningful by my attitude. 
And so I wait, for spring to bring the brown earth of my pots to life, for whatever the grey clouds bring today, for sharing soup and bread with those I love. 

How do you wait well?

9 comments:

  1. I appreciate your thoughts on waiting Lorrie. This is the time of year that i should feel more domestic but it's the season I'm waiting for a call on the radio - to come over to help move equipment - to bring lunch to the field - for the call that says the farmer is coming in for the night and hurrying to make sure supper is on the table...I don't enjoy waiting at this time of year but today I have been sorting through family photos to make a photo memory book for the farmer's mother today. It will remind her of who her family is and what kind of life they lived on the farm. I hope it brings back some memories. Time well spent I hope!

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  2. I'm not always good at waiting - it's whey there's a book in every car, every room and every bag that leaves the house with me.

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  3. Terrible I am at waiting. Too often the waiting slips into worrying so I very much appreciated this calming word. Now I'm imagining what bulbs you've planted that will pop up in the spring...tulips? daffodils? hyacinths?

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  4. I'm quite a patient waiter, as long as I have something to read whilst I wait.
    Spent yesterday planting spring bulbs in pots very similar to yours!
    They will be well worth the wait I'm sure
    bon weekend
    Maggie

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  5. Enjoyed your phrase: 'the mundane that is made meaningful by my attitude." How true that is!

    I'm more or less a good waiter, as Maggie says, as long as I have something to read whilst I wait.

    Other times, well, it's learning to trust when it seems nothing is happening to shift what needs shifting.

    One thing I've been learning is to know what season I'm in... and that means asking the One who knows. Sometimes I think I'm in a certain season and I'm actually in a different one. We don't get roses in December. So just knowing what season helps with the 'waiting'.

    BTW, that bread looks sooooooo inviting. Makes me want to rattle the baking tins here too. Wouldn't that just please a few appetites around here on this lovely Saturday!

    Wishing you the 'joy in waiting' for your next step.

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  6. Lorrie,
    Your waiting time is clearly not idle time. I'm not always very good at waiting; I'll think of this post when I'm tempted to sit and wait, living in my head, when acts of "doing" would be better.
    I hope you are enjoying your weekend.
    -Karen

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  7. Anonymous4:59 AM

    I'm ok with waiting - I turn my attention indoors and bury myself in projects. Oh and I really liked that photo of the leaf, it's beautiful against the neutral background! Have a great what's left of our weekend!

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  8. This is a big thing with my husband and I...we "pray the wait". One of the days last week I get a text from him that just said "praying the wait" and I knew he was in a long line at the elevator with the grain truck. This came from a lenten meditation quite a few years ago and has stuck with us. There are so many ways we wait like you mention. I even added the words pray the wait on some of my photos this week that I was taking to a small show. I couldn't go to the show though as my little girl got sick. This is just perfect to see you post about the same thing on my mind!

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  9. Gorgeous photos and thoughts, Lorrie! Your photos remind me of the California coast which I traveled for two weeks recently. I came home to find many cherry tomatoes still on my plants! I think this may be the last week of my garden as everything is yellowing.

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