Anticipation

Everyday, Nolan peeks under the tree or sticks his hand in his stocking to see if he can guess what his presents are. Having his birthday and Christmas in the same month makes December a pretty exciting month for him.

Lately we've been working on patience. This little boy loves being the first in line at school (why? I don't get it) and gets irritated with the traffic, muttering that all slow-moving vehicles should go to jail - good thing for tax-payers he doesn't have the authority to arrest people. Having presents he can see but cannot open or advent calendars he can only open a day at a time has been good for daily lessons in patience.

In the same way, I wish I could just be done with all the treatments already, but there is beauty in taking things a day at a time and learning and seeing all I need to each day. Instead of rushing through everything, this time had forced me to slow down and be more reflective. It has been a time of waiting and of rest. It has forced me to be more appreciative of things I may normally overlook. And it's also allowed me to reconnect with friends I may sometimes be too busy to take the time to connect with.

A couple of days ago, an old friend and neighbour I grew up with surprised me with an amazingly thoughtful and generous care package, filled with a treasure trove of goodies for the knitting addicts.

Nadia was someone I looked up to as a child - she was slightly older, wiser, more patient... And I learned so much from her :) I remember playing endless games of Candyland and Mastermind at her home. Or giggling over something silly. Or being gently but firmly scolded when I said or did something inappropriate or dumb (thanks N - I truly did learn so much from you). We'd play Barbies but with a feminist bent to it because from an early age, she was independent, strong and not one to let Ken save the day while Barbie played a helpless damsel in distress. As we moved away and life moved on, we'd lose touch, then there would be little chunks of time we'd reconnect before life and circumstances took us in separate directions again. All this to say that I'm glad this time of slowing down and waiting has allowed us to reconnect again and I really do look forward to being able to knit and sip tea together in the not so distant future.

Anticipation can sometimes be painful, but it is also exciting and a good reminder to slow down and be thoughtful in our approach towards what we wait for. Thank you Lord for this time. As my friend Katie puts so eloquently:

"Here's to our un-asked-for companions on our journeys that bring us, amazingly, new life and joy in the journey as we submit to God and walk with them."