Waiting...

Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord's coming.  See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains.

James 5:7

I am not a patient person - my husband can attest to that!  And yet I find myself waiting.  And waiting.  And...well...waiting!

My son flew up to boot camp on November 1, 2012, and we immediately began the waiting process that seems inherent in parenting a Sailor.

We waited for the "Kid in a Box." The little box full of clothes (Pants, and socks, and underwear, oh my!), his cell phone, and the two books he took with him for the flight, was both funny and a little sad.

Then we waited for the form letter to tell us what address to send letters to and give us all the other information we needed - like his Pass In Review date for graduation! 

Worst of all was the wait for the first letter.

I told myself every day, "No news is GOOD news."

But I still checked my mailbox every single day, and grilled everyone in my house if someone picked the mail up before I got to it.

When it showed up on November 9th, I was THRILLED!  I had resigned myself to waiting as long as it took, understanding that someone had to be trained to handle the mail and then the recruits had to have TIME to write a letter...but it was only 8 days.  There was a mix of happy and sad, excited and anxious.  And oddly, that mix made me feel better.

Now that I've received that first letter, I find that I'm greedy as well as impatient.  I want another letter!  And I'd like it RIGHT NOW, please?

We're also waiting for a phone call, but we're not holding our breath.  OK, we're not holding it MUCH.

Repeat after me - No news is good news...No news is good news...

That's why I picked James 5:7 for my scripture today.  I'm waiting.  I'm waiting for the valuable crop of Sailors the Navy is busy creating right now.  I know that, like most things, the wait will absolutely be worth it.

My prayer for today:

Loving Father, I thank you every day for the blessing of my child.  I take comfort knowing that although he is far from me, he can never be far from You.  Ease my heart and give me the patience to anticipate the growth I'll soon see in my child, without allowing anxiety to overshadow its value.  Amen.