“Our willingness to wait reveals the value we place on the object we’re waiting for”
-Charles Stanley-
For the last year and a half, Keith and I have been in a state of rush. We rushed to launch our non profit. We moved as fast as we could to fundraise. We worked quickly to complete the program and submit to the county for approval. We rushed to find the perfect house for the sweet babies. We raced to decorate it and make it as perfect as possible. We interviewed, discussed, interviewed again, prayed, and found the most PERFECT staff. Things were moving quickly, almost seamlessly and we were getting so very excited. We submitted our facility program to the state for what would be the last and fastest (or so we were told) step.
Then we waited. And waited. Here we are on our fourth month of waiting. It seems as though we ran our fastest marathon, and on the very last mile, we have slowed to a crawl. Nothing more can be done on our part, we simply must wait. Every piece of information has been submitted, analyzed, reviewed, resubmitted, reviewed again, and documented. We have done our part. Each time we try to move things along quicker we are reminded that there is nothing left to do but wait.
The state has been so wonderful about keeping us in the loop and communicating with us, however, we can’t help but to feel restless and anxious. Don’t they know that there are babies needing a place to go? Don’t they realize our staff is amazing and is so ready to love on and help heal the little ones? Do they understand that we have amazing therapies and services planned, ready to go? Do they even care that every month that goes by without our doors open, means countless babies being moved around while they search for a foster home? Our quiet waiting has turned to restless frustration. We trust the state when they say we have to “trust the process” and wait it out, but we can’t help but let the irritation get to us every once in awhile.
So as we (not so) patiently wait, we try our best to quiet our hearts and place our focus on what we are waiting for. The waiting will make our time when they finally come that much sweeter. We know that a year from now, this waiting will seem insignificant in the whole scheme of things. We are choosing to wait with grace and be joyfully expectant at what is to come.