A lovely couple, Dr. Chris and Teacher Miel Rayala, are in the Philippines for vacation and they treated me to lunch and coffee at Katipunan, to places I haven't visited in years (Ken Afford and Cravings). We had a wonderful time discussing how the Lord keeps us waiting wherever we are. They are waiting for Chris' confirmation about his job at Tennessee, hence everything is on hold - house, community, career, family. They are being so patient about it that I marveled at their faith in the Lord. I shared with them my own recent experiences with waiting, having just finished (for the nth time), Lingkod's Christian Sexuality Course where I was moved to unearth my State of Life Discernment journal and to review my reflections from ages past.
They brought me home but just before I got down from their van, they handed me a pasalubong, a title that bookworm Mirac said isn't available in the Philippines - "You're Late Again, Lord! The Impatient Woman's Guide to God's Timing" I asked them whatever gave them an idea that I'm impatient, and we all laughed, for they have been my friends for many years now. Imagine their patience, because they listened to me for three hours talking about waiting - mine and theirs - and they didn't give me the gift until going home time. They saved the best for last. I promised to be patient while reading this book and not rush to finish it immediately. They also asked me to share with them whatever I would learn from the book to help them with their own waiting time as well.
The Introduction to the book goes, " I have to be, without a doubt, one of the most impatient people our Lord ever put on this earth. Perhaps you're a close second, or Heaven forbid, even worse." My dear author Karon Phillips Goodman, Heaven forbid but I have to be, without a doubt, worse than you. When the word "impatient" arises in any Lingkod talk, brothers and sisters would almost always surreptitiously look at my direction as if motioning for me to listen more closely to the speaker, or just checking my reaction to whatever words might be said that could refer to me. Yes I am notoriously impatient. Good thing that the Lord meets us where we are, and He gives me Lessons in Waiting everyday, and twice on Sundays.
This reminds me of a movie I should have seen, "The Terminal". Everyone said I would learn from it. Didn't catch it on the big screen and now my kuya and his wife who used to be my supplier of DVDs are in faraway Munich and I can't bring myself to buy a DVD. So if any of you my friends have a copy of that film, do me a favor please by lending it to me.
I can't wait to read this book about waiting. Oops. Here I go again.
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