December 2023

Reflection

The season of Advent is upon us.  Advent is a season of waiting.  Sadly, I have no patience for waiting.  I dislike waiting in lines anywhere…at the grocery store…at a coffee shop…in a bookstore…sitting in traffic…waiting on hold…anywhere.  I just want the line to move faster.  Waiting drives me nuts.

Ironically, one of the best parts of my Thanksgiving break was waiting in line.

When we arrived in Annapolis, MD,  I discovered a massive comic book store near our lodging that was having a Black Friday midnight sale.  Our son, Isaiah,  and I wanted to go.   Despite being way past my bedtime, we arrived at 11:45 PM. More than 200 people stood in a line wrapped throughout the parking lot.  Thankfully, when the doors opened everyone entered the store immediately.  As we shopped, I noticed a giant line snaking around the store for people ready to make their purchases.  The line was so long that the last person in line held a sign which stated, “The line begins here”.  Every time a new person stepped into the line, they received the sign.  

Isaiah and I got in line at 12:40 AM.  At 1:40 AM, we reached the cash register.  Yet, the waiting was not awful. The hour flew as I spent precious time with my son.  We discussed comics and books and his college classes.  We talked about family. He told me about his upcoming semester abroad and what he wants to do next summer.  Normally, a 60 minute wait in line would have been a dreaded, miserable slog. Instead, this hour became one of the best moments of my holiday. Throughout our time in line, I felt gratitude for the moments with Isaiah.  The waiting was a blessing.

As we move into this season of Advent, my hope is to try to live into Advent with the same approach. Waiting is a critical part of our spiritual journey.  It can be a time to gain perspective, to put things into context, to be fully present with each person in each moment.  My hope for this Advent is to learn to treasure each moment…of waiting and of movement.