Waiting

so much waiting in this place

waiting in immigration lines

waiting all day in town

waiting for food in restaurants

waiting again for the check

waiting for the taxi or the bus to show up

waiting for the laundry to dry

waiting, waiting, waiting,

and for such simple things that

should not take so long

I am frustrated,

bored, lonely.

I feel confined --

confined by the small spaces of a boat,

confined by the water that

hems me in in every direction,

confined by having nowhere much to go once

I do get ashore and few ways to get there,

confined by having to make my own water and electricity

and conserve it at every turn,

confined by the whims of weather and wind, rain and sun,

confined by the difficulty of making a phone call

to hear my children’s voices.

the waiting of Advent

seems so much more lofty than this,

more purposeful.

Waiting for a Savior.

Waiting for the peace of the world.

Waiting for all things to be made right.

Maybe all this everyday

waiting is just practice

in attending the world’s salvation.

But some days it’s hard to see how!

… later in church

as we waited once again

for the congregation to gather

and worship to begin,

a little old man beside me

began humming Great Is Thy Faithfulness

and I sang softly along with him.

For a few brief moments

we made sweet, intimate harmonies

in our little pew,

and the world changed.

With joy you will draw water

from the wells of salvation.

- sunday 13 december

advent 2015
Penns Landing Marina