“Every day you see one more card. You take it on faith, you take it to the heart. The waiting is the hardest part.”- Tom Petty
POHH has been sitting, not void of life, but empty of the young women who will make it a true home. Most of you excitedly assume it is open thanks to the beautiful photos that have been posted, yet it waits. We wait. Most importantly, 6 beautiful young women with autism wait.
Oh, what do we do in the waiting? At first thought, waiting appears passive but it is one of the most active verbs I know. Ask a top notch waiter. Think of the last really good waiter you had at a nice restaurant. The last thing on their mind would be to sit down! At it’s essence, noble waiting pushes back fear. It is an armed fortress that says, “I await a better future.” The friend awaiting her last chemo, the mother waiting for her son to be released from jail, the single person waiting for his or her partner, those awaiting a visa to return to the land they love, the patient waiting to be released from an extended hospital stay, parents waiting to see their child in heaven, the young woman with autism waiting for a home that promises a place of true belonging. Waiting is downright hard but it’s fruit can be sweet if fear’s flirtations are resisted: faith, compassion, and endurance all can be tasted along the path leading to a better future.
For me, it helps to reflect on being part of a sea of “waiters”, especially those who wait well. Those who place their trust in God and lay their dreams at His feet. Yes, He is merciful. Like any trial, waiting exposes us. Fear will climb the fortress of waiting’s walls and often makes it’s way to the top. It is only by continually trusting in God, knowing He is active in the waiting, that the enemy chaos falls back. Milly, my mother’s spiritual mentor and the elderly neighbor near the family farm where I and my 5 siblings grew up, was a woman of simple and great faith. She would often say, “When you think God’s not workin He’s a workin!”. I often picture her saying that and I smile. It hits a reset button within me. It causes fear to slide down the walls into the dark mote from where it came.
This holiday season, see yourself in a sea of persons who wait well. The fruit of waiting isn’t just in the future, it is now. After all, true contentment knows no future.
Physical Address:
14A S Roscoe Blvd,
Ponte Vedra Beach, FL 32082
Mailing Address:
PO Box 50064
Jacksonville Beach, FL. 32240
Tax ID:
47-3899098
sidney@pohc.org
Phone: (904) 395-3825