As I type this, I’m waiting on tommi to go back to the OR for a procedure. It’s a procedure that most of us can do in-office. But not Tommi. For him it’s something we need to put him under for. We used to have to do that for teeth related things, now he can do it in- office. So maybe we will get there with this procedure too.

We wait a lot for Tommi. Wait for him to hear us, wait for him to take his meds, wait for him to get ready to leave, wait for him to feel comfortable in a situation. Sometimes we wait patiently, sometimes while tapping our toe and checking our watch. But our waiting usually pays off and with time our waiting window shrinks.

As a mom of a transgender 17-yr old I am waiting in anxious anticipation of the upcoming new state and national political administrations to see what risks may await my youngest. It’s a scary time to be a transgender person in America. Much like I’m sure it felt to be and/or love an African American during the civil rights era or a gay in the 80s and 90s.

Right now we’re waiting on Jonathan to get to 6 months of age so we can start service dog training. During this wait I get anxious that he’s not going to pass their assessment to be a service dog. I try to give that anxiety to God and just love and train and praise him the best way I know how.

I have spent 2024 working on my parts with Brad using his technique of Internal Family Systems. It has been a long and windy road and while I’ve been on this path, Todd has patiently waited through my therapy sessions, anxiety, tears, silence and exploration. I see that wait, feel how hard it’s been, and thank Todd for letting me go through this process with the best therapist in the world while being on the outside looking in.

After waiting for 20+ years for the trauma of our past to be addressed, Todd and I are now learning to work on our marriage in ways we’ve never done before and we wait in hope and dedication for the opportunity to use the strategies and tools we’ve been given to strengthen ourselves as individuals and partners. We invite God into our marriage and ask Him to lead us in the work we will need to put in for a rich and rewarding relationship.

Jackson spent several weeks waiting for a job this year. And his waiting paid off with the reward of a solid job working alongside people who he truly enjoys and who have taught him much already. Now Jackson waits as he looks to studying for the LSAT, applies to Law Schools and makes a decision on where life leads him from here. I will wait alongside him, with bated breath, to find out where my heart and soul will go in his next chapter.

And as we approach the Christmas holiday, we wait for Jesus’s return. Before I stepped foot in WRCC, Jesus’s return was not something I looked forward to with anticipation. But I now, thanks to my pastors, friends and God, I know my Savior in a real and beautiful way and I look forward to Jesus gathering me in His arms and giving me the most precious hug.

Waiting is hard. I don’t know many of us who do it well. I wait in anxiety frequently, while trying to remind myself that God wants me to wait in his love not in my anxiety. As we await 2025, my prayer is this: Dear Lord, please guide my family and me in the new year. Bless us with good health. Please let us forget any anger we had in the previous year and move forward with healed hearts into a new year filled with endless opportunities. And when we wait, Lord, let us wait in your love not our anxieties.

Psalm 46:10 

“Be still, and know that I am God.” (NIV)