Lesson in Patience

My youngest daughter is expecting her first child this month and as she lives two hours from home I have come to be with her while she waits so that I'm here for the delivery. I came a week before her due date because I didn't want to be driving up here in the middle of the night and none of our families babies have been late. 

It's the first time in at least ten years that we have spent this much time together and what a wonderful gift it is for me. Each day I walk their dog down at the beach and we do a few chores around the house. Each day we hope that the baby will arrive. 

Now that a week has gone by we are both ready for this baby to be here. We've ran out of chores, we've done all the shopping, we've completed three jigsaw puzzles and now we wait. 

Waiting is something I'm not good at and neither is my daughter. We are both people who plan our lives in great detail - days, weeks and months in advance. 
So here we are dealing with something that is totally out of our control. We are doing our best to make the most of this precious time together and just relax and let nature do what it will. It's a struggle for sure and yet it's such a good thing to practise. Letting go of all of our schedules, all of our worries and plans and just making the most of each day. 

We've taken a few short walks on the beach and even gone "hiking" through Seal Bay park nabbing a few caches on our way. Just being out in nature has refreshed us and renewed our spirits.

Life is full of times of waiting but what is most important is to make the most of it. Don't waste it, don't let it frustrate you, just enjoy it. Find the positive in each moment and it will make the wait so much easier.

This waiting time with my daughter is really a gift and once the baby arrives we will never have this "just us" time again so I'm hanging onto each moment. I still would like this baby to arrive very soon as I know I have to return to my work life soon but I'm still very thankful for being able to share this time with her. It's a lesson in patience for me, it's a lesson in letting go but mostly a time to treasure.