by karen porter
WWW.KARENPORTER.COM
never let waiting
lead to quitting
THE HOSPITAL WAITING ROOM WAS FULL. Across from me was a middle-
aged woman who fretted with items from her purse and struggled to sit still. Worry was visible in the deep lines on her forehead. Two chairs down from her was a young mom trying to engage and entertain a toddler full of energy. At the end of the row, a grandmother sat in a wheelchair crying softly; her pre-teen granddaughter rubbed
12 leadinghearts.com
comforting circles across the old woman’s shoulders. In the corner, a quiet cowboy stood patiently first on one booted foot, then the other and turning his hat round and round in his hands. Near the windows, a man in a business suit tapped fast messages on his phone, feverishly taking care of business while waiting. Waiting is hard — and sometimes feels hopeless. Like the people in that waiting room, we may worry and fret like the woman, lose ourselves in caring for others like the young mom, cry like the grandmother, retreat into our thoughts
