We all wait.

Our lives are filled with waiting. It’s an inevitable part of life.

We’re always looking forward to the next thing.

As kids, we can’t wait to grow up. 

We can’t wait to finish school.

We can’t wait to get married.

We can’t wait to have children.

We can’t wait for all kinds of things.

Even more … We wait for God’s answer on all kinds of decisions and on His guidance.
Where will He lead us? What will He have us do?

We wait for healing to be complete.

We wait for heartache to heal.

We wait for opportunities to open up for us.

We wait for finances to finally be in our favor.

The fact is we are going to have to wait in our life. No doubt about it.

The question is this:
How will we wait?

I am learning how to wait well. Waiting well is hard. It includes praise in times of sadness. It includes faith in place of doubt. It includes a heart full of great expectation in the face of bad news. It includes lots of real conversations with God in place of cookie-cutter prayers.  It includes tons of trust in God, His character, and His Word when you feel like your world is collapsing around you.

I’m still in waiting.
I’m still learning how to wait well.
I fail at times … many times because I want to control the direction of things. Let’s face it, waiting is hard. We want answers and we want them now. A lot of times these answers we seek are crucial to our lives and the lives of others and having to wait just doesn’t make sense. I keep reminding myself that God sees it all. He sees everything we can’t see. And, if we’re having to wait there HAS to be something good in store for us on the other side.

It’s in the waiting that I’m realizing, not that God is most present, but that I am most present.
I hear God clearer … mainly because I’m listening more closely.

In the waiting, we must remember that God has not left us, but is in it the whole time. God is the same in the waiting the same way He’s in the contentment and the victories. He is always present, always working for our good.

I know that God always has a plan.
We continue to be in a waiting period with our La Petite Belle, to see her total, complete healing come to pass. She’s definitely on her way, but it’s a process.

Today is Day 123.
Wow. I can’t even believe I’m writing that … 123 days since her stem cell/bone marrow transplant.

And, unfortunately today, she will be having her sixth bone marrow biopsy. Because she had an extra biopsy in that Day-100 window, around Day 60, the doctor wanted to wait a while to do her Day 100 biopsy. So, this is standard that she would be getting this now. It’s a close-up into her bone marrow to see how it’s progressing and what’s going on in there. Of course, they will check all kinds of things and markers for disease.

La Petite Belle absolutely loathes these biopsies. These days tend to be very long. We will arrive at 7:30 am to start IV and fluids, but will not leave until late afternoon after she gets out of recovery. And, now we have a 3-1/2 hour drive afterwards to come home.

She is feeling pretty great though. Other than being tired, she’s anxious to see people. Like I’ve said before, when you lock up a people-person for so long without people, it’s hard. She’s definitely ready to get back to normal activities and would love to be able to be in school. Of course, this is not an option for this year, but she longs for the day she can just be a normal teenager again.

Cold and flu season has me all freaked out over any sniffle or throat-clearing. That’s a good thing I guess because the doctor wants her to limit her exposure to large crowds of people. And, of course, anyone who’s been sick or been around someone sick has got to get to steppin’.

I try to plan days for La Petite Belle and me … days where we can get out and do stuff, days where most people won’t be out. The days can get long and boring for her.

A little Starbuck’s and Christmas shopping helps.

She does have school with four different teachers who come over to the house to teach her once a week. She doesn’t love having to get up early, but halfway through the sessions, she’s talking their ears off.

We continue to wait in the waiting period. I want to wait well. And, I’m trying to teach my daughter what it means to wait well.

Please pray for us today, as she has this biopsy done.
I am praying God’s best for my girl, which is always good. I’m praying for complete healing in her bone marrow and fantastic test results.

Also, please pray for me as I attempt to start working again come January/February. I have been praying about what to do and what would be best for my family during this time. As we look ahead to January, we are faced with a brand new high insurance deductible, with no sign of decreased Houston visits in sight as of yet. I know that God will provide just like He always does. But, I also have to do all I can do without sacrificing what my family needs.

Thank you, again, from the bottom of my heart for your continued prayers for her and my family through this waiting period. We so appreciate all of your love and support! In return, we pray for God to bless you for holding us up through this time.
If you would like to financially support Katie’s (aka La Petite Belle) journey to healing, you can find more information here: www.gofundme.com/Katieg.  All funds go to cover medical bills and expenses.