i can't stop staring at my sister's ultra sound. LIKE THE NEWEST MEMBER OF MY FAMILY IS FORMING IN THERE. my niece or nephew, in fact; a baby who has been knit together in their mother's womb with intentional detail, and in perfect timing.

this unborn baby represents a lot more than a son or daughter or niece or nephew; he or she represents the perseverance of a husband and wife who refused to give up during such a frustrating wait; a long and painful, drawn out wait.

my sister would tell you it's worth it, though. she would even say that it made this whole experience more rich, and her all the more appreciative.

kind of like how i feel about my job.

no one knows my story quite like i do. (and no one knows your story quite like you do, either.)

few know how hard i've worked to get here. the countless hours i spent dreaming, planning and building, and building some more.

how many times i stepped out in faith only to fall on my face.

the times i was overlooked, mistreated, underappreciated or underpaid.

the conflicting emotion i felt time after time, the dumb (really dumb) decisions i made, and how quickly (too quickly) i quit at times, and the times i should have quit and didn't. (quitting isn't always a bad thing, you know.)

the trials and hardship. the wrestling and soul searching. the frustration. the disappointment. the unfulfillment.

but i, like, my sister, am all the more appreciative for what i have now more because of the fact that i had to wait.

i couldn't help but reflect on this as i sat at my desk today, or when i got an email from my supervisor approving my vacation time next month or a text from a leader in montreal confirming that she wants to bring a team here again in a few months, and i'll be thinking about how worth the wait was once again when i greet them at the bus station in march and as i'm doing what i was put on earth to do that week, during the summer, and every day in between.

waiting can suck, i know. sometimes, it's a matter of surrendering our wants and needs and trusting that things will work out the way that we had hoped that they would (and learning to be content if they don't), and other times it means pushing through the overly frustrating and disappointing waiting stage long enough to hold your beautiful newborn or land your dream job.

either way, wait it out; what is for you will not pass you by.