the gold chair

WAIT.

Why is this one little word so hard for me to swallow?

WAIT.

It is difficult to wait. It is difficult to not know what lies ahead in the next year, month, week, day, hour. God calls us to wait, especially when it involves His best for our lives.

I find myself waiting and it feels unfair, to be honest.

My mom loves to tell this story of when I was a little girl. Cheri (mom) and 4 year-old Sarah were in the grocery store together and happened to walk past the candy aisle...oh no. I guess little curly-haired Sarah Louise stopped and took a good look at all the precious bags of sugar and chose one she wanted, without permission. A yummy lookin' bag of M&M's. Cheri put her foot down, knowing her little girl didn't need a bag of candy and said....."NO". Well, that didn't sit right with sweet Sarah who wanted that candy and didn't want to WAIT. She wanted it NOW. Sarah didn't back down and ended up throwing the bag of M&M's on the floor and as the little pieces of goodness splattered all over the aisle, Cheri took Sarah out of the store as she began to throw a temper tantrum. They went home immediately and Sarah was placed in the dreaded gold "time-out" chair (which is currently a piece of furniture in the Yonich household).

WAITING. I didn't even want to do it as a little one. Who does? When we want something to happen, how much better would it feel if we could just have that hunger satisfied in the moment. Skip the waiting period.

There is wisdom and growth in learning how to wait. To wait for God. To wait for His best. It's not a matter of God being unfair to make us wait, it's a matter of Him loving us so much that waiting would be the best thing for us to do, however uncomfortable and aggravating it may seem.

I think God is telling me to go sit in the gold chair.

a little goes a long way

I am thankful for...

* the smell of the sea at night when I stand out on my balcony
* being able to (sometimes) understand at least 70% of an italian sentence
* seeing a friend that I met last year who works at a nearby shoe store
* being part of an italian family so if I am out of food, I can go shopping at their house
* it's not horribly humid outside...yet
* making american chocolate-chip cookies for Antonello's family, yummy!
* figured out how to watch the season finale of Grey's Anatomy on my laptop
* ear plugs (it has been so stinkin' loud at night lately)
* a mother who can change my black day into sunshine

Isn't it amazing what a little thankfulness can do to our spirit? I already feel a little lighter...

a thought

wouldn't it be wonderful if we could snap our fingers and be the person we dream to be?

a new day

I woke up this morning and needed to strike out on my own. I have done little walks here and there but today I felt like spending some much needed time by myself, exploring my new city, getting lost, finding my way again, and becoming more familiar/comfortable with my life here. It was a new day and I loved every minute of it. My adventures led me, first, to Piazza Gesu', where I found two Americans and walked with them to the waterfront where we explored Castello dell'Ovo and after parting ways, I found my favorite 3-story bookstore where I ordered something to eat and of course, caffe'. I walked back to my little studio along the sea, feeling the warm air all around me and tried to take everything in. The smell of the sea, the noise of the cars and scooters passing me by, the sound of the boats, and the beautiful language I am so desperately trying to learn.

I have a little tutoring job tomorrow night. A 15-year old girl in high school needs help with pronouncing some english words. I think I can do that. :)

Ciao amici!