In Between

Ever feel like the "in between" parts of life last an eternity.  In between jobs, in between seasons, in between paychecks, in between holidays.  Stuck between what was and what is to come.  Stuck and discouraged.  We get that way.

In between can be fertile ground for faith, for hope and for dreams.  But sometimes we forget to dream, to imagine, to visualize, to pray.  Perhaps it is because waiting weighs heavy on our heart.

In dog terms, which pretty much rule my life, in between is the time that starts when the bathroom door shuts and drags in excruciating seconds until I open the door up again.  It is also the eternity, which lasts an eternity plus one day, from when I leave for work and return.  Or ten minutes, whichever comes first.

We've been waiting for spring and it's coming. I see it in the tulips pushing through the ground, the forsythia starting to show color, the cranes migrating.  I also see it in the farmers beginning to work their fields.  I bet they struggle with in between time as much as I do.

Maybe if I till, plant, fertilize and harvest more faith the in between's would be more comfortable. The days fly by even if the things we await come slowly.  It's life as we know it.  It is finding grace in the moments, the time between, and knowing good things are coming.