The Waiting Period

You’re sitting at an airport gate, surrounded by harried and weary travelers, and you hear over the intercom that your plane is delayed. Sighing, you settle into the hard-backed seat, watching as the minutes between you and your warm bed continue to stretch longer and longer. 

This scenario, which might have already increased your heart rate, was the reality for many ACErs in the Austin airport on the Sunday following December retreat. However, this waiting period embodied the retreat’s lessons for me, representing the fruit that can come from an in-between period if we remain open to community growth within it. In addition to airport delays, the life of an ACE teacher involves much waiting: waiting for students to quiet down, waiting in traffic on a commute, waiting for the community washer and dryer to be free. At this time of year, we also wait as a spiritual exercise in Advent, anticipating Jesus coming to the world as a small baby. We count down the days of Advent, adults anticipating the break from work just as much as kids itch for the arrival of presents under the tree. The church asks us to slow down, however, and reflect on the hope that comes not just from the arrival of Christmas, but from this waiting period itself. This weekend, ACE teachers were invited to sit in this waiting together, sharing with one another the challenges and triumphs of the past semester. In so many enriching and fortifying conversations with peers, I heard a consistent idea of waiting, either in excited anticipation of the retreat, in discouraged moments for students to finally respond to our repeated efforts, or in lack of clarity in discernment.

We are not stagnant or inactive in our waiting, however, we find meaning in reaching out to community within the waiting. We find hope from the growth that can happen in infinitesimal steps, almost unnoticeable until we get into the deep currents of life, as Fr. Lou DelFra described discernment to the second year teachers. From our school communities sending us off, to our home communities learning to make travel decisions as a team, to reuniting with the community of friends across the country, this waiting together gives us ample reasons for gratitude. Being together with the community of ACE teachers showed me that at a time of life where we are always concerned with next steps and results, becoming friends with the unanswered questions can allow us to live fully and share time most fruitfully with those who matter. God, and our roles as teachers and community members, ask us to embrace waiting periods not just as days to tick off an Advent calendar or an annoyance before the main event, but a time to lean into support from others and reflect on the hope that we share. While I do not wish extended airport delays for anyone, I do pray that ACE teachers across the country may find peace and hope in their waiting, receiving the gifts with open arms that come from these times.