It is cooler today, and still hot. I enjoyed sitting in one of the pavilions at the Woods that had been reserved for the weekend, but was empty. The rain repels some picnic participants. I like rain. We wait for something. We know it is coming. It is in the back of our minds. It is in our dreams. Summer life continues. Our time is so short, and God’s Calendar is so long. We see something in our peripheral vision. We look behind us to see if it is following us. There is a grand plan. We understood this as children, but life got in the way of our knowledge. The shadows of our youth follow us closely, yet remain just out of sight.

The Doomsday Preppers know something is coming. They gather food that will keep for years. They build carefully underground. Some laugh at their preparation. Others admire their preparedness. The Doomsday folks know something is coming and thus assign meaning to the shadows that follow them. The animals know. Mylo barks at an invisible entity. He looks perplexed when I do not see what he sees. Finally, he goes to sleep when I sit next to him, and all seems well. Political leaders manipulate our waiting. They know we are a bit anxious. We seek who our enemy is and who is our friend. We like the Preppers want to assign meaning to the nagging thoughts in the back of our conscience.

A moment of clarity is a revelation. The Waiters seek the moment of understanding. Among the baseball games, swimming, and 4th of July Celebrations, we wonder what is next. Life seems static when it is dynamic. We shake the sleep from our eyes and wonder where we have been. We are like Rip Van Winkle, who took a 20-year nap. Things are different in significant ways. For some of the Waiters, the path is clear, while others see through a glass darkly. The images are out of focus.

We wait for Godot. Our faith or lack thereof is of little importance. We came from the same place and are returning home together. Moments of hope and promise, and excitement invigorate the Waiters. We have taken a peek behind the Veil. We saw the Secret as it fled our gaze with a wide grin. Everything is going to be alright. What a test! Success in our journey is about remembering what we have already learned.