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I am stuck.
I am waiting.
I am disappointed.
Just like you, in your part of the world, so much has been canceled.
In March, school and soccer were supposed to still be in session. Canceled.
In March, I was supposed to go to the UK for a storytelling conference and to see my son at the university. Canceled.
In March, Vincent’s parents were supposed to visit us for two weeks from France. Canceled.
In April, an intern was supposed to come from the US to work with us for three months. Canceled.
In April, our oldest son was supposed to go to Germany for his long-awaited birthday celebration with friends. Canceled.
In April, we were supposed to go to France to visit friends and to retrieve our belongings from storage. We planned to move into our new home in April. Canceled.
In May, my stepmom and her sister were supposed to come visit for one week. Canceled.
The list goes on and on.
The Biggest Disappointment
However, yesterday marked one of the biggest COVID-19 disappointments of all for our family. Yes, bigger than the disappointment of being stuck in Spain, unable to cross the border into France, unable to get our belongings, unable to move.
Thursday was the day that my mother, my sister, my niece, my nephew, and my cousin were supposed to board the airplane in Florida and fly to Spain. We would have picked them up at the airport yesterday morning.
We were all so excited, with plans to travel all around the country and maybe into Portugal. They would have experienced our life and world here with all its sights, sounds, smells, and tastes. The cousins would have had a ball hanging out and making lifetime memories together.
This event has been on our family calendar for almost one year.
Now, the event has been crossed out, erased, deleted from the calendar—forever.
When?
My mother, sister, and I have been chatting today about our disappointment.
When can we plan it again? When will they be able to travel to Europe to see us? When will it be safe again to board a plane to cross over to the other side of the world?
When?
My sister and her husband are still hoping to salvage a part of their global adventure. After visiting us in Spain, their family had plans to visit some friends in Greece.
Unfortunately, with the pandemic, my sister was unable to get passports issued for her two kids. She canceled all of their tickets, but kept the tickets to Greece for her and her husband.
Their travel date? July 8, 2020.
In our texts this morning, I asked her if she had any more information.
Just Waiting
“It’s up to the Greek government, and we’re waiting on their restrictions after July 1. We’re just waiting,” she wrote.
“So hard to wait until last minute. Sounds like our life . . . we have been waiting and waiting to cross the border into France to get our stuff. We still don’t know.”
Stuck.
Waiting.
Disappointed.
We are trying to rent a moving truck so that my husband and two of the boys can drive to France to retrieve our first load of belongings out of our storage unit.
We have been waiting since April 1 to do this—almost three months.
Stuck.
Waiting.
Disappointed.
Constant Changes
Dates of open European borders have shifted daily . . . May, June, July, June . . . June 22, July 1, June 15, June 22 . . .
With constant changes, we have been hesitant to rent a truck.
It now seems certain that Spain will open its borders (except its border with Portugal) on June 22, 2020.
Recently, when all of Europe announced they would open their borders on June 22, Spain said, “OK!” Then, a few hours later, they said, “NO!”
We couldn’t believe it! They were the only European country who said, “NO!”
Then, just a few days ago, they announced that Spain had changed its mind once again. Its border with France would open on June 22.
Vincent has been frantically trying to rent a truck. It’s complicated, and we have to ask the company for permission to take the truck out of country. Considering the circumstances, we are not sure if they will grant permission.
The plan is for them to leave next Tuesday to drive to France.
Stuck.
Waiting.
Disappointed.
Staying Hopeful
I’m trying to stay hopeful, encouraged, and positive as we wait, but I confess that it is hard.
I’m trying to stay focused on the present and what I can be doing now with this unexpected gift of time God has given me—in the waiting, in the disappointment, in the “stuck” place.
When I change my perspective, when I turn my gaze to the “here and now,” something begins to stir in my heart and mind.
I find contentment and peace—in the waiting, in the disappointment, in the “stuck” place. I begin to trust God’s timing and plan.
In this “liminal space,” this “Land Between,” I begin to discover the beauty.
Wanna join me? Let’s turn our eyes and shift our gaze. We might be surprised at what we will see.
We may find that we are ready to stop waiting and start living—TODAY.
—THE CULTURAL STORY-WEAVER
MY GIFT TO YOU—GET YOUR FREE EBOOK—”THE 5-DAY JOURNEY TO CULTURAL AWARENESS”!
LET’S WEAVE CULTURES!
What are you waiting for? What can you do to change your focus and turn your gaze towards hope? What is your “waiting for tomorrow” keeping you from doing today?
We invite you to tell us your own cultural stories and global adventures . . . as you engage with the world, breaking down barriers, building bridges, and “weaving cultures”! Write about them in the comment box below.
