“The two hardest tests on the spiritual road are the patience to wait for the right moment and the courage not to be disappointed with what we encounter.”― Paulo Coelho

And, oh my goodness – isn’t this always the case? That we might pine and wish and long and hope only to be ‘disappointed’ with what may come our way.

It doesn’t fit…it’s not to our expectation…but, that doesn’t diminish the value of the blessing within. When we have patience enough to stay the course, my darlings, the beauty of this path will be revealed.

When I was a little girl, my mother would say, “Have patience – let things happen in the way they were intended.” Of course, to the five-year-old mind, ‘having patience’ was the most grueling of growing-up experiences. Nonetheless, it is perhaps one of the most critical of life lessons.

To have patience enough…

And, patience isn’t something we’re born with; rather, it is practiced – practiced in every instance we’re late for a meeting, stuck in traffic, or the children have made yet another mess of things.

In Buddhism, patience is motivated inwardly by our desire for peace, and outwardly in our faith and ability to accept things just as they are.

This morning was a bit of a test for me. With a looming ice storm and a website rendered obsolete, I could have easily succumbed to the desperate draw of emotion. But, in doing so – I would have most certainly lost my ‘way.’

To have courage enough…

And, my goodness – isn’t every moment a test? An opportunity to reaffirm our willingness to connect deeply with the fullness of life at this moment.

Knowing, in time, the true blessing will soon be revealed.