“The French author Simone Weil writes in her notebook:  “Waiting patiently in expectation is the foundation of the spiritual life.” Without patience our expectation degenerates into wishful thinking.  Patience comes from the word “patior” which means “to suffer.”…What seems a hindrance becomes a way; what seems an obstacle becomes a door; what seems a misfit becomes a cornerstone” (Henri Nouwen, Out of Solitude).  Some questions to consider this Advent: ‘In what ways is Abba calling you to wait during this season of Advent?  Are there small steps that you can take which might transform ‘patience as suffering’ into ‘patience as expectation?’