Only because I am a mother who is long on love and, too often, far too short on patience, I’ve only had to ask it a couple of hundred times:  You only love as well as you embrace your inconveniences.  Why in the world does that “love chapter” in the old holy Book say that first: “Love is patient.“ Why is patience actually the very first qualifier of love?  I mean, why not first, “Love is gentle,” or “Love is tender?” Or, better yet (to my feeble mind), “Love is a flash of divine revelation, a supernatural infusing of the spirit of God.” Love is all that, yes. But first, of utmost importance – and yep, I’ll trust the order of the inspired sacred Word –  love is patient. That means love is nitty gritty. Hard. That is what I was thinking on midweek morning, as we poured pancake batter into the griddle on a wintry morning, back when our house was full of all half a dozen wild kids, all rowdy and loud, under the age of ten.  When you’re patient enough to embrace the moment – the moment opens up its arms and surprises you with a gift.    … Continue reading The Secret Key to Patience…& Patience is the Key to Loving Well, Especially When You’re At the End of Your Rope