Coping with the wait.

With a long wait you would think one would adjust to waiting, that it would become 'normal'.

I really thought back in October when we filled for another I-600 extension that it would be the last time. My hopes rose with the thought that in three months we may have all the documents needed and would be rejoicing in the progress made... but today filling for yet another I-600 extension [number 3] I just wonder if anything will happen in the next three months.

Some feelings do become predictable...the increased hope on a Monday morning, the average sustained hope through Tuesday, Wednesday with starts to wane sometime on Thursday only to surge a bit on Fridays, pumped up with the desperate thought that surely you will NOT have to wait another weekend for news.

The clock moves slow some of the time and others it seems to rush to the end of business hours-killing the hopes for that day.

Some of my 'normal' coping strategies for stress in my life remain firm like music, chocolate, and reading.

Other strategies come and go...some days I do my best to fill my schedule with mind occupying jobs so to distract me away from checking e-mails frequency while other days I may stay occupied on the computer so I can see each email as it enters the in-box.

For a long time it was hard to hang out and interact with the smaller children on campus but now it helps.

The first few years of this journey I could count on going to church to be positive but now it's becoming more and more tinged with sorrow and frustration.

Some weeks I can read adoption books or blogs and then I avoid them for a while.

I generally try to start new healthy habits throughout the year and therefore do not make New Year's resolutions. This year I did turn over a new leaf... have already turned over thousands of new leaves, and old leaves.

Most afternoons you can now find me, for an hour or two in the tree nursery.

POSITIVES: helping Cory get jobs off his to-do-list, extra one-on-one time with Cory to talk, when alone-more music and prayer time, hours of weeding done, nicer looking yard/nursery, being outside, exercise, many trees-potted/planted, not watching the clock or checking e-mails/facebook.

NEGATIVES: need to put on lots of bug spray, mosquitos, fire aunts, itchy plants, scrubbing hands and feet especially under the nails every night, thorns, slivers.