The Ground On Which We Stand

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“Patience is a hard discipline. It is not just waiting until something happens over which we have no control: the arrival of a bus, the end of the rain, the return on a friend, the resolution of a conflict. Patience is not a waiting passivity until someone else does something. Patience asks us to live the moment to the fullest, to be completely present to the moment, to taste the here and now, to be where we are. When we are impatient we try to get away from where we are. We behave as if the real thing will happen tomorrow, later and somewhere else. Let’s be patient and trust that the treasure we look for is hidden in the ground on which we stand.” From Bread for the Journey by Henri. J.M. Nouwen