Pietisten

The Waiting Room

by Greg Asimakoupoulos

It’s a lonely place

where I must face

my grownup childhood fears.

Surrounded by others,

I feel alone and nervous

about what’s to come.

It’s a gathering place

for family and friends

where memories are shared

and regrets embraced.

It’s where goodbyes are said

to someone who cannot return the farewell.

It’s a sacred place

where earth and heaven meet.

As faith and hope hold hands,

mortality gives way to immortality.

It’s where the mystery of eternal light

provides illumination amid the shadows to approach God with confidence.

It’s holy ground.

The waiting room

provides a front row seat

as the drama of life and death

is played out

on the elevated stage

of a hospice bed

while a loved one

takes one last curtain call.

The waiting room

is a difficult place to be.

But there is no place

I would rather be.

It is an awesome privilege

to shepherd this one

who escorted me into this world

into the next.

Lord, give me grace for the journey

and the means to cherish each remaining moment with my mom.