Wednesday, March 27, 2019

"Please God, Give Me Patience...RIGHT NOW!"

Patience...not always my strong suit.

My second novel, Libby’s Cuppa Joe, released on March 8th. Prior to the release, I began planning a launch for March 16th. If you read last week’s post, “And Then Some” you know the launch was a success. 

A true success. I had ordered books for the event, but ran out quickly.

I'm not worried. I expect a shipment of books from my publisher on Tuesday, March 19th. My team offers people at the book signing to prepay for their copy and I'll hand deliver it to them…or have them over to my house for brunch. 

It’s a plan. 

I have a tracking number for my books. The expected arrival is March 19th.” Just as I was told. Good.

March 19 comes. And goes.
So does March 20th. And the 21st

I check my tracking number again. My books are in a “facility” in Los Angeles!

Los Angeles! That is like a million miles from Ohio. (Sometimes I may exaggerate a bit…but it feels like a million.)

I pray for God to give me patience.

My box of books sits in the LA facility for SEVEN DAYS. (You see how I use capital letters to demonstrate my prayer for patience has not yet been answered?)

Sunday comes and I have no books to deliver at church. 

The plan for Monday is for me to deliver one of the books to a birthday breakfast. One friend has purchased the book for another friend. How sweet is that? I email the gift-giver and tell her the books have not arrived. We make a “Plan B” and I arrive with a cardstock picture of the book with a personalized birthday message on it. 

Tuesday arrives and I have no books to take with me to Bible study.


Instead I pray again for patience and call the post office.

THE AUTOMATED VOICE ASKS FOR MY TRACKING NUMBER AND GIVES ME THE SAME INFO I ALREADY HAVE!

“Your package will arrive later than expected but is still on its way. It is currently in transit to the next facility.”

It’s already late!

I want to scream….but that is neither productive nor ladylike. I wait for the automated assistant to finish and choose the option to have a real person call me back. The wait time is between 58 and 68 minutes! 

I grit my teeth and pray for patience.

A very sweet woman named Lorie calls from the USPS. 

I start the conversation by telling her I am frustrated and will likely sound it, but it is not with her. I tell her I know this is not her fault and I don’t want her to take my frustration personally.

She asks for my tracking number. This has to be good. A person from the post office surely has the inside scoop. I can hear her punching the numbers in her computer.

She offers the same information I already have. “Your package is in transit,” she says. “It will be late but it is on its way.”

I breathe deep, praying as I do. “Yes. I have that information. What I need to know is when my books will arrive. And it says they’re headed to the next facility. How many facilities will they sit in between LA and Cincinnati?”

I hear a few more clicks. “They’re on a truck,” she tells me. She doesn’t know the route. 

“Is it possible they’ll get off the truck and spend another seven days in another facility?” I ask.

“Let’s pray that doesn’t happen,” she tells me.

And I think she means it. I tell her I’m trusting God in this, but I’ve been a bit impatient. “All in His time,” I say. 

“Sometimes that’s all we can do,” she tells me. “Pray.” She then tells me if the books haven’t arrived by the end of the week I need to call back and have an investigation opened. 

We finish our conversation and she asks me about the book. 

“It’s Christian fiction,” I tell her. I give her the title. 

I tell myself I’m learning to be patient…But in the meantime, I may order a few books on Amazon. Just in case. 

SATURDAY, MARCH 30...UPDATE: THE BOOKS ARRIVED!

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