And Then What?

Shakespeare Frustrates Me.

Bear with me.

Shakespeare had a knack for telling stories until they weren't finished.
The viewer, reader, primary witness sees the scope of the story only as far as the main character is involved.
Essentially, He loved to pick up a story half way through, toss the audience into it, drag them through in a whirl wind, then kill off the main character, ending the play before the story is told in full.
He leaves an awful lot of, "Yes, but then what?!"

Indeed, and then what?
And then what?
and THEN what?
And then....
You see how this goes.

I feel like we're stuck in a Shakespearean Play.
Maybe not a tragedy.
(Please, not a tragedy?)
But I feel like we have have stepped into a story half way told.
We're struggling to catch up with the back story.
We're trying desperately to see where The Author is taking us.
We're reading the description on the back and hoping that the story within doesn't stray too far from the ending we've imagined.
We're checking all the cliff notes.
We're reading the cross references.
We're trying desperately to keep up, keep pace, maintain memory of the back story while mentally reaching forward into the story in small increments,  tentatively feeling for a small foothold to propel us forward.

Or, at least, a cozy ledge to rest upon until the next flurry of excitement.

Right now, we're clinging to a ledge.
 Waiting.
There is no Great War to be fought.
There is no Great Enemy to vanquish.

There is only paperwork...

And One Child.
One Child, who is unaware that this play is even being performed.
How it will be for him, when we meet him?
Will he feel like he is in a Shakespearean play?
Tossed into a story half way told?

And when does the play end?
For Shakespeare, it's usually well before the story is fully told.
Because, really? is any story ever fully told?

In the big grand scheme of things,
the Big Story
the Rotation of the Earth
the Twinkle of the Stars
the Breath of the Universe
the Heartbeat of God,

This adoption journey we are on... is nothing.
But to us, it is everything.
And to The Child?
It will be life changing.

Right now, we wait.
Play our tiny part.
See where The Author takes us.
and Pray.


And this is where we breathlessly ask,
And then what?
And THEN what?
And then....