Move over, Erma Bombeck. Make room for Eileen Button. Button has, indeed, been compared to the late Bombeck, and for good reason. They share the same wit, warmth and writing skills.
Button is a pastor's wife and mother of three from Flint, Michigan, where she is a columnist for The Flint Journal. She's gone through many heartbreaks and challenges in her lifetime, but not only has she maintained her sense of humor, she has learned to appreciate life's delays --- those times when it seems the pause button has been pushed, preventing us from experiencing the life we long for. She gives us a few examples of waiting places where we might find ourselves: "While waiting to grow up, we forget to embrace our childhoods; while waiting for true love, we forget to relish our freedom; while waiting for our children to grow, we forget to notice their beauty as infants, toddlers, children and teens; while waiting for a loved one to get well (or to die), we fail to appreciate the days --- even those filled with sickness and medications --- we have with one another."
THE WAITING PLACE begins by telling us about the day when Button's daughter made a comment that flipped the light switch for the concept of this book. What follows is a collection of essays recounting memorable moments from the author's life --- moments she defines as waiting places. Each essay is brilliantly written and brought me to either laughter or tears (or both). Button takes us through the times when she was waiting for a place to call home: Waiting for her grandpa's funeral. For a sign for love. For a miracle. For her husband to come home. For her children to grow up. For her mother to accept her. For a breakthrough. And several more...
Although each essay stands alone, fo