Book excerpt: This wise and beautiful book draws on the experience of unchosen waiting – in sickness, in old age, and in the struggles and frustrations of everyday life – to explore the challenges of waiting and the skills it demands. A lifeline for anyone who finds themselves in a time of waiting, chosen or unchosen, or accompanying others through such times, it shows how the paradoxical gifts of patience point to the God who kindly waits for us. A book of grace, depth and beauty, destined to become a modern spiritual classic.