The Waiting by Cathy LaGrow with Cindy Coloma

About the Book:

An unforgettable true story that will touch your heart and make you believe in love’s enduring legacy, and in the power of prayer.

 In 1928, 16-year-old Minka was on a picnic in the woods when she was assaulted and raped. And suddenly this innocent farm girl—who still thought the stork brought babies—was pregnant. The baby was secretly born, named Betty Jane, and given up for adoption.

For decades, Minka wrote letters trying to get news of her daughter; she kept loving and praying for her, even though she never dared believe they would meet again. Until nearly eighty years later, when Minka whispered her secret, impossible prayer for the first time: Lord, I’d like to see Betty Jane before I die. I promise I won’t bother her or interrupt her life. I just want to lay eyes on her.

Unbeknownst to Minka, that very same day, a judge was releasing the sealed adoption records to her 77-year-old daughter. And soon, Minka’s phone would ring. Written by Cathy LaGrow (Minka’s granddaughter), The Waiting brings three generations of this most unusual family together over the course of a century to tell a story of faith that triumphs, forgiveness that sets us free, and love that never forgets.


My Thoughts:

I actually purchased a copy of "The Waiting" when it first released, but didn't finish the book until last night.  As I began to read Minka's story, my heart just couldn't handle it all at the time.  See, this is far more than a story about a mother searching for her daughter.

This is the story of a woman's lifetime, lived in faith in God through difficult times and good times, spanning a century of life and change.  Yes, for 77 years Minka Disbrow carried the ache for her baby girl, longing to see her again...but the book is so much more than just that one story.

As the child born from an unplanned and unwanted pregnancy, memories were stirred in me that had been (I thought) laid to rest years ago.  I mean, I just turned 51 this year...I'm not a little girl anymore!  But as an adoptee, I don't think those feelings ever leave us, and Minka's story poked a finger at some very old wounds.

So I had to put the book down and walk away for a bit.  Once I returned to the story I was determined to see it through to the end, and I'm so glad I did.  Even though Minka's life is filled with hardship and struggle, her faith not endured but strengthened.  She never gave up...on anything or anyone.  And God granted her the desire of her heart...to see her Betty Jane one more time.

The reunion caused me to widen my focus on my own life.  Somewhere out there in this world I have potential siblings I've never met...nieces, nephews....aunts and uncles...cousins and grandparents.  I've always just thought about the missing father in my life, and I didn't miss him at all.  Never wanted to know, to search or to question.

Now I wonder what I've missed.  Time will tell.  In the meantime, thank you to Tyndale House Publishers for printing "The Waiting" and making Minka's and Betty Jean (Ruth's) story available to all of us.  "The Waiting" is highly recommended.




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