Our Mission
At The Waiting Place, we walk alongside anyone impacted by grief — those who grieve and those who love them — offering steady presence, understanding, and a safe place to heal and belong.
Our Message
The Waiting Place exists because grief is universal — and yet it is often misunderstood. In a world that encourages people to hide their pain, avoid discomfort, or move on too quickly, many are left carrying sorrow alone.
We believe grief is not something to be judged or fixed. It is human. It reflects love, connection, and the impact of what has mattered deeply. Grief deserves care. It deserves to be honored. And it deserves community.
Like the lotus flower, which rises from the mud to bloom, healing often emerges from the depths of grief. At The Waiting Place, we meet people exactly where they are, offering compassion, presence, and dignity along the way.
There is no rush here. No expectation to "get over it." No pressure to repair what feels broken. Instead, we walk alongside you, holding space for what is real and true in your journey, and allowing room for growth, transformation, and even unexpected beauty.
Meet Our Founder
Patti Merrill is the heart behind The Waiting Place Foundation. A bereaved mother, a widow, and a woman of faith in her community, she carries a lived understanding of grief in its many forms. She has walked through sudden loss that altered her life forever, ambiguous grief while caring for a chronically ill husband, and the quieter grief that settles into the spaces in between.
Like the lotus, her life has been shaped by what she has lived through—rooted in pain, and slowly unfolding into compassion, presence, and care for others.
For more than a decade, Patti felt a steady calling to create a sanctuary where people could bring their sorrow without pressure to move on. Through her formation in chaplaincy and her work as a spiritual grief companion, she has learned that people grow not by being fixed, but by being held, witnessed, and supported. The Waiting Place began as the refuge she once needed—a place where grief is honored as a sacred expression of love.
Patti offers this foundation in gratitude: for those who stood with her, for the God who stayed close, and for the community that continues to walk beside her. Through The Waiting Place, she hopes to help create a home for the grieving—a community where love becomes light, and where every person is met with tenderness and dignity.
Meet the Team & Partners
Patti Merrill
Founder & Visionary DirectorPatti is the heart behind The Waiting Place Foundation. As a bereaved parent, widow, chaplain-in-training, and spiritual grief companion, she brings deep personal experience, compassionate presence, and a spiritually-grounded vision for creating a sanctuary of healing, support, and transformation for those navigating grief and trauma.
Mariah oversees creative development for programs, media, partnerships, and outreach. She also supports Patti with administrative coordination, project oversight, and organizational infrastructure as The Waiting Place continues to grow. Her experience in storytelling, production, and strategic support helps shape the unfolding vision and amplifies the mission.
Executive Producer & Executive AssistantMariah Kaylen
Want to Become a Partner?
The Waiting Place Foundation grows through collaboration with organizations, professionals, and groups aligned with grief support, mental health, and spiritual care. Partnerships may include shared events, resource collaboration, or support in building meaningful spaces for the grieving.
If you are interested in partnering with us, we would love to connect and explore what we can create together.
Core Values
A Call to Compassion,
Presence, and Community
The Waiting Place is a community grounded in presence, understanding, and companionship - a place where anyone navigating grief, transition, or emotional overwhelm is welcome to belong.
If this feels like a place you want to be, you’re invited to take part in whatever way feels right for you. Whether that means joining the community, staying connected, or supporting this work from a distance, you are welcome here.