In Limbo

I find myself using the phrase "in limbo" a lot lately. The term originated as a Roman Catholic phrase describing "the abode of unbaptized but innocent or righteous souls, as those of infants or virtuous individuals who lived before the coming of Christ." It has since evolved into a term that means "any intermediate place or state of neglect or confinement."
We seem to be "in limbo" with our current project---not that we are being neglected, but rather because we are seemingly stuck or "confined" at the particular point in the project. As the builder for this job, we are the party "between" the architect and the homeowner. There are several cosmetic design issues that the homeowners are having difficulty visualizing. One specific decision involves exterior stonework. Until the homeowners choose the type of stone they'd like to use, the architect cannot finalize the drawings. Until the drawings are finalized, the builder (we) cannot complete the final quotation and present the contract for signing. As you can see, we are "in limbo."
Fortunately, in this case, the three parties are all working together on this stone decision. On Saturday, Barry went with the homeowners to the stone supplier to help them get a better understanding of the material. Yesterday he drew diagrams to help them visualize the construction part of the stone work. He'll probably do a mockup of a small part of the stone wall to also help them make their decision.
The more time Barry devotes to helping the homeowners, the more I realize where the modern-day usage of the term "limbo" comes from. Maybe you've played the "Limbo" game where you bend over backwards and try to pass under the stick....Well, we'll BEND OVER BACKWARDS to help make decisions easier for our clients. We'll do the Limbo to help get things out of limbo!