Big or Small, God Cares for Them All

First, I need to thank you all for your kind comments about my mom. It is hard, but God is so good and gracious. I believe we are quite a few years away from transplant, but my dad is a planner and knows it could take quite a few years to get used to the idea. And so we talk about it. Thank you for your prayers; please don't stop. There was a time in my life that I didn't respect my mom very much. Yes, I love her. Yes, I adore her. But admire and respect her? I just didn't. I hated that I felt that way. I think for the most part, that's a normal daughter feeling, but it felt so wrong. I prayed and prayed about it. And God answered. I started to notice my mom's friends. Boy, does she have some great friends. Kind. Fun. Compassionate. Faithful. Dependable. Godly. Loving. Encouraging. Pretty much everything you look for in a friend. It struck me that a woman doesn't make friends like these unless she is also: Kind. Fun. Compassionate. Faithful. Dependable. Godly. Loving. Encouraging. Pretty much everything you look for in a friend. Hmmmm. We still have our quibbles and, let's face it, she's my mom: she drives me bananas. But, I love her. I love her so much. I can see now why these amazing friends of hers love her: She's hospitable. Loving. Funny. Caring. Generous. Kind. Passionate. Tender. Fiesty. And she's been willing to share these friends of hers. Fresh out of Bible school, I called one of her friends that I had only met once or twice and asked her to be a mentor of sorts to me. To "teach me to be a lady" was what I asked. And so she did. Beneath the shade of mature trees on her back patio with delicious iced tea nearby, she counseled me about men, finance, friendships, and, most importantly, the Lord. I later went on to make some serious mistakes and walked far from the life I wanted to, and should've been, living. I found out that this same woman, who used to walk daily near my apartment building, would stop beneath the building to pray for me. She prayed and prayed. And God heard. And God leaned on my heart. And God rescued me from my choices. He continuously put people in my path that pointed me back to Him and eventually my heart softened. And when I cried out, He didn't hesitate to swoop in and rescue me. Prayers like that are big and important. And He hears. He also hears the little ones that you don't even mean to utter. My wardrobe is more than pathetic. I often say our closet is wasted on a person such as myself. I'm no clotheshorse. Not even a donkey in that area. I have no fashion sense. None. And I hate spending money on clothes as it seems I can never get enough for the amount I'm willing to spend. Anyway. I've been so discouraged every Sunday when I try to get ready for church. Or on weekdays when I need to be seen in public. My clothes are old. Worn. Stretched out. Or too small. I seriously have had the same wardrobe for almost a decade. Trust me, I am not the same size I was a decade ago. They must be magic clothes because I have no idea how they still fit. Er, maybe they don't and that's the problem. Anyway. Another of my mom's friends sent me a message the other day. She often cleans out her daughter's closet and sends clothes on for the girls. I am always so thankful and excited. These ladies have FASHION SENSE! Love the clothes. Love how cute they look on Little Miss. This time, there was a big bag JUST. FOR. ME. Shirts. Tons and tons and TONS of shirts. Pants. Shorts. Jammies! Even a pair of capris. I teared up because every time I pulled something out of that bag, I remembered wishing something like that were in my closet. God hears. Big and little. He cares. Even about silly little closet prayers. And big prayers like wanting to respect and admire your mother. And about turning one's heart back to Him.