Dear God:

For the last few weeks, I've felt a little whiney. Ok, ALOT whiney. For no apparent reason. But this week I learned something that I've known all along- Things could be much worse. And I should be grateful for the way they ARE.

I didn't meet B until I was 26. I spent many Friday and Saturday nights alone. I have a friend who I went to high school with, but didn't know very well until later. The way we got to be friends...I won't go there. But it's an amusing story. We spent many nights trying to stay out past 10:00, and guess how many people we would see at Walmart that we knew. The person who got closest without going over won. We shared lots of dinners and conversations about what our husbands would be like one day, among other things. We dated different people and shared tears when things went south. As I type this post, I am smiling thinking of the stories we have from dates we went on. She was always an encourager, sending cards during hard times. She felt called to be a mommy and raise a family. She's fulfilling that calling. And she's amazing at it. Her husband also coaches, and on the afternoons that I am tired of being home alone, I call her to vent and to remind myself that if she can manage with 4 kids, surely I can handle my 1.

Last week, my friend found out that her baby boy has a tumor on his kidney. He just turned 1. He will have surgery to remove his kidney on Monday morning. They have been told that it is likely cancer, but will know more after surgery. I can't imagine what this experience is like for her. I don't post alot of "pray for" posts, simply because I think sometimes we take prayer too lightly. We read the post and go on with our days, treating the post as more of a source of information, than a tool. But I think so much of my friend. She is a blessing. When she says she'll pray, I believe she prays, even when she has 4 kids to chase after. So I would like to ask you to take time to sincerely pray for this sweet family between now and Monday. Pray that they will experience God's presence in the midst of this time.

May we all remember that when life gets us down, there are many who have it much worse. May we look at what's right, instead of what's wrong. And may we know that God is in the midst of it all.