ann kiemel

gloria is my friend in dallas.
her son and brock are best friends.
she came in one day and i spotted her
shoes first thing.

"gloria, i love your shoes!"

she smiled.

"$5.95 at walmart!"

well!!
i was impressed.
will took us to walmart almost every day
when we lived in chicago, and the children
were very young, and i silently decided that
i was never going to walmart when we moved.
the thrift stores were better. we had this old
car, and i told the children we weren't going to
put a cross on the back because i didn't want
anyone driving around us to think this car was
the best God could do!

before i married, my store of choice
was ann taylor or nordstrom's or louis
vuitton, and God had brought me low.
very, very, very low as will tried all
different kinds of jobs.

but....
those, clean, simple little black flats
made me smile. and the next morning,
brock (who i was visiting) took me to walmart
for my beautiful purchase, too. i learned a BIG
lesson that day.

gloria, i love you. i hope you are still reading sarah young
with your morning coffee, and selling alot of cars, and
knowing that God's love is VAST. He is your silent Partner
on that car lot, and He ALWAYS has His eyes on you, and will
never forget what He had to watch what your husband did to you.
God knows how to just take care of men like that. He sure took
care of you. and i will always love you, gloria. no matter where
we each travel or if we actually see each other again, i will always
remember you. and how much i love you. and how we laughed
and crawled into the bathtub when the tornado went through.

"they cried to the Lord in their troubles, and He rescued them!
He led them from their darkness and snapped their chains."
psalm 107:14

gloria, you are beautiful, and my friend forever.
remember. never forget!!