You put Mommy’s shirt on, for the first time, on the day that you graduated from Little Lambs.

I can’t remember why you put it on this day. Sometimes you put it on because you’re cold.  Sometimes

I ask you to put it on so that you won’t get stains on your nice clothes, when you’re doing art

work. Other times, you voluntarily put it on, I think, just to feel like a big person. I think it’s neat

that you started wearing Mommy’s shirt the day you graduated from Little Lambs. You were at Little Lambs for two years. I trusted them with you, and they were so good to you. You learned a

lot about God at Little Lambs, and in that building, because it’s also where we go to church. You would sometimes come home with stains on your clothes, and that was okay. They gave you smocks to wear,

but sometimes that wasn’t enough. Sometimes the shirt isn’t enough, either. Maybe this shirt is like protection for you. Sometimes it keeps you from getting stains on your clothes, throughout the daily parts of living. Sometimes it keeps the cold out. Sometimes it helps you feel big when you feel small and want to feel big. I can’t always be there with you. I won’t always know the stories behind some of the things that you do throughout the day. You’re getting to be such a big girl, and now you are doing a lot of things on your own, and not in my presence.   I wished I could be there with you to protect you from everything, but that just isn’t possible. Also, I don’t know if it’s the best thing for you. Sometimes it’s good to be able to venture out on your own. It’s okay to have a few stains. It’s okay to get a little chilly, and it’s okay to feel small in this great big world. That’s what we have God for.  Sometimes Mommy needs to wear a big shirt, too. She needs it to protect her from the stains of life, to keep the cold out, and to feel big in this world that can make even Mommy feel small. That’s what God is for. I hope you’re not only finding God from the Little Lambs that you’re now too big for, and I hope you’re not only finding God at church. I even hope you’re not just finding God at home. I hope you know that He’s right there in your heart, and you can take him with you wherever you go. He is your big shirt for the times you feel you need to keep from getting all messy, or when you need warmth, or when you feel small in this great big world.