Emily needs no introductions here a Painting Prose, because she’s the reason we’ve been spending time together on Wednesday and Thursdays. We love her, don’t we? And it’s time for me to walk you home to her place, because next week Imperfect Prose will be resuming. Thank you for the privilege of hosting this most beautiful community. I have loved every minute of it.
i made spaghetti last night, and it might have been a mistake. but i drank my glass of white wine and wound noodles round my fork while the boys slopped red across the kitchen.
“what’s this called?” joey asked, pulling the noodle between his lips and i told him it’s “slurping.” slurping noodles. one of life’s grandest and least classy of learnings.
“God is everywhere and all around and in every people?” he asked me then, my god-son who’s living with us while his mom finishes school. and his brother slapped at his lettuce leaves as kasher rolled around in his walker muttering to himself and aiden ate parmesan cheese.
and trent and i, searching out the door for patches of blue.
“yes, yes he is,” i said.
“he’s sitting here beside me, and in the bathtub, and all over my bed?” Joey asked. spaghetti all over his bathrobe and face and there’s not enough soap in the world…
“that’s right.”
no blue sky today, just one heavy cloud. i drank my wine a little too quickly and look at the clock. perhaps we could get them to bed a bit earlier tonight.
but then it was as though the years heaved and i could hear them growing, these boys all gangly and long, like sentences winding into paragraphs. and i hadn’t taken the time to read them, for the hurry to wash behind their ears and mop the floor and take out the trash. i hadn’t stopped to make them laugh, to find out their favorite color, to race them in the soggy spring grass.
God is everywhere and in all things and every people and he’s here among us in our children. if we would only look closer. and he’s in all of us, all awkward and gangly and it’s this that i want to celebrate with you. this awkwardness. this beauty of being clumsy and far-sighted and absolutely adored by the Creator of the Universe.
so let’s take the time to read each other. to marvel as sentences weave into paragraphs. let’s not try to perfect what only heaven can. instead, let’s be messed-up weirdos, walking each other home.
and i think i was mistaken. there was blue sky all along. i was just looking in the wrong places.
(this coming wednesday, on april 11, we’ll be re-starting ‘imperfect prose on thursdays’: a place for the broken to band together; a place to call home. things have changed a bit, but the premise is the same. so won’t you join me? and in the meantime, will you help me give dear kd sullivan a standing ovation for her humble hosting these past weeks? she is God’s grace in my life. love you all.)
If you are new, please check out Emily’s blog. It is one of the most beautiful places on earth, and you need to be acquainted with the woman who made all of this happen!
journeytoepiphany.wordpress.com 
honored to be here, kimberly, and to walk this journey beside you friend. you are such a gracious sister. love e.
Emily,
We all love you to pieces! You’ve created such a family here, that we couldn’t let it go. Thank you for your hours of work!
Kim
this messed up weirdo is slipping her arm into yours and walking down the road with you – while clapping for our dear, generous, gracious friend Kim. I want to savor the moments too, not miss one of them, find the blue sky in the midst of the cloud. And I love the way you let them be free with the spaghetti, it just speaks volumes to me about your own heart. Love you and your writing as always!
thank you for walking with me, friend. love you.
honored, friend. truly.
Can I just ditto everything Shelly said?
Kim, I happily applaud you on my feet. You are amazing and I’ve been honored to join you here. Your heart makes mine want to beat harder for Him. Thank you.
Emily, you help me feel like my messy normal self is just that. exactly how God made me to be. Striving with you to find the blue amongst the black. the masterpiece of love and grace amongst the splatters of marinara. look forward to joining you again next week.
All for Him,
Nikki
bless you dear nikki… love you.
“let’s not try to perfect what only heaven can. instead, let’s be messed-up weirdos, walking each other home.”
It’s a deal. Beautiful.
And beautiful guest-hosting by kd. A standing ovation for her!
you give me such freedom to be myself, dear lisa. thank you. xo
Emily, thanks so much for sharing these snapshots of precious spaghetti-faced boys growing fast under your perfectly imperfect love. I’m so glad they have you and your hubby … and are learning to seek the One who accepts all our weirdo-ness–loving us desperately.
Thanks so much to kd, as well. She has been a gracious host and we applaud her for being there for us!
oh beth you are such an encouragement to me. thank you friend. xo
Frist…a standing ovation for Kd…thank you for stepping out and providing this place. Emily..I love the pictures and all you are allowing God to continue to teach you…I think you might be reading better than you realized. blessings sweet em…XOXO
this means so much, roseann. i hope i am reading them better than i realize. thank you for always spurring me onwards… love to you. xo
I like the messed up and ugly and sharing it all for Him, it’s why I started blogging in the first place.
yayyy! you’re awesome alecia 🙂
Walking with you, without perfection, but with a Savior.
love this jen… “without perfection, with a Savior.” perfect.
Standing ovation for KD – and a lovely post, Emily – I like the image of our growing children being like the words we write…I do desire to linger long over sweet tweener…
Blessing to both of you this Holy Week!
blessings to you, too, dear friend, as you linger, and celebrate. e.
so glad to be walking with you both.
and i, with you, sweet tara. e.
Yes! Huge standing O for KD! And, if God isn’t present in the slurping of spaghetti, then I just don’t know where else joy is to be found.
i knew you’d understand 🙂
Beautiful. I must share this with my FB friends.
how this encourages me. thank you friend. xo
Isn’t it a wonder to hold each other in community, to have each other to lean on.
i don’t know how those who are alone, survive. this, why we must always be on the lookout for those who need welcoming into such community. xo
Thank you, K.D. (Clapping!) and Thank you, Emily, for always painting such truth and beauty with your words 🙂 Walking with you and Him 🙂
love you, sweet dolly. e.
Thank you, KD, for opening your “home” to us and for loving Emily so well. And Emily, this mom of five spaghetti tossing, sauce-smearing little artists is inspired by your words. Your example. And your life. You are beautiful, indeed. With or without those splatters of spaghetti sauce on your shirt 🙂
five?? oh girl. you inspire ME. bless you as you love on your little artists 🙂 xo
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Thank you, KD! What beautiful friendship you two model, gathering us up here, with Him. Yes, Emily, I need to keep looking in the right places. I don’t do that enough, and I miss out. Bless you, both!
Yes, I agree with Jennifer – you two model a glorious friendship. Thank you!
oh girls, you make it so easy to be your friends 🙂 love you. e.
I was always amazed at what masterpieces my children could create with their food… A Cream of Wheat hat was the most difficult to clean up – Like you I had to talk photos 🙂 Now they’ve flown the coup and I love the masterpieces they are making with their lives.
cream of wheat, hey? i’ll try to stay away from that, then 🙂
i love this: “the masterpieces they are making with their lives.” beautiful.
There are blue skies and God helped you to look down into those little eyes instead of in the sky. I know there will be jewels in your crown in heaven! Praying strength and joy for you as you give up your all to be who God has called you to be
thank you, dear shanda. your heart is so full of God; and your prayers, truly coveted. thank you friend. xo
Now this one started slow but you really pulled out the good stuff near the end. Had to read it twice. Will probably read it again in the morning. Awesome weaving.
thank you so much friend. this means the world. e.
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“…slurping noodles. one of life’s grandest and least classy of learnings.” Oh, that gave me a belly laugh. I love you, Emily. Kim, you have been such a gift and I’ve loved this in-between time. But welcome back, sweet Emily. Love you both.
🙂 i love belly laughs. and i love you too dear laura. xo
thanks so much for you faithful and gracious hospitality, kd. when I’ve remembered (:>(, I have loved joining up with you here. Thank you.
you are such an encouraging presence, dear diane. bless you. e.
Oh, gosh. I just love this. I feel like I always say that, but it is true. Emily, your words reach out and grab me. Yesterday, I forced myself, twice, to stop filling out forms for summer activities and cleaning up rooms, to go play with my kids. We cuddled on the bed and read books, and we ran around in the backyard and kicked the ball. Those were the highlights of my day, and I nearly missed them. I know that lesson, but I have to re-learn it nearly every day. That makes me a messed-up weirdo, but thank goodness God loves me anyway. Looking forward to being at home in your place next week!
it means so much to know i’m not alone in all of this, friend. thank you.
thoroughly enjoying walking the path together. thanks so much, kim, for continuing in emily’s absence. it’s been a blessing to still be able to participate.
steph
bless you dear steph. e.
Oops! Almost forgot. Thanks kd for hosting Painting Prose for the past bit. I haven’t participated much, but I like this community and the routine it allows me to bring to my writing. Great job. I’ll leave the link on for you over at everyonelisten.com out of gratefulness.
Bravo! Bravo! The Lord is good. Thanks kd for the place you made for Emily as she made places for those who needed space in her place. (I wanted to see how many times I could use the word place!!!) This is wonderfully beautiful this world of “messed up weirdos.” Praise God!
thank you sweet dea. praise God indeed… love to you friend. xo
To all of your kind words of gratitude…it was my pleasure! I’ll see ya around at Imperfect Prose!
God all over our beds, all over and around and through us. God all over in this place and in your place. Loving us in the midst of our messes, and we his messed-up children loving each other the same way. Thank you, sweet Kim, for holding us all together. And welcome home, sweet Em. Love you both.
I’m getting so much love from you this morning that my cheeks are starting to hurt for the smiling.
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