{Site currently under construction. Grace for my mess?}

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Grape Jelly Smudges

I just want to say something worth hearing.  I want my words to touch your heart.

And all these other tasks just pile up and fragment time… time that should be spent doing more.  Encouraging women.  Saving children.  Pondering theology.  Praying ceaselessly. 

But there is dirty laundry on the bathroom floor.  The living room floor.  The bedroom floor and the laundry room floor and the tops of beds and towel racks and rags on countertops.  And mountains of clean laundry to sort and fold and put away.  There are diapers to change, phone calls to make, papers to sort and shred and file.  Windows with greasy, silly face-print smudges that need cleaning.  Flowers that need planting.  Hair that needs washing.  Bread that needs baking.  Sticky purple jelly smears on floors and door handles and light switches.  And I cringe at the work of all of this because it feels like nothing I was made for.  It feels like the stuff keeping me from real life.


But I remember, again, that this is real life, and I guzzle down the coffee quick and strap on my apron – the new one from the sweet lady at the Saturday Market – the sturdy, cheery one fashioned of cupcake fabric that makes me smile and a loop for holding a dishrag and a waist pocket big enough to hold my iPod, so I can fill my heart with music and voice-recorded books as I fill my hands with all the dirty remnants of yesterday.  I dress for this work.  Because the apron is my only uniform – my own personal superhero cape. 


This is how I save children. 

And this is how I encourage and ponder and pray.  With clean diapers, with fresh bread, with quiet praises lifted all the day long.  With song-filled humming and smiles at little ones while folding pillowcases and mopping floors and teaching literature and porch-sitting in the evening every now and again.  In between interruptions and frustrations where I breathe deep and keep going, even when I’m weary, in the strength that is not my own, because it’s the gift I can give to the twelve bodies within this house, and the neighbors and friends that pass through.

















And at the end of it, when I fall into bed and I count blessings, I remember that I, too, can be blessed by all of this.  My work, my rest, my smiles and bread and words become marks of all these gifts overflowing – all the beautiful details of a full and wonderful and messy and amazing life, sweeter than grape-jelly smudges.

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16 comments:

  1. The dirty laundry will soon be forgotten but an inspired mama who cares about her rest and sends out smile after smile and fresh baked bread, won't!

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  2. Beautiful. The work of a mother is never wasted loving her family.

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  3. I remember those days, now my children are teenagers, every stage is a blessing.

    "all the beautiful details of a full and wonderful and messy and amazing life, sweeter than grape-jelly smudges." A great reminder of ordinary life as praise.

    May you have a blessed week.

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  4. I love the image of your apron as a superhero cape! Very cool. And, I know this may sound silly but I never thought of putting an ipod in the apron pocket. I need to run out and tell my mom this. She finds the neck straps so uncomfortable. We might be wearing our cute "superhero capes" a lot more often around here.

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  5. ah, yes. i'm a mama in the trenches as well, all these little boys surrounding me. :) it's a wonder some days we don't all just fall to pieces, then i remember it's no wonder: it's grace. and i love me some grace, and see it here in these gentle words.

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  6. what a beautiful tender write...good job using those super powers mama-hero...smiles. it is what you have to give...

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  7. I love the sign in the last picture. I think that is my motto too. And the apron as a superhero cape is awesome!

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  8. I love this, I love hearing your heart for the important things in your post. The days are long but the years are oh so short. Treasure them!

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  9. I’m here from Emily’s – it’s my first time linking up.

    Amen “I dress for this work. Because the apron is my only uniform – my own personal superhero cape. This is how I save children.” before I began blogging in this community – before I knew so many amazing moms I didn’t know the depth of the love of a mom. I do now. You are a superhero – you ARE saving children {smile}

    And these words DID touch my heart!!

    God Bless you and keep you and your family

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  10. oh sister, this is beautiful. it brought tears. so often i fail to see the apron as the super-hero cloak, but it is... thank you. for being so real. i so appreciate you, and the way you worship in the every day.

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  11. This was lovely...just simply lovely. Yes, this IS real life and it is how we love. I'm so glad to have "met" you through Imperfect Prose!

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  12. This was lovely...just simply lovely. Yes, this IS real life and it is how we love. I'm so glad to have "met" you through Imperfect Prose!

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  13. I’m here from Emily’s – it’s my first time linking up.

    Amen “I dress for this work. Because the apron is my only uniform – my own personal superhero cape. This is how I save children.” before I began blogging in this community – before I knew so many amazing moms I didn’t know the depth of the love of a mom. I do now. You are a superhero – you ARE saving children {smile}

    And these words DID touch my heart!!

    God Bless you and keep you and your family

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  14. The dirty laundry will soon be forgotten but an inspired mama who cares about her rest and sends out smile after smile and fresh baked bread, won't!

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Your comments are such an encouragement. Thank you for sharing your valuable words.