We sat down and it all began. The flow of life, the pulsing heart beats of woman, of writer, of friend, of fellow Christ-follower. And the synchronization of all the labels and titles and banners we wear meld into perfect harmony. And we are just two souls. Hungry.
We begin a marathon of interchange. And food may be the anchor but there is a long thread which forms a tether between her vessel and mine.
We have stories that are untold. Don’t we all. Life can find you storing up more than you know when you walk out your days at a decidedly quiet pace. Hours of parenting and wiving and mothering and living can fill a soul with much to peel back. Processing is an act of revealing. Sharing a meal can set the stage for sharing a life.
And food is our anchor.
When she brought it sur table it was if a painter unveiled the master’s most recent canvas, her soul work. Or that of the chef. Art as food. Food as art. Our beautiful anchor was photo-worthy. Fried green tomatoes and shrimp from a stone’s throw away, the bounty of the sea, from the very village where she and I meet for more than nourishment for the body. On a bed of greens, the pinks and greens laid out in perfect symmetry surrounded by slices of sun-burst orange slices dancing along the rim of the plate. And diamonds of pineapple slices popping up here and there for sweet delight.
The senses are delighted and the heart follows suit.
And this could be the story of a writer’s lunch. And it was. Or this could be a story of a girl’s lunch half-way between our island home and Charleston, the holy city, the port city, the city of stories and a gourmand’s haven. The heavenly delights of that place. (I met the Patient One there back in the 80’s. You should know this important piece of my story if you read here. Writer’s sigh inserted here.)
But this is a story with chapters of mother’s at lunch breathing words of their children between and over bites of fried green tomatoes. And one with pages of writers chewing on writing and words and the passions that stir line after line on blogs and beyond. Of poetry, story, redemption and grace.
Of poetic prose. And of dreams cast with nets that reach beyond blogging.
But I know well that the only real story which I can rightly tell is the one which is mine. The one which I live. So I will not speak for her. She does that well daily in her exquisite voice of redemption and story, blended and baked up with perfectly timed phrases, going heavy on heart.
So I bookmark the chapters that tell of healing. And I highlight the parts which taste like restoration to the delight of my tongue. I savor that we who have come from a storm, a schism and a breaking can come in peace. That we, who found ourselves on opposite sides of a whirlwind in our church community, can break bread over the table of wholeness. No strife. No division.
Simply lovers of Christ, lovers of words and lovers of life, lovers of peace.
Building a friendship and walking around the frayed edges of the broken places. Seeing the common ground and overlooking the differences, whatever they are.
Tasting and seeing that He is good indeed. In all seasons. That the God of our lives is a lover of relationship. That wholeness and healing are good and fill the soul with nourishment of grace and mercy.
That the fruits of the Spirit may be the most delectable of all there is to bring to the mouth of the soul for growth in Him.
So she and I hug and part ways and promise to do this more often. We lose track of time and lose track of more than that. All that division. And we focus on the hungry parts of all woman, the need for friendship, relationship. A longing for a listening ear and a shared understanding of the joy and the struggles of this messy living.
And we plan to come around the anchor again. The one that keeps us decidedly in community. See clearly that need to break bread, to feast on fellowship. To heal relationships.
The anchor of love.
Joining Jennifer Dukes Lee and Emily Wierenga today. The community of writers at Imperfect Prose of Thursday’s is writing on the word prompt, food.
elizabeth w. marshall 
wow. i didn’t realize that my redemption and grace friends were on separate sides of a church split.
makes your friendship and your story all the more beautiful. actually, it slays me, if i’m honest (which i am, cuz what else is there, right?) — b/c i don’t do this well. and i’m gonna hafta pick your brains about this one, both of you, and learn from those who are walking this road with much more grace than i am – how to love beyond the disagreements.
are you ready to hear from me on fb?? here i come.
Kelli, I didn’t read this until just now after our FB conversation and then here is your comment. Isn’t God good?
Kelli — I had the same thought, while reading this.
Oh my you can pick away but I am in the classroom and in the remedial class at that. Learning as I go and leaning on Him. The older I get the cleaner I seem to want my slate. Life seems so short and fragile to me these days. I want more and more to get along well but I fall falter fail daily. Love to you. See you on fb when you want to chat. I have come through a season of intense pain bc of the schism. Know that, the hurt was real and deep.
Building a friendship and walking around the frayed edges of the broken places. Seeing the common ground and overlooking the differences, whatever they are.
Yes, yes, yes… because true friends can land on different sides but still be friends… oh i have been there, and those friends are more precious than gold. i’m going to send this to them today… and we are going to marvel in your words together and remember our stories.
Oh Lisa, great to have you here and to meet you. What a privilege to connect. Thank you for hearing me, relating and sharing these words. I do hope something resonates and something is worthy of sharing, humbly thanking you. Please come back to this little corner, this community any time.
Thankful for you Elizabeth, for your generous heart. You are a safe place and I know what unites us. That is all that matters.
Privilege to call you friend. I do hope that we will find time for lunches woven throughout the days of our lives. And I hope you are “OK” with my story telling of our lunch. I pray it shines a bright light. You do in my world. I pray for healing and reconciliation for all members of these church communities among us.
“See clearly that need to break bread, to feast on fellowship. To heal relationships.” Wow, the uniting over the meal. In love of words and Word made flesh. This is inspiring in so many ways…from the picture of reconciliation and unity to the glorious picture you paint of color on the plate.
So well said. As a lover of the shared table and it’s many blessings, time and again I feel your heart here. Thank you for sharing. Over via Emily’s and I was blessed.
“blended and baked up with perfectly timed phrases, going heavy on heart.”
and this is how I long to write
Yes, yes me too. Her writing style is just lovely isn’t it. This is a beautiful community at em’s. Looking especially forward to seeing where and how people wrote out this prompt. Thank you for being here in my little corner. Your presence is gift.
“blended and baked”…ooh, how i love that little phrase. i have to sit with this and inhale your words for a while.
i’ll never weary of your place, though I have had recent troubles accessing it due to my own computer’s problems with wordpress. how blessed i am now to return.
Lovely having you over to my little corner for a visit. Its wonderful to meet you. This prompt at Em’s was delicious. I will enjoy reading other’s twists and turns of phrase on food. Can’t go a day with out soul food, and food food. So many places to go with it. Blessings to you.
I am so so sorry you have had difficulties accessing the sight. Maybe you will want to receive it via email, though you may not like that option one bit. I am just pleased you are here and that you DID return. Hope the wordpress issues get worked out.
The Internets are a great place to connect, but there’s nothing like sitting with your feet under the same table. I love that two of my favorite writers/bloggers were able to connect in that way. Beautiful.
Wonderful to have your sweet fragrance here. You bring JOY always with you when you visit. Humbled by your kindness and I hope that one day this side of glory we will have our legs up under the same table 🙂