The Imperfect Perfection of Handmade Gifts

Dear Lissy,

Your sweet Grammy Julie has been in the arena for the last two months showing God strong through the trial of breast cancer.  The Holy Spirit spoke a verse into her life after a  kind-hearted nurse took a few extra moments to wrap her in heated blankets at a time that she felt cold and vulnerable.  I wanted to purchase a piece of art with that verse for her as a memorial of God's lovingkindness.  Unfortunately, Psalm 91:4 is almost never done in the King James, the version she "hears" when God speaks.

Sarah at Joy-Filled Days created this tutorial for a watercolor earlier this year, and I decided to use her project to create a custom piece of art.  My painting didn't come out anything like Sarah's, and I made a few slips with lettering.  I was going to throw it out and start over:  The watercolor was obviously done by an amateur, the verse was crooked, and I even included a grammatical error for good measure when I capitalized "trust."

Daddy convinced me otherwise.  All mommas see gifts from their children through a lens of love.  My handwriting is familiar to my momma, and will be cherished more than a friend's calligraphy or computer lettering.  The painting itself isn't going to improve until my painting technique improves, something that won't happen before Christmas. Yes, I could drag the photo into Inkscape and make a perfect version of my watercolor attempt that would be truly Pinterest worthy.  But in a world of computers, the imperfect perfection of something handmade is dear.  Daddy also knows that my Mom has portions of Scripture (almost all of them hand-lettered or decoupaged or cross-stitched by friends) hung on almost every wall. This little birdie will be right at home.

Love,
Momma