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Topic: Hands....................... (Read 188 times) |
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minnie
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my greatest joys are my daughters April & Beth
 
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Hands.......................
« on: Feb 14th, 2006, 7:41pm » |
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"Grandma, some ninety plus years, sat feebly on the patio bench.
She didn't
move, just sat with her head down staring at her hands. When I sat
down beside
her she didn't acknowledge my presence and the longer I sat I wondered
if she
was OK.
Finally, not really wanting disturb her but wanting to check on
her at the
same time, I asked her if she was OK. She raised her head and looked
at me
and smiled. "Yes, I'm fine, thank you for asking," she said in a
clear strong voice. "I didn't mean to disturb you, grandma, but you
were
just sitting here staring at your hands and I wanted to make sure you
were
OK," I explained to her.
"Have you ever looked at your hands," she asked. "I mean
really looked at your hands?" I slowly opened my hands and stared down
at
them. I turned them over, palms up and then palms down. No, I guess I
had never
really looked at my hands as I tried to figure out the point she was
making.
 Grandma smiled and related this story: 
"Stop and think for a moment about the hands you have, how they
have
served you well throughout your years. These hands, though wrinkled,
shriveled
and weak have been the tools I have used all my life to reach out and
grab and
embrace life. "They braced and caught my fall when as a toddler I
crashed
upon the floor. They put food in my mouth and clothes on my back.
As a child my mother taught me to fold them in prayer. They tied
my shoes
and pulled on my boots.
They held my husband and wiped my tears when he went off to war.
"They have been dirty, scraped and raw, swollen and bent. They were
uneasy
and clumsy when I tried to hold my newborn son. Decorated with my
wedding band
they showed the world that I was married and loved someone special.
They wrote my letters to him and trembled and shook when I buried
my
parents and spouse. "They have held my children and grandchildren,
consoled
neighbors, and shook in fists of anger when I didn't understand.
"They have covered my face, combed my hair, and washed and
cleansed
the rest of my body. They have been sticky and wet, bent and broken,
dried and
raw. And to this day when not much of anything else of me works real
well these
hands hold me up, lay me down, and again continue to fold in prayer.
"These hands are the mark of where I've been and the ruggedness
of
life. But more importantly it will be these hands that God will reach
out and
take when he leads me home. And with my hands He will lift me to His
side and
there I will use these hands to touch the face of Christ.²
I will never look at my hands the same again.
But I remember God reached out and took my grandma's hands and
led her
home.
When my hands are hurt or sore or when I stroke the face of my
children
and husband, I think of grandma. I know she has been stroked and
caressed and
held by the hands of God.
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Friends are Angels who lift us to our feet when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly
______________
You may only be one person to the world
but you may also be the world to one person.
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Grandma_Sweet_Boy
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What Goes Around Comes Around!
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Re: Hands.......................
« Reply #1 on: Feb 14th, 2006, 7:45pm » |
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Minnie - that's beautiful. Thank you for sharing.
Carol
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vig
CH.com Alumnus
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CHit Happens
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Re: Hands.......................
« Reply #2 on: Feb 14th, 2006, 8:23pm » |
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neat story Minnie....
thx
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never, Never, NEVER quit. -Winston Churchill
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Redd
CH.com Alumnus
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Re: Hands.......................
« Reply #3 on: Feb 14th, 2006, 10:25pm » |
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Minnie,
It's such a heart warming picture that story painted, and I'm glad you find comfort and peace in it's telling.
Always hold memories dear, and your loved ones will live on inside your heart.
Much Love,
Pegg
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I saw an act of faith today. A man was on his knees, not in a pew in a Church, but in a garden planting seeds. ~~Unknown
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burnt-toast
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Re: Hands.......................
« Reply #4 on: Feb 14th, 2006, 10:29pm » |
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Very, Very nice. Thanks for the uplift.
Tom
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Would the owner of the propane torch, egg beater, pipe expander and vise grips please claim these items. They're lodged in my head and I need the space.
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TxBasslady
CH.com Alumnus
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Bass fishin' is a h00t It's the catchin' that sux
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Re: Hands.......................
« Reply #5 on: Feb 15th, 2006, 12:29am » |
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Very special, Minnie. 
Thanks,
Jean
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How lucky I am... to have known someone who was so hard to say goodbye too.
Take a kid fishin
www.takemefishin.org
I adopted a Vietnam POW/MIA from El Paso, Texas! 
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sandie99
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Wish it, dream it, do it - inspite the pain!
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Re: Hands.......................
« Reply #6 on: Feb 15th, 2006, 8:28am » |
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That was nice. Thanks, Minnie!
Sanna
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CH happends, Live anyway! PF days to us all!
"Do what you can and let God take care of the rest. Leave your heart wide open and always wish for the best" (Sanna Hillu)
"No matter how far out your dreams are, it's possible" (Marketa Irglova)
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