Isaiah 6:8

8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”

Sunday, June 7, 2009

What Do Hands Say About a Person?

The hands you are looking at are my parents hands on their 50th wedding anniversary almost 10 years ago. My father's hands are the top ones....doing what they have always done....shielding my mom. That was a job he took very seriously when I was a child after the death of my brother especially. I have always thought my father had the most interesting hands....they were very strong...yet the skin was always so soft...except for at the tips of his fingers where there were callouses from working hard with them. When my dad was a young man....he had an accident at one of the draw bridges in South Florida. He had ridden it up...like a cowboy....fixed some electrical ailments...but when it came down it had not settled...and his finger got caught in the gap and he lost a chunk of one finger....that was the finger he would always point at me when I would get out of line....it would bring me back in line very quickly. My father never used his hands in anger. His hands were always for uplifting his fellow man and when you look at his hands...even his 83 year old hands...you see a man who worked hard to take care of those he loved. My mom's hands are on the bottom of the picture. My mom also has strong hands...yet they are hands that needed protecting from harsh realities of the world. If she ever hurt anything when I was a child...it would be her hands...so her hands carry a lot of life lessons around on them. My parents still hold hands...and I think that is pretty cool for an 80 and 83 year old. Of course now it is more done to steady the other one....it is still a sweet gesture...don't you think? My hands look like my parents...just newer. I too have calloused fingers...but mine are from playing the guitar, I don't have a job that would warrant callouses. Oh, I have scars and bumps, knots, bruises....but when you look at my hands...you see someone who is willing....willing to take on the world....for a friend. Frank has the coolest of hands. He has beautifully long, graceful fingers (mine are short and choppy)and you can tell from his hands that he has used them to support himself for a long time. His finger tips have callouses....and he is not afraid of hard work. I love to put my hand in his...because like my father...his hands are very reassuring...and protective. Do you ever look at people's hands? Do you ever wonder what they do? Do you ever wonder what story their hands have? I do all the time...just like right now...I am curious as to what your hands say about you?

5 comments:

Mid-Atlantic Martha said...

Oh what a sweet post! I love your parents hands and what the picture means to you.

Right now my hands look awful - I was working with black mulch in my azalea beds and they look like a mechanics fingers all black beneath the nails -- and I even had on gloves!

Trina said...

Love this post! Hands amaze me. They are put together so intricately, and when one part of them doesn't "work" everything else is so much harder.

Lunch soon??

Xazmin said...

Beautifully said...as always.

I too find hands very fascinating, and often study the hands of those around me.

What my hands say about me right now...I've spent too much time eating things I shouldn't and not exercising enough! I'm working on getting them thinner though!

Leigh of Tales from Bloggeritaville said...

what a priceless picture, Karen! What a priceless post! I LOVE this!!!!

Lee said...

What a wonderful post! Happy SITS Saturday Sharefest!!