Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Grandma's Hands




I have been very tired today. I basically have stayed in my chair all day. I'll blog tomorrow about my visit to the Surgeon.




This is a forward I received yesterday and found it very thought-provoking. Hope you enjoy!




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 to 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. '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.' 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. I, too, want to touch the face of God and feel His hands upon my face.


After that, I don't think there is much to say. So many things we take for granted.


Love to all,

Leah

6 comments:

Linda Shanks said...

Good morning Leah,
My words can not express how much I enjoyed this blog. I guess it really shows how much I take for granted. So many times I would just love to hold my grandmothers hand just one more time. I just wanted you to know that I was thinking of you today. I hope you have a wonderful and blessed day.
Love & Prayers,
Linda

Kim Heine said...

Leah,

I think of you often. Hope to see you next week on our way back from Florida.

Love you,
Kim

Anonymous said...

"O Lord my God, you have performed many wonders for us. Your plans for us are too numerous to list. You have no equal. If I tried to recite all your wonderful deeds, I would never come to the end of them." Psalm 40:5 (NIV)

Blessings we take for granted are often forgotten. Yet every day God "daily loads us with benefits." Take some time today and thank God for the blessings you may have taken for granted.
Lungs that work, ten to fifteen times each minute.
Bones that protect vital organs and the muscles that hold them in place.
An untiring heart that pumps nine pints of blood through a 60,000 mile network of vessels.
Our five senses that allow us to enjoy the beauty of His creation.
The ability to get up and out of bed in the morning.
A place to live and a place to work.
The rotation of the earth that gives us day and night.
The changing seasons that remind us of the different times of our lives.
An intimate relationship with Jesus Christ.
We have so many things to be thankful for. Sit down today and make your own list of blessings.

Enjoy a week of blessings.

Anonymous said...

Revelations 3:8

When God leads you to the edge of the cliff, trust Him fully and let go, only 1 of 2 things will happen, either He'll catch you when you fall, or He'll teach you how to fly!. God closes doors no man can open & God opens doors no man can close.
Have a blessed day!

Anonymous said...

Hi Leah.

Feel better soon.

Love from the bottom of my heart!

Vernie

Donna said...

What a wonderful blog. It really makes me think about the blessings God so richly gives us.
Donna New