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I have looked at the back of my hands and I see all the wrinkles and lines in them. The fingers are out of shape as opposed to how they looked way back then.
They are of great value to me because I have cared for my children with them. I have patted quite a number of backs with my right hand to encourage or to offer sympathy. I shook hands with acquaintances and church members with a tight warm grip.
They have washed floors, scrubbed all kinds of surfaces at home and done laundries after laundries with them.
I used them to massage aching backs of family members with tender loving care. In fact a gentle touch does a lot of cure which enhances good blood circulation, a great aid to a fast recovery.
Being an employee, I depend so much with my hands to do a lot of work. I work with accounting books and I use the computers. Therefore, I need my hands to do my work fast and accurate.
Now comes aged hands..... they grow weary easily and they cramp and refuse to budge when you want to hit the keyboard. What now?
I do love that picture of a hand clasped by a carer, as as symbol of trust and love, as does the picture of a little one's held by his Dad and Mom. They are pictures of nurture and security.
We may feel, in our advanced state, the insecurity of not being able to do things like before. Some of us maybe suffering from different kinds of illnesses which makes them useless or which may require a lot of help from others.
Looking at them, a picture of wear and tear, I will just hold them close to my heart and think of the love they have gestured with. I'd like to be remembered in love rather than the beauty my hands show.
How do you see your hands now? Are you seeing the hands that has put on gloves after gloves registering the years they have toiled? What memories do they evoke when you look at them. What if you remember them used as tools of punishment?
I want to share with you a poem written by Joan Walsh Anglund:
I shall be older than this one day.
I shall think myself young when I remember.
Nothing can stop the slow change of masks
my face must wear, one following one.
These gloves my hands have put on, the pleated skin, patterned by the pale tracings of my days…
These are not my hands!
And yet these gloves do not come off!
I shall wear older ones tomorrow, till, glove after glove,
and mask after mask, I am buried beneath the baggage
of Old Woman.
I shall think myself young when I remember.
Nothing can stop the slow change of masks
my face must wear, one following one.
These gloves my hands have put on, the pleated skin, patterned by the pale tracings of my days…
These are not my hands!
And yet these gloves do not come off!
I shall wear older ones tomorrow, till, glove after glove,
and mask after mask, I am buried beneath the baggage
of Old Woman.
Oh, then, shall I drop them off,
Unbutton the sagging, misshapen apparel of age,
and run, young and naked, into Eternity!
Unbutton the sagging, misshapen apparel of age,
and run, young and naked, into Eternity!
And with this poem, I shall put my aging hands unto Him who promises me of renewed strength and spirit, to Him who will clasp mine in His as we walk together in Paradise. Unto His hands I do rest mine.
So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
I Corinthians 15:54
LORD, I PUT MY HANDS IN YOURS!
....And on that promised day, I shall be set free... free of temporary things. Things that loose value and charm.
Beautifully written Lolita...beautiful.
ReplyDeleteMy Mom and I were looking at her hands the last time I was with her and she was crying because she has infection in the ends. Her circulation is so bad that her fingers stay blue. She is suppose to wear winter gloves most of the time. (but she won't, something about being told what to do makes her do the opposite) Her feet from her knees down are very blue and cold...my mother is dying inch by inch. God knows I would love to touch and heal her instantly, have prayed for years for her healing. All I can do is hold and stroke her almost useless hands. I so look forward to seeing her in heaven and I know her legs and hands will not be blue but gloriously radiant.
I see like you Lolita my hands aging daily so it seems. Your post has challenged me to touch those I love more. To hug anyone God brings my way...to use these frail hands to minister love. Beautful my friend, just beautiful.
Yes, thank you, Betty. You are so right..... we need not hold back. We have to find the time to minister love with our hands and arms while they are still useful.
ReplyDeleteMy greatest physical frailty would be my nerves.... I could tell because this is the main cause of my mini-stroke. The blood flows so slow that it is hard for it to go back from the nerve endings.....
This is the reason I thank God and value them for it is a source of our livelihood together with eyesight...... Of course, being nimble with our walk also is so precious..... it gets us elsewhere.
The main issue is being mobile.... and use them while we still can.
I know you are so concerned over your Mom and how hard-headed they are in their age. The do exactly the opposite to stress their point and authority.... as if saying, I am ahead of you, I know better! But in time, God will take care of all of us.... where we are heading ultimately.
Thanks that you had time to visit. God bless you with your work in California.... Hope you have been settled well..... and pain .... hope it is easing up.
This is a gorgeous post, Lolita!! I love your writing, and the poem from Joan is so touching. I never read that before. Where did you find it? I wrote something last year that was a similar idea about remembering my Grandma's hands, but you have filled yours with much more. I have had some carpal tunnel symptoms but taking some vitamin B12 for repairing nerves has helped me. Also, pineapple has something in it called bromelain that helps nerves and has helped me. Maybe ask your doctor what he thinks... Thanks for such a beautiful post!! You touched me deeply.
ReplyDeleteJust want to thank you real quick as I had just read your comment just now when I'm about to sleep. Thanks for your 'footprints' & to sister Lidia as well, whose love & faith for the Lord blesses mine. I love how you mentioned the valuable service your hands did. Basically doing things with love...I love this post as it reminds me that it is also through His scarred hands He demonstrated His love for us. God bless.
ReplyDeleteRosel-
ReplyDeleteThank you also for coming over to my humble blog.
It was from your own post where you quoted John Ortberg's words:
"Waiting is not just something we have to do until we get what we want. Waiting is part of the process of becoming what God wants us to be."
that Lidia pointed out your own "Waiting" post.
Yes, how sweet and caring Jesus' Hands were when He was till on Earth, and more so now, even without us seeing them, we know by Faith, that He has us in them, all the time.
God bless you and for your work - oh so noble. Don't worry if you miss some opportunities in sharing the Love of God.... soon you will find the best time to witness.
Hugs,
Lolita
Pam,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much. Yes, I have a B-complex maintenance. I will eat more pineapple. Thanks for the tips, they are plenty here being a tropical fruit. It can also aid in our fiber needs.
And yes, the poem was from bloghops I did, which surprised me and led me to write about aging hands.... because I am a hand and nails vanity-bum. And now they look like not my hands already. Ha ha ha......But I thank God, they are still usable.
this is a beautiful post, Lolita! There is something I'd like to share. But, honestly, my brain is in a fog right now and I can't think straight.
ReplyDeleteI loved the poem. I love your words. You are like reading a Hallmark card!
Do you know Hallmark cards? Their tag line is: When you care enough to send the very best.
That's what I get everytime I read you!
Diane-
ReplyDeleteSuch sweet and kind words, makes me cry. You have been a source of inspiration to me..thus has given me a leap of courage to reopen my blog, which laid dormant for a long time.
Do you know, that when COF posts are slow in coming, not that I complain because I know we have lots of challenges-in all variants, I get time to blog-hop. For a few days now, I've been reading Alece's posts. Oh how eloquent and deep-rooted her words are. Some posts grips my heart, they touch to the core. She is now back to Africa to assist some foundations.... She wrote about her first-time-back challenges and how she still loves Africa even though her heart is no longer at home there.
You have such a wonderful daughter, D. She encourages a whole lot of people her age. She is so good with words too, like Pam although in different style.
And thank you that you inspire me to share my feelings and thoughts.
Love you, D, and I hope all is well with the studies and those Sciatica moments-hope they are far between and few.
Thank you, Lolita! Alece is a very gifted writer. She has a chapter in a book DaySpring is publishing. She's working with the editor on it now. She does have much to offer. I can't remember when it's supposed to be released, I'll let you know though.
ReplyDeleteThank you for taking the time to read her blog. She has masterfully branded herself, as she did with her ministry and she has quite the following. Every state she travels to she meets someone who when they are introduced they say something like, "Alece? Alece from Grit and Glory?! I read you." or "My wife reads you."
Actually, that is why she is in such high demand now. Ministries want her to "brand" them the way she has done for Thrive Africa. That is one of the major things she is doing now for the ministry in Botswana, Africa.
It is a gift from God!
Yes, Diane.... a gift from God.... and she is a good steward of it.
ReplyDeleteI will await for your notification when the book comes out.