HANDS

I was very happy last week to hear that the photo theme at Rebecca’s this week was to be “Hands”.  There is a new little pair of hands in my world and they have worked their way ‘round my heart completely.  I just happen to have some pictures to show you!

I think Noah has exceptionally long and beautiful fingers.  They are so expressive!  His fingertips tilt back and arch as though he is directing music or planning a painting.  They are usually in motion and thus difficult to get a focused picture of.

This photo I was planning to share for the “stripes” theme week, but the time got away from me.

The following pictures are from the very special occasion when my daughter took her new child to meet her Granny, my Mother.  I took these pictures of their touching across the generations, and in fact, across the continents since Daughter and Baby were leaving for their home in Africa in just a few days’ time. 

My Mother will be 90 next month, and her hands once so supple and strong and attractive now have skin so thin that it tears easily.  I wish I could have ‘photo-shopped out’ the purple blotch of her wound where that latest tear is healing slowly.  I wish I could Photoshop out a lot of the indignities of her aging. 

Nevertheless, there is new, young, soft, plump skin that has a rejuvenating and joyful quality to it.  I am so glad we 4 generations had a little time to be together!  What a gift, to introduce my first grandchild to my mom.  And what a precious moment for my daughter to bring her new son to present him to her Granny.  I feel the world rejoicing around me!

A phrase that has lodged in my mind as I have been thinking about hands is a line from Rachel Field’s book, Prayer for a Child:

“Bless the hands that never tire in their loving care of me”

As a matter of fact, that book was given to our daughter, the new Momma, when she was born.  As I have watched her over the past two months I have seen her delicate, little girl hands grown into a Mother’s hands moving tirelessly to change a diaper, clothe and re-clothe a wiggly baby, nurse and swaddle and rock.  Her hands even through sleepless nights have not tired in their loving care of her baby.  Somehow that makes me appreciate my Mom all the more.

“All the works of Your hands give praise to You, Oh Lord.” Psalm 145:10

For more photo entries, go to Rebecca’s at Renaissance:

http://zeahrenaissance.blogspot.com/2011/02/foto-friday_25.html