Hands

I love hands.

When I was a little girl, I remember the hands of my grandma Lila.

I would sit with her in church.

And study her hands.

They were very old from my perspective.

Thin.  

Almost transparent skin.

Distinct blue veins.

Memorable to me.


And mine?

My fingers curve off to the side.

Scott laughs, because when I point at something.

My finger goes off in another direction

even when i'm trying to point to what's directly in front of me.


My niece, Megan...

She has the mirror image of my hands.

Strangely the same.


The photograph above was taken of Dr. Catherine Hamlin's hands.

She's an 89 year old obstetrician/ gynecologist I first learned about years ago.

For nearly 60 years, she's lived and worked in Ethiopia,

Running a free clinic that provides obstetric fistula repair surgery.

 To poor women who suffer childbirth injuries.

I'd say her hands have been well used in her life.


I'm not a surgeon.

But, I still want to put my hands to good use while I'm here.

This is such a short life.

We are gone in a breath.

And our hands?

How will they be used?

To show love?

And tenderness.

Or to show harm?

To show comfort.

And help.

Or to tear down and destroy?

To serve

And to work.

Or to sit back and withhold?

I've used my hands in many ways over the last weeks.

You have too.

How much was done just to benefit me?

And how much was done just for the benefit of someone else?

Our hands.

Our time.

Soon passed.

Don't waste.