"Life is lived forward, but understood backward. It is not until we are down the road and we stand on the mountain looking back through the valley that we can appreciate the terrain God has allowed us to scale.” Jill Savage

Saturday, May 08, 2010

Happy Mother's Day to grandma's . . .





JUST LOOK AT THE PICTURE A GOOD WHILE, AND THEN READ THE REST. IT WILL TOUCH YOU.

I was privileged to take a photo of "Five Generations of Women" shortly before my 93 year-old Grandmother passed away last year. The photo, shown below, features the hands of my Grandmother, Mom, Sister, Niece and Great-Niece. While I can't take credit for the idea, I was so happy to have had the suggestion & capture this moment. It inspired a friend of mine to do something similar which turned out so beautiful and a special keepsake prior to her father's passing.

GRANDMA'S HANDS

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 voice strong.

"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 to her.

"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 His Son Jesus.

I will never look at my hands the same again. But I remember He 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.

Author Unknown



Happy Birthday to Ricky Nelson - I read wikipedia - I always kind of thought he was a nice clean cut guy - not so - he was a naughty boy!



16 comments:

The Quintessential Magpie said...

How beautiful, Sandie! And how I love your photo. How uncanny that you got that shot because before my grandmother died, we managed to get a picture of five generations of girl. My favorite shot, though, was one of Granny's face juxtaposed against my great niece Megan's. I cherish it. But oh, what a fabulous idea you had there! I love the idea of hands, and I wish I could see Granny's hands in a picture because they were always so busy doing something productive. I miss her terribly. She was my favorite person in the world.

Happy Mother's Day to you, sweet friend...

XO,

Sheila :-)

Good to be a Queen said...

Sandie you are not going to belive this but...I just posted the same kind of photo....I took one of my Mom, Daughter and myself a few weeks ago...What an AWESOME photo girl!!!!! Great minds think alike...

Annesphamily said...

Hands really do tell your story. This is so beautiful and I know I have read a similar verse before but your picture is incredibly moving. I have been on an emotional rollercoaster this week with Mother's Day and no earthly mother to hold my hand! My hands are covered in paper cuts from handling office files and paper all day long!I am so tickled to know you and to know such a marvelous, kind soul. Thank you for sharing and enjoy your Mother's Day with all those you know and love! Anne

Stella said...

What a beautiful photo. What a world of memories we hold in our hand. Hope your Mother's Day is special just like you. Stella

Changes in the wind said...

Very touching....Happy Mother's Day Chatty.

Tins and Treasures said...

Wow...this is a powerful poem. We take the use of our hands for granted...often abusing them. Thank you for sharing this message.

Have a Happy Mother's Day Weekend. ~Natalie

Melanie said...

What a beautiful photo. Five generations. Wow!
Happy Mother's Day. :)

Angela said...

What a beautiful poem Sandie! I'll never look at my hands the same again either!

I love the picture you took of the hands of your family. I tried to get one of 4 generations in my family but was unsuccessful. I did get a picture of all of us sitting together though. I did get a picture of my daughter's hand and my mom's hand together.

Hope you have a Wonderful Mother's Day!

Angela

Linda @ A La Carte said...

Sandie, I love this story and the photo is a good reminder of life. A very moving Mother's Day tribute.

Susan said...

Sandie! Ricky Nelson was a naughty boy? nawwwwwww...tell me it isn't so. I always loved his singing and thought he was pretty handsome, too. What, pray tell, did he do?

Nice shot of the hands, too, and a lovely poem. Sincerely, Susan

Marjorie (Molly) Smith said...

Such a great tribute to Grandmother's everywhere.
I always loved Ricky Nelson. He was one of the first to fall victim to fame too fast and too soon. He was a product of the new TV generation.
Molly

Joy Tilton said...

How beautiful and touching on this Mothers Day eve! So true, our hands have served us well...

LADY JANE said...

Dear Sandie...Happy Mothers Day to you my friend! Your post is truly beautiful,,,,I can not wait to share it with Janelle! hope everyne at you house has a wonderful Mothers Day! And hey you SPECIAL Grandma you...please rub your Andys precious little head...and tell him i love him too..and I am so proud of him...and his Grandma! Hugs ...miss ya....love ya!

Jenny said...

Sandie, lovely, lovely post! You are a wonder.

^..^Corgidogmama said...

What a treasure of a photo!!!

ocmist said...

Another truly FABULOUS and touching post! I hope that you will allow me to share some of these things with my daughter/in-laws... Little Bear's Mom would have a chance to take a 5 generation picture of hands. She's taken a few of them of the people, but this idea with this bit of prose would truly be a treasure!

Hands have always been special to me. I remember my Daddy's and my Mama's hands more than anything else about them except their eyes. I often sit and look at my hands when I want to think about the wondrous body that the Lord made for us. Thanks so much for sharing this with us! Linda