Quote from Forum Archives on February 16, 2006, 12:14 pm

Posted by: bigguyhereagain <bigguyhereagain@...>

"GRANDMA'S HANDS"

 

 

Grandma, at some ninety years plus, 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 to
her. Have you ever looked at your hands she asked. I mean really looked at your hands? I slowly opened my own hands and stared down at them. I turned them over, palms up and then palms down. No, I
guess I really had never looked at my hands as I tried to figure out the point she was making.

 

Then, 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 snow 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 hero and later, my parents.

 

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 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 everlasting 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.

 

I will never look at my hands the same again. I remember when 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 caressed and held by the hands of God.

 

"EVERYBODY SHOULD READ THIS"

 

   

A young man was getting ready to graduate from college. For many months he had admired a beautiful sports car in a dealer's showroom, and knowing his father could well afford it, he told him that was all he wanted. As Graduation Day approached, the young man awaited signs that his father had purchased the car.

Finally, on the morning of his graduation, his father called him into his private study. His father told him how proud he was to have such a fine son, and told him how much he loved him. He handed his son a beautifully wrapped gift box. Curious, but somewhat Disappointed, the young man opened the box and found a lovely, leather-bound Bible, with the young man's name embossed in gold. Angrily, he raised his voice to his father and said, "With all your money you give me a Bible? an d stormed out of the house, leaving theBible. Many years passed and the young man was very successful in business. He had a beautiful home and wonderful family, but realized his father was very old, and thought perhaps he should go to him. He had not seen him since that graduation day. Before he could make arrangements, he received a telegram telling him his father had passed away, and willed all of his possessions to his son. He needed to come home immediately and take care of things.

When he arrived at his father's house, sudden sadness and regret filled his heart. He began to search through his father's important papers and saw the still new Bible, just as he had left it years ago. With tears, he opened the Bible and began to turn the pages. His father had carefully underlined a verse,

 

Matt 7:11, "And if ye, being evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Heavenly fa ther which is in heaven, give to those who ask Him ?" As he read those words, a car key dropped from the back of the Bible. It had a tag with the dealer's name, the same dealer who had the sports car he had desired. On the tag was the date of his graduation, and the words...PAID IN FULL.

 

 

Have a Blessed Day
Dave and Barbara

 

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