Woman Of Character And Strength

I marvel at the amazing bodies of the young, so fresh and dewy, so snug and sweet. How is it that as I grow more accustomed to this body, it fits me so much looser? Of course it has served me well. These eyes have seen things both miraculous and horrific. This nose has smelled the baby lotion ed bodies of my grandchildren and the agony of miscarriages I thought would never end. My hands have held whole lives and my feet have walked miles carrying both me and my loved ones. I guess I have earned the wrinkles and the crinkles, the sagging and the bagging, but I don't feel any older than I did at twenty in many ways so my mirror can be quite a shock. I need to see the me that is really here, the woman of character and strength who still abides in a reasonably working body and find the grace in that.

Lately I have fallen in love with people's hands. Hands that reach out across time and space to help others, hands that curl around the waist of a loved one, hands that run jackhammers and hands that pluck the strings of guitars. Such strong and fragile things, hands. A bunch of little bones and muscles working to take care of their owner's needs on every level and still finding the wherewithal to create art. If not the art of museums, definitely the art of life. My own hands have begun to show the first stirrings of age, but they have been used long and hard for everything from wiping my children's tears to hanging onto a tennis racket as I slam a ball cross court. They play the piano for me, type these words upon the computer, and put the flourish on my paintings.

My hand clasped tight in a larger one has given me the feeling of total security. My hand delicately caressing the tiny fingers of a smaller one, makes me feel strong and protective. I reach out and touch your hand and you never even notice. I am so grateful for these small moments that become so large within my chest that my heart leaps with joy.

One hand, one heart, one soul, one touch, to connect is the sweetest moment of all.