Thursday, September 13, 2007

these hands

Once every couple of years, King really moves me by allowing me to see his emotion through his creativity. One Mother's Day, he wrote me a poem that expressed his love by incorporating characteristics of each child... it was pure genius. Well, he got me again last night. Look at the front of this card he made for me for our anniversary.


Is that not the sweetest picture? He got #2 to snap a picture of his hands as he held #5 in his arms.


"These are the hands..." refers to an exercise we did at the Engaged Encounter we went to before we were married. I remembered thinking "this is going to be so lame" when we sat cross-legged facing each other. My soon-to-be groom held my hands as the weekend's leaders read, "These are the hands that are smooth, young, and carefree that will hold yours as she gives you her pledge to love you and accepts your ring on your wedding day in committing to you all the days of her life." They went on describing the role of my hands through various stages of married life.


Then, it was my turn to hold the hands of my fiance. The leader started:


"These are the hands, young and strong and vibrant with love that will hold yours on your wedding day as he promises to love you all the days of his life.


These are the hands you will place with expectant joy against your stomach, until he too feels his child stir within your womb.


These are the hands that look so large and clumsy, yet will be so gentle, as he holds your baby for the first time.


These are the hands that will work long hours for you and your family.


These are the hands that will countless times wipe the tears from your eyes - the tears of sorrow and tears of joy.


These are the hands that will comfort you in illness and hold you when fear or grief rack your mind.


These are the hands that will tenderly lift your chin and brush your cheek as they raise your face to look into his eyes - the eyes that are filled completely with his overwhelming love and desire for you."



I don't know about anyone else in the room that day, but my face was soaked with tears by that point, just like last night..... as I read the inside of the card he made. By hand. Those hands!

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

darn him for making me cry--again! i thought the poem was the zenith! wow! good one, jim!

Anonymous said...

Ok, that made me cry. You have definately got a keeper there.

Maria (also Bia) said...

What a beautiful and thoughtful gift! Although it has been two years since my Nonna passed away, and can still picture her face, it is her hands that I remember the most. Her hands were large and the fingertips were calloused from being an expert seamstress, and I can still see them dusted with flour as she rolled out pasta dough. Hers were working hands, and every wrinkle and scar was a testament to her love.

Patti Doughty said...

Amazingly beautiful! I once heard James Dobson talking about his father's death. His mother caressed her dead husband's hands, cupped her hand around his face one last time, and said goodbye to the physical body that had held her and cared for her all those years. THAT made me cry, too. We so often think in the spiritual and forget that God created our bodies, too, to bring pleasure and joy to each other.

My husband's been out of town for 2 weeks. We've never been separated this long before and I can't wait to be able to touch him again. I'm sure I'll take some time to look at his hands after having read this.

Patti