My Mama's Hands

Just something I wrote to go along with a picture I took of My Mama's Hands:

As a baby, they held her source of nourishment. As a toddler, they held on to things as she learned to walk, even catching her as she fell. They petted and cared for the many animals she came in contact with. They tilled the earth as she planted vegetables and flowers. As a teenager, they held hands with the man she loved. As an adult, they held her children tight. They cooked, cleaned and sewed her children's clothes. They made flower arrangements, cakes, cookies and all kinds of crafts to make her home more beautiful. They re-arranged furniture that her husband would trip over if he came in late at night and forgot to turn on a light. They tended to the stray animals her children were always bringing home. They brandished the switch she used to keep her children in line. They sewed the tiny Barbie clothes as a Christmas present for her oldest daughter one year when money was scarce. They wiped away tears, bandaged scrapped knees, and continued to hold on to her children as they left to start families of their own. They held grandchildren and great-grandchildren one-by-one. Now, as she has gotten older, they hold on to things that make her happy - pictures of her family, the TV remote, the phone; and they hold us close for a hug when we visit. My Mama's hands are still beautiful to me and I pray that my hands will be remembered one day by my children as Hands of Love, cause that's what my Mama's hands mean to me. Written by Patricia Sue Brown Rutherford, August 20, 2009