"The Most Beautiful Hands in the World!"
By Bev Hulsizer
A few years ago, when my mother was visiting, she asked me to go shopping
with her because she needed a new dress. I don't normally like to go
shopping with other people, and I'm not a patient person, but we set off for
the mall together nonetheless.
We visited nearly every store that carried ladies' dresses, and my mother
tried on dress after dress, rejecting them all. As the day wore on, I grew
weary and my mother grew frustrated. Finally, at our last stop, my mother
tried on a lovely blue three-piece dress.
The blouse had a bow at the neckline, and as I stood in the dressing room
with her, I watched as she tried, with much difficulty, to tie the bow. Her
hands were so badly crippled from arthritis that she couldn't do it.
Immediately, my impatience gave way to an overwhelming wave of compassion
for her. I turned away to try and hide the tears that welled up
involuntarily. Regaining my composure, I turned back to tie the bow for her.
The dress was beautiful, and she bought it.
Our shopping trip was over, but the event was etched indelibly in my memory.
For the rest of the day, my mind kept returning to that moment in the
dressing room and to the vision of my mother's hands trying to tie that bow.
Those loving hands that had fed me, bathed me, dressed me, caressed and
comforted me, and, most of all, prayed for me, were now touching me in the
most remarkable manner.
Later in the evening, I went to my mother's room, took her hands in mine,
kissed them and, much to her surprise, told her that to me they were the
most beautiful hands in the world.
I'm so grateful that God let me see with new eyes what a precious, priceless
gift a loving, self-sacrificing mother is. I can only pray that some day my
hands, and my heart, will have earned such a beauty of their own.
"'Honor your father and your mother, so that
you may live long in the land
the LORD your God is giving you.'" (Exodus
20:12 NIV)
When passing this item on to others, please include the
following information:
Thank you!
