Hey there everyone,

I haven't been in for a little while.  I had company and didn't get in here, 
and also, lest week I was back at work, and very tired.  Now today, I have 
one of those dreaded sore throats, but I drank some Thero flu and ate some 
oat bran cooked cereal and toast which tasted good but hurt my throat so I 
took out a bowl of chicken soup that I had frozen after ministering to my 
church and keeping them well with it.  I prepared because I didn't know if I 
would need it or someone else would need it.  There isn't sick time at work 
so Stayed home from church so that I could get well.  Anyway, Angel, thanks 
for this Grandpa's hands.  I think as blind people we use our hands more 
than the average bear and I know that this ministered to everyone just as it 
did me.  Thanks for it.
For unto us a child is born.  Unto us a son is given.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thursday, January 26, 2006 11:07 PM
Subject: Grandpa's Hands


> >
>> -->Grandpa's Hands
>>
>> >  This is good; I'll never look at my hands the same!
>> >  Grandpa, some ninety plus years, sat feebly on the patio bench. He
> didn't
>> >move, just sat with his head down staring at his hands. When I sat down
>> >beside him he didn't acknowledge my presence and the longer I sat I
>> >wondered if he was OK. Finally, not really wanting to disturb him but
>> >wanting to check on him at the same time, I asked him if he was OK.
>> >  He raised his head and looked at me and smiled. "Yes, I'm fine, thank
> you
>> >for asking," he said in a clear strong voice.
>> >  "I didn't mean to disturb you, Grandpa, but you were just sitting here
>> >staring at your hands and I wanted to make sure you were OK," I 
>> >explained
>> >to him.
>> > Have you ever looked at your hands," he asked. "I mean really looked at
>> >your hands?"
>> >  I slowly opened my hands and stared down at them. I turned them over,
>> >palms up and then palms down. No, I guess I had never really looked at 
>> >my
>> >hands as I tried to figure out the point he was making. Grandpa 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 boots.
>> >  They held my rifle and wiped my tears when I 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 the letters home and trembled and shook when I buried my
>> >Parents and Spouse and walked my Daughter down the aisle.
>> >  Yet, they were strong and sure when I dug my buddy out of a foxhole 
>> > and
>> >lifted a plow off of my best friend's foot.
>> >  They have held children, consoled neighbors, and shook in fists of
> anger
>> >when I didn't understand.
>> >  They have covered my face, combed my hair, and washed and cleansed the
>> >rest of 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
> prayer.
>> >  These hands are the mark of where I've been and the ruggedness of my
>> >life.
>> >  But more importantly it will be these hands that God will reach out 
>> > and
>> >take when he leads me home.
>> >  And with my hands He will lift me to His side and there I will use
> these
>> >hands to touch the face of Christ ."
>> >  I will never look at my hands the same again. But I remember God
> reached
>> >out and took my Grandpa's hands and led him home.
>> >  When my hands are hurt or sore or when I stroke the face of my 
>> > children
>> >and wife I think of Grandpa. I know he has been stroked and caressed and
>> >held by the hands of God. I, too, want to touch the face of God and feel
>> >His hands upon my face.
>> >  When you receive this, say a prayer for the person who sent it to you
> and
>> >watch God's answer to prayer work in your life. Let's continue praying
> for
>> >one another .
>> >  Passing this on to anyone you consider a friend will bless you both.
>> > Passing this on to one not considered a friend is something Christ 
>> > would
>> >do.
>>
>