after all these years

these hands

have

done so much

touched
held
cherished
prayed

created
arranged

wiped
cleaned
folded

helped
hurt

guided
molded

but
perhaps the greatest thing
these hands are capable of doing

has been kept hidden

all these nearly 52 years
(next week)

and has only recently been revealed to me
by a young first time mom
the wise and wonderful woman who
is mother
to my firstborn grandchild

with grace and ease
her upturned pinky finger
soothed and quieted
all the problems of a newborn world

and she assured us that in our magic fingers
we had the power to do the same