Books by the old Leather Chair

  • Snow In The Summer
  • My Bible
  • The Power of Silence
  • What Comes Next and to Like It
  • Encore Provence
  • A Year in Provence

Saturday, May 9, 2009

My Mother's Hands

My mother's hands were always busy. Early morning she would be tending to her quilting.
Later in the day she would be tending her rose garden. Her roses were beautiful.
Growing up I can remember her always having something to create in her hands.
She told me her sewing and all handwork talent came from her grandmother.
That talent was not passed on to One Woman. Now I can sew on a button, hem something simple, and even have made a number of afghans - but that is it.
Now the love of gardening is a part of me and it is in my blood. I can dig in the dirt with the best of them.
My mother stood by me at a time when I did not think I could go on.
It was a time my world came crashing down around me - she was always there.
As I began to write earlier, I glanced down at my hands.
I thought "they cannot be my hands."
They really look old.
Yes, I guess they are my hands and they reminded me of my mother.
I miss her phone calls, her encouragement and her love.

Thinking of her in a special way as Mother's Day approaches.

I remember my mother's prayers and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life. Abraham Lincoln

One Woman a Thought on Hands

24 comments:

Ugich Konitari said...

What a great post for Mothers Day. Hands never get old. All those lines they get are memories that you treasure....and they encourage you to work, and dig, and plant, and enrich everything around you....Happy Mothers Day from another part of the world !

Balisha said...

I found this in a garden magazine and thought of it when I read this post. Happy Mother's Day

My Mother's Hands
by Kathleen Higham

I pray to tend my garden Lord
Sowing seed for spiritual fruit.
Walk beside me with each endeavor..
Give me truth in my pursuit.

For I am struggling daily
Longing for patience, kindness, and love,
And I hope my hands are faithful
As I search for my garden glove.

As my hands lie folded in my lap,
A vision comes to me.. so clear.
About hands that touched and guided me..
And comforted me in fear.
Yes I recognize my hands today
As they come from love so strong
And they are the hands of my Mother
And my heart is filled with song.

This morning praise comes from my lips..
And I sing to my Lord and Friend.
I thank You for my Mother's hands
And the garden You help me tend.

BlondeMomBlog (Jamie) said...

I love you very much and I miss her, too. This is a beautiful post!!! Thanks for always being my encourager. :)

Tabor said...

What a wonderful gift that your mother left you. It also appears that you have passed it on!

daringtowrite said...

I see my mother in my hands, too, especially when I am doing anything that she might have been doing with hers, most especially when I am knitting which I learned from her.

One Woman's Journey - a journal being written from Woodhaven - her cottage in the woods. said...

Ugich, Balisha, My Jamie,Tabor, and daringtowrite. A smile on my face at all the nice comments.
Thank You.

Beverly said...

Happy Mother's Day to you. With the passing of our mothers, this can be a sad day. However, as life goes on that love we had for our mothers is expressed differently, with our children and grandchildren. Thank God for them....
That said, I see my mother more lately in the mirror, and then I go, oh, that is me....
I remember looking at my grandmother's hands and thinking how old and wrinkled they were, and she would tell me how pretty she used to be. Now, I understand why she wanted to tell me about it, cause as Lily talks about my hands, I think of Mama Gooch. She is probably smiling at me from heaven.

One Woman's Journey - a journal being written from Woodhaven - her cottage in the woods. said...

Beverly thank you for the comment.
I have always had nice nails but hands with prominent veins. I can remember when my Jamie at a young age looked at my hands and said "mama your hands look old".
Think I was in my thirties at that time.

Darlene said...

I wish that I had inherited my mother's hands. Mine are so small that I can't reach an octave on the piano.

What I really wish is that my hands could make the delicious pies and cinnamon rolls that my mother's hands turned out.

We never stop missing our mothers no matter how old we get.

Judy said...

I miss my mother, too, especially around this time of the year. Happy Mother's Day Ernestine.

One Woman's Journey - a journal being written from Woodhaven - her cottage in the woods. said...

Darlene and Judy, thank you for your comment. Happy Mother's Day to you.

Sky said...

ernestine, your comment over at tabor's left me with a comment to you....doing the best we can do is always the best gift we can give!

to your post - this is my first mother's day without my mother...a sad day for me in many ways. i, too, see mother in myself as i age. when people tell me how much i look like my mother, as they often do, i smile and thank them because she has always been beautiful to me. the compliment is huge. through the worst of times she gave me sustenance and helped me through those dark hours. so many moments i recall, so much love, and so much gratitude in my heart.

here is hoping you have a wonderful celebration today. we will always miss our mothers, but they have left us with bountiful resources with which to care for ourselves now. we are lucky we had them for teachers.

One Woman's Journey - a journal being written from Woodhaven - her cottage in the woods. said...

Sky, thank you so very much for your kind comments to me. Your comments are always so full of wisdom for me. Thinking of you this Mother's Day - in a special way. I send you a smile, hug and blessings over the miles. Also I thank you for your online friendship. For one who questioned having this journal, it has surely brought me much joy.

MsGraysea said...

Oh my, that is a beautiful tribute to your mother, her hands and her talent. It is also beautiful that you can see her in your everyday.
Thank you for putting words to some of my feelings about my mother today.
Happy Mother's Day!!

Liza on Maui said...

Happy Mothers Day Ernestine. This is another beautiful post! and love the one that Jaime did on her blog too :)

Debbie in CA : ) said...

How precious. What a blessing to have had such a mom. I celebrate her with you this special day.

Happy Mother's Day to you to, my special friend.

One Woman's Journey - a journal being written from Woodhaven - her cottage in the woods. said...

Marcia, Liza and Debbie, thank you for your comments.
Liza - Oh those old styles and what a way to label her mom. lol.

Cloudhands said...

To have been loved as a child and supported as an adult is a blessing of the First Magnitude. You expressed that sense of blessing wonderfully.

One Woman's Journey - a journal being written from Woodhaven - her cottage in the woods. said...

Cloudhands, thank you. I love your choice of words.

mermaid said...

Hands. Your Mother held yours as you hold your children and grandchildrens' hands.

What a beautiful post of inspiration. You must see her in your garden.

Wendy said...

What a beautiful post! I also look at my own hands some days and think "are these old lady hands mine?"

Ah mothers, I miss mine terribly. But I do dream of her and hear her voice in my head from time to time. Love never dies and her love washes all over me whenever I need her.

I did get your email. Thanks for writing. The more I blog, the more kindred souls I encounter.
Hugs

Janice Lynne Lundy said...

Thank you for sharing your thoughts in this touching way. Such a beautiful tribute to your dear mother. I bet in more ways than you even know you have her hands, you ARE her hands in the world--Loving hands. Blessings to you.

p.s. Now i know from reading the comments your name is Ernestine. What a lovely, old-fashioned, family tribute name. :-)

One Woman's Journey - a journal being written from Woodhaven - her cottage in the woods. said...

Wendy, Mermaid and Jan, thank you for checking in with me.
Oh - I cannot stand my name!!!

One Woman's Journey - a journal being written from Woodhaven - her cottage in the woods. said...
This comment has been removed by the author.