Little Hands

In the midst of a busy morning getting ready for the day ahead I was checking Holly’s changing bag to make sure it had all she needed. When I reached in, my hand gripped onto a few sheets of folded paper. 

Unfolding the sheets, I saw that it was Holly’s pictures from her mornings in nursery. On one, there was a little smudge of red paint and a sprinkle of glitter and on the other piece was her little handprint. I had to pause to take it in. Although it’s still so tiny, it seemed so big to me in that moment.

In just one year, her little hand has grown to the size of my baby finger and has mastered so much and still has so much more magic to create.

It made me think about all the people who work with their hands and share the product of that work with others. Imagine a world without music, flourishing gardens, a rich history of artwork, delicious meals, technology and the list goes on.

It’s good to remember once in a while that these flimsy extensions help us connect with others and contribute to the world. From all of the above to making a welcoming cup of tea to the very first moment the person you love takes you by the hand.

I know for me that physically making something or using my hands or body to do something always makes me feel better. I’m definitely guilty of sitting and scrolling through social media or news on my phone passively but if this was all I used my hands for, I would be miserable. In a time where we all are so consumed by our devices, it can cause us to live in our heads too much and miss out on either truly connecting with others or contributing to the world. I guess whatever we do, it’s important it fills us with purpose and makes us feel good. As for the little hand print on that piece of paper, I know that there’ll be a million moments where it’ll cause me to stop and take in the magic and more importantly, many sparks of magic to be experienced by her!