Beautiful Hands

You can tell a lot about a person by looking at their hands.... I especially love looking at elderly hands, with all the wrinkles, all the scars, the crooked fingers from years and years of hard-work, faith & love.  Ma's hands speak volumes of the type of life she led... her wrinkles show the 87 years she's been on this earth.  The scars, she's got a story for each of them.... her index finger on her left had won't bend...it's been like that since she was 24 years old.  She was at the beach in Tonga with her new baby, she was fishing, getting food for dinner...she slipped and fell in the water and sliced her hand on a sharp rock.  The rock cut the middle of her hand and damaged the nerve that's connected to her pointer finger....she hasn't been able to bend it since.  Her middle fingers on both hands are crooked at the joints, that is from years of arthritis from working so hard to provide for her family.  Her hands are old and wrinkled and worn.  Her hands are so beautiful.  Her hands held and cared for her nine children.  Her hands held and cared for all her grandchildren.  Her hands held and cared for all her great-grandchildren.  Her hands trembled and shook as she held her husband's hand when he passed away almost 30 years ago.  Her hands have sewn.  Her hands have cooked and baked.  Her hands have disciplined and scolded.  Her hands have calmed and reassured.  Her hands are full of love.  When you're around Ma, you can't help but notice her beautiful hands.  I love her hands!  Her hands are old and frail, but everyday they pick up the scriptures and read.  Everyday they hug my boys Makai and Filimone.  Everyday they hold their namesake, my little princess Ilaisaane Lautala.  Everyday they bless my life, my husband's life, my children's life.  I love Grandma's hands.

At the doctors office before I gave birth to Lautala, I noticed little baby's hands and feet casted in stone covered with a beautiful glass dome.  There was a little brochure next to it with pictures of the different types of things that could be casted in stone.  There was a picture of old hands.  I immediatly thought of Ma's beautiful hands.  I showed the brochure to Ova, and without even saying anything, we were both thinking the same thing.  We needed to do Ma's beautiful hands.  It took us a while to finally do it, partly because I gave birth, and partly because she's been sick...but we finally did it and it turned out AMAZING!  It captured every little detail from her pointer finger, to her crooked joints, to her wrinkles and her veins.  They are beautiful!  It is a priceless gift that will bring back memories for years and years after she is gone.  We decided to give it to Tea, because she's the one that has been taking care of Ma her whole life since Pa died.  She cried uncontrollably when she saw them.  We all cried.  What beautiful beautiful hands Ma has...and now we'll have them forever!