These Hands

Children only know their grandparents as old folks, but there's so much more to tell those little ones. About days gone by and very different life stories. Grandma's hands look old now, yes, but once they were strong and sleek. Everyone has many stories to tell, about who they were and what it was like back then. In These Hands, author K.T. Nelson describes the "handy helpers" of many creatures as a way to tell a child about change. Our life changes can be paralleled with the animal world's differences, our "hands" are their paws and claws and fins. The story follows Grandma and child as they consider the changes and forms that life can present. The concluding message to her granddaughter is that the impermanence of a moment in time is how it should be. Change will come, and that's OK. Yes, "these hands" are old and spotty, but Grandma is glad to have them ... because they hold you tight, day and night.