I am convinced that my grandmother has the most extraordinary hands in the universe. It is my favorite feature on her. Although she would disagree, I think her hands are amazing. But what makes them so amazing?
Besides the fact that my grandmother is the most amazing human you will ever meet, she also has chronic and crippling rheumatoid arthritis in her hands and it has disabled her from doing the things she loves without causing an extreme amount of pain which absolutely breaks my heart because if there's anything Mimi loves more than Jesus and family; its cooking and painting. She can barely hold a potato peeler anymore. But do you think that stops her? Absolutely not.
They aren't just hands that put food on the table, they're the hands that raised her daughters right and that daughter, who is my mother, to only return the favor and raise me right. They're the hands that prayed many nights before bed for my success and well-being. They're the hands that are always wrapped around a diet coke and pinching my cheeks upon arrival to Thanksgiving dinner. Hands that worked hard in a factory to send both my mother and my aunt to college when she never got a chance to go. The hands that can no longer wear her wedding ring due to her swollen knuckles. The hands that still the potatoes even though the pain is immense. They're the hands that sweep the kitchen when no one is looking and the ones that do the dishes before we have cake and ice cream. Her hands are almost as selfless as she is. I don't see disabled hands when I see her, I see fighting hands. I see the hands of a warrior, a person so small yet so strong in faith and wisdom that her battles are defeated upon approach.
My grandmother is my hero. She doesn't let her inability to perform tasks get her down, because if she tries hard enough she can still do them just as good, or better, than a person who has perfectly normal hands. I am one blessed individual to still have my grandmother in my life, still sharp as a tack and fiery as ever. My grandmother wont let her chronic inflammatory disorder affect her everyday life and that just gives me hope and joy. Because it may seem like a small and common feat, but I know some day it will disable her working hands for good because that's what arthritis does. Even then I don't think it can stop her from doing what she loves most. I know it's extremely biased of me, but my grandmother has the most beautiful hands in the world and she wears them well and proudly.
