The Miracle of the Hand, Part 2

“Hand me that wrench over there…”

 “Sure thing! You mean the one with the blue handle or the hand-adjustable one?”

Again with the hands! This is Part 2 of a column that Gary Bird and I co-wrote and posted back on March 19 of this year. In Part 1, we talked about our fathers and how their hands told the story of the lives they led and the values they lived by. Kelly Carswell added a poignant description of her grandfather’s farm-worn hands. 

We also mentioned hand size, comparing NBA player Boban Marajanovic’s hands with those of tiny Kristin Chenoweth, the 4’11” actress from the Broadway musical “Wicked”. We mentioned Alan Alda’s unforgettable monologue from M.A.S.H. where he describes the miracle of the hand.

I sent our family a text, asking to help me out today as I write. I requested that they think of the word “hand” and tell me what crosses their mind on the spot. What followed was a bombardment of phrases from the very silly to the profound.  “Hands down the best; handwriting on the wall; out of hand; on the other hand; I know I’m a handful—that’s why you have two hands; handshake; hand-in-glove; Hands Across America...”

I thought maybe I could categorize the contributions. There were songs: “I Wanna Hold Your Hand” by the Beatles, “Handy Man” by James Taylor, “Willie and the Hand Jive” by Johnny Otis, Gospel folksongs such as “Put Your Hand in the Hand” and “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands”, “Hand Me Down My Walkin’ Cane” recorded by both Jerry Lee Lewis and Porter Wagoner, and my personal favorite “Hand in My Pocket” by Alanis Morissette, who has one in her pocket and the other is making a Peace Sign. This next one may not be a song exactly, but “Jazz Hands” is, well, so good!

There were positive references as well as some negatives. A few that elicit beautiful imagery particularly caught my attention: “hand-in-hand”, “open-hand”, “Give her a hand, Ladies and Gentlemen!”, and the famous words from William Ross Wallace’s 1865 poem “For the hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world”. There were others that ushered in a barrage of uncomfortable feelings: “secondhand”, “underhanded”, and “backhanded compliments”. “Caught red handed” is one that has an interesting origin. In 15^th century Scotland, someone who was caught red handed was guilty of poaching (caught with an illegally hunted animal or “with blood on his hands”.

The best ones were the ones that had to do with quality, and trust—the idea that what we took the time to form with our own hands, is considered more valuable than a machine-made item—because we spent our precious minutes to carefully create a product: “hand crafted”, “handmade”, “hand sewn”, “hand-picked”. We respect these terms when we see them on labels. Our parents’ and grandparents’ homes are littered with precious home-made artwork tenderly gifted to them from once tiny hands.

Our handwriting is unique, just as our fingerprints are. How about the way we can direct our hand, how a left or a right hand can be coordinated enough to write in cursive, print, or even calligraphy?  A signature, hand written, can seal a contract, or make a two dollar baseball worth $100,000.

This whole topic of the hand got me thinking about those who don’t have the luxury of the use of their hands. Either by birth or by injury, they live day by day with the challenge of communicating and moving about in a world that operates with a different set of tools. I remembered some well-known instances of people who had life-altering injuries through the loss of their hands. Bethany Hamilton, American surfer, lost her left limb in a shark attack in 2003. The story of her journey to restore normalcy to her life has been retold over and over through the film “Soul Surfer” (2011). Lauren Skruggs, an aspiring model, was severely wounded by an airplane propeller in 2011. Her recovery was, and still is, an inspiring account of courage, as she redefined what beauty is and can be. And, of course, how many, many stories there are about our men and women in the armed forces who have suffered the loss of limbs!

In reading about these remarkable people, I came across articles about how difficult it is for amputees to get the insurance coverage they need for prosthetics. I found myself on the website of Limbs for Life (limbsforlife.org). Based in Oklahoma City, this group works to provide prosthetic limbs, hands, and feet, for both the insured and the uninsured. Their work is unique, in that every piece they make is individually engineered and hand-fitted to each patient. Not only do they serve patients in the United States, they also collect and refurbish prosthetics for the needy in other countries, such as Syria, Turkey, Haiti, and Guatemala. I highly suggest a visit to their website. It is truly inspiring and a great cause to support.

Another impressive company is Arm Dynamics, out of California but with various locations including one close by in Maple Grove, Minnesota (armdynamics.com). They have created an actual bionic hand for a young man by the name of Sam Rosecrans, an Idaho native who lost his right arm in a lumber mill accident. His story can be found on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDYoeItybSQ .

The next time you are sitting still somewhere, take a look at your hands. They turn, rotate, grasp, wave, hug, caress, give and receive. What a marvel they are! And did you think of some other sayings, songs, or phrases that weren’t mentioned here?  We always post the Bird’s Eye View column on Facebook. Look us up and add some of your favorites to the list!