{"id":2963,"date":"2011-12-26T19:42:52","date_gmt":"2011-12-26T19:42:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.handsfreemama.com\/?p=2963"},"modified":"2011-12-27T18:33:05","modified_gmt":"2011-12-27T18:33:05","slug":"place-your-hands-on-what-matters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.handsfreemama.com\/2011\/12\/26\/place-your-hands-on-what-matters\/","title":{"rendered":"Place Your Hands On What Matters"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

A special thank you to the family pictured here who I called a day after I witnessed this extraordinary moment and was willing to recapture it with their camera for today's message. <\/p><\/div>\n

My eight-year-old daughter recently performed in her holiday piano recital.<\/p>\n

Normally I get teary-eyed watching my children in any type of performance, whether they are singing at the top of their lungs atop a rock at the park or whether they are in a packed auditorium with sheet music and a microphone.<\/p>\n

But my child\u2019s musical rendition isn\u2019t what brought me to tears on this cold day in late December. It was a gesture so small and so inconspicuous that it could have easily been missed.<\/p>\n

But because I am on a journey to grasp what matters, I am constantly searching for divine signs of inspiration along the way.<\/p>\n

This was one such sign \u2026<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

A radiant five-year-old girl in a white dress with a sparkly burgundy bow had just finished playing her two recital pieces.<\/p>\n

She proudly walked back to her family\u2019s row of seats, which happened to be directly in front of me.<\/p>\n

Because the child\u2019s parents were positioned in different parts of the room preparing to videotape her brother\u2019s performance, the row was empty \u2026 except for the little girl\u2019s grandfather.<\/p>\n

What happened next did more than catch my eye; it created an emotional stirring deep within my heart that made my eyes well up with tears.<\/p>\n

The little girl sat down next to her grandfather and as they looked into each other\u2019s eyes and smiled, she placed her small hand gently upon his arm.<\/p>\n

This was not an accidental motion.<\/p>\n

This was not a casual brush of the hand.<\/p>\n

This was purposeful, loving connection made in a deliberate fashion.<\/p>\n

How do I know?<\/p>\n

This precious golden-haired child did not remove her hand for some time. She rested it upon the robust arm of her grandfather as they both attentively watched her brother play his entire recital piece.<\/p>\n

And I could not tear my eyes away.<\/p>\n

This tiny porcelain hand upon her grandfather\u2019s black coat was the most beautiful sight I had ever seen.<\/p>\n

What I saw was HOPE.<\/p>\n

In that one simple gesture,<\/p>\n

I saw hope for the young.
\n<\/em>I saw hope for the aging.
\n<\/em>I saw hope for those in between.<\/em><\/h4>\n

I saw hope for today.
\n<\/em>I saw hope for tomorrow.
\n<\/em>I saw hope for the minutes in between.<\/em><\/h4>\n

I saw hope for the distracted,
\n<\/em>I saw hope for the hurried,
\n<\/em>I saw hope for the fractured,
\n<\/em>I saw hope for you and for me.<\/em><\/h4>\n

<\/em><\/h3>\n

<\/em><\/h3>\n

In one extraordinary motion a profound statement was made:<\/p>\n

There is NO distraction in the world stronger than the human connection.<\/p>\n

Not when it is up against this:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Daily distraction is rendered powerless when held up against what really matters.<\/p>\n

And daily distraction will not win our most valued possessions: our relationships, our memories, and our precious lives \u2026<\/p>\n

Not if we take a moment each and every single day,<\/p>\n

To put our hands on what matters most. <\/strong><\/p>\n

Put your hands there today.<\/p>\n

Put them here …<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

And here …<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>And here …<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>And here …<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

And here …<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>And here …<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Place your hands on what matters.<\/p>\n

And let there be hope.<\/p>\n

***************************************************<\/p>\n

One year ago, I began this blog, \u201cHands Free Mama.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n

<\/em><\/p>\n

The experience of writing and connecting with my readers has surpassed anything I could ever imagine. <\/em><\/p>\n

<\/em><\/p>\n

Whether you have been reading for one year or one week \u2026 <\/em><\/p>\n

<\/em><\/p>\n

Whether you have read anonymously or left a comment \u2026 <\/em><\/p>\n

<\/em><\/p>\n

Whether you have kept your Hands Free journey to yourself or invited others to join you \u2026 <\/em><\/p>\n

<\/em><\/p>\n

Whether you are grateful for my messages in your mind or expressed your thanks in a personal email \u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/em><\/p>\n

I say, \u201cThank you for being here. You have been my unending gift of 2011.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n

<\/em><\/p>\n

Friends, you are my proof that distraction cannot take our greatest possessions: our relationships, our memories, and our precious lives \u2026 not if we continue to place our hands on what matters. <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

I am so grateful you are with me on this journey. <\/em><\/p>\n

<\/em><\/p>\n

See you in the \u2018Hands Free\u2019 New Year,<\/em><\/p>\n

Rachel<\/em><\/p>\n

* If you haven't had a chance to “like” The Hands Free Revolution<\/a> on Facebook, I would love for you to do so! On this page, I provide daily sources of inspiration to let go of distraction and perfection to grasp what really matters. What a great start to 2012!<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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