This past Monday, I went into the woods with six of my hiking buddies. The objective? To clean and clear out some trails that had a number of trees felled due to Hurricane Sandy. As we will be hiking this route in several weeks with the regular hiking group, the desire to have a well set trail motivated us.
We hiked in for an hour, each one of us carrying either a chainsaw, gasoline or other needed hardware. Trudging up a steep and long hill, we arrived to the overlook and trail section that was to be cleaned. It was a half-mile circuit that had a number of trees and branches that required clearing. Breaking up into two teams, and appropriate ear protection from the chainsaw noise, all of us went quickly to task. Before we even realized it, the two work teams had cleared the trails and set along the path various logs and branches for trail markers.
What truly impressed me that day was how hands working together can accomplish so much. Consider what life would be like if you didn’t have a pair of hands that do so much for you. Such a body part that is so used, yet so easily taken for granted.
A short stroll through the West and East Sculpture halls in the National Gallery of Art allowed me to appreciate hands from the artist’s eye. While each sculpture has a story, the hands show aspects of humanity.
As they help us to think
and encourage us to hear.
They show us the way in learning
and can create beautiful music.
They feed us
and pour wine for us.
They are also there to help protect us
and to create these beautiful works of art.
Although this piece named Paint and Sculpture confuses me. Cherubs with decapitated heads?
Our hands create, share, and heal not only ourselves, but others as well. I have a friend that had a childhood dream of helping those living in extreme poverty throughout the Americas. Aptly named:
Hands Across the Americas
With very little, but with many hands my friend has been able to provide two medical missions annually for the past few years. One to Colombia and the other to Peru. She has also adopted a remote community in the Peruvian Andes Mountains and built a school and provides additional community support. Truly the reach of her little grassroots organization is impressive.
This is a true example how many hands can make such a difference. Sometimes we need to think outside of our daily lives and think of those that are truly needy. As Thanksgiving is just around the corner, it causes us to stop and become thankful for the good fortune that we have and to perhaps think of sharing some of that with others.
Categories: travel, Washington DC
Emily Carter ~ Nature as Art 
I loved this blog, both as one who has cleared trails and as an art lover. What beautiful examples of hands to illustrate your blog you discovered. Thanks so much for sharing.
It’s wonderful to hear from you and thank you so much for your kind comments Pat. Great to meet a fellow “Renaissance” woman. Have a lovely day!
How true!
In art they are also the most difficult to get right, and these are truly exceptional examples! Thanks Bella 🙂
Thank you so much Madhu. I had forgotten that little tidbit about hands being so difficult for an artist to replicate. Whether it be in painting or sculpture. It really makes me appreciate the beauty of these hands so much more thanks to you.
Yeah indeed – agree there’s a lot of things where ‘our hands could do it better than to day’… 🙂
Truly, hands working together can accomplish so much Drake.
Beautiful Post – loving your photos – thanks for sharing! Have a Great One:)
Thank you so much Renee ! I truly appreciate you taking the time to stop by and comment. You’re such a wonderful reader.
What a lovely post and truly thoughtful! great photos
Thank you so much Lisa. Funny how things come together better than you expected. Have a great day!
What a beautiful post, Emily. Well done on the trail clearing.
Thank you so much Sylvia. Must admit, I was pleasantly surprised that I wasn’t sore the next day. It was a beautiful day out in the woods.
Dear Emily,
A most beautiful tribute to what our hands can offer, serve, embrace, comfort and love. What a tender and thoughtful post. It touched my heart. Thank you for sharing with us this wonderful story of your friend who has dedicated her hands to helping others. May we all use our hands for greater good. With love and gratitude, Sharon
Dear Sharon,
Your words are so amazingly beautiful and caring. Thank you so very much for being who you are, and having such an generous spirit. We should all have more Sharons in our lives to make it a better world.
If you could meet my friend, you would be amazed with her generous heart. She raised five children to boot, three of them triplets !
Have a beautiful day! Emily aka Bella
it takes an artist to capture what you have brought us and bring life and warmth to stone cold hands
Hello Will! I must admit, between Sharon and your two comments, it actually brought a tear to my eye. The warmth and caring that you both share is so heart encouraging. I’m grateful that there are people out there that have such a giving spirit.
Love the post and the art all symbolizing the spirit and heart of lending a hand : )
Thank you so much Judy ! Hope all is well with you. Bella
What a beautiful post and testament to the love and efforts of the individual and the group… SO wonderful!!
Thank you so much Fey ! Indeed, both groups and my friend truly make me appreciate how we can reach and help others, as well as accomplish so much. Happy Weekend sweetie!
I love how you tied in the story with your photos! This is a great reminder of what we can do if we work together!