A Babushka's Hands

I saw her on the taxi van. She got on with a man, probably her son. She was so tiny, she looked like a little bird with a brightly colored headscarf. A typical Ukrainian nose, reminded me of the "bad guy" on Despicable Me who adopted the three girls. Her face was lined with age, weather and a hard life. What I noticed right away were her hands. They almost looked cartoonish, as if she had Minnie Mouse gloves attached to her slender wrists. She could not have been more than 4'11", but her hands were very large. I thought of how hard they must have worked her entire life. I thought of the things those hands have endured. The cruel weather and circumstances in Ukraine for a lady of her age. I thought of the Revolution that she lived thru, not having read about it in a book. I thought of how weathered they looked, and wondered if she had many children that she cooked and cleaned and did laundry for. I wondered if they would return the favor in her old age! I thought of how blessed I am to live in a country with so many things to ease our troubles in life. I hope that the man with her was someone who would make sure that those hands that have been through so much would be able to have some relief from hardships. I thought of my own grandmothers hands...and I had a deeper appreciation for her work hardened hands as well. Thank you Grandma Martin for loving me and teaching me about life!