A Thanksgiving Appreciation

This Thanksgiving I am thankful for…HANDS!

My hands that allow me to do so much, SO much!

The hands of others, without whom I would have little life.  The hands of the Shenzen seamstress.  The hands of faceless nameless workers throughout the world who make the countless products I use every minute of every day.

The hands that clean my house.  The hands that rid my trash.  The hands that stock the shelves.  The hands that ring the sale and that are always accompanied by a smiling face and cheerful spirit.

The hands that clean.  The hands that cook.  The hands of colleagues and court clerks.

Thank you for the hands that brew, and for the hands that help me chew.

The hands that plant, the hands that toil, the hands that harvest from the soil.  The hands that pack and prepare for shipping foods of all manner from all the world’s quarter just for me and my belly in the store down the corner.

The hands that prep, the hands that heal, yes, even the hands that polish the still.

The hands that paint, and draw and write, all hands that bring me great delight. 

Hands that hold the camera, hands that hold the script, hands that pop the corn and show me to my seat.

Hands that keep us safe and sweet: the checkers of the flame, the walkers of the beat, the providers of our light and heat.

Hands that tend the gardens, mow the lawns and change the bulbs, hands that trim the trees, the bushes and the shrubs.

Everywhere I look I see reason for thanksgiving.  I have earned NOTHING, I deserve NOTHING, but there those hands are, caring for me, providing for me, saving me.  Especially the hands from above.

So to all those countless hands here and there, near and far, I say--THANK YOU! 
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! 

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PS  and a special word of thanks to….(drum roll) the turkey vulture!  Yes, I just read this piece on the enormous debt of gratitude we owe the turkey vulture.  Fascinating read:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2014/11/25/how-vultures-evolved-to-live-on-rotting-feces-covered-meat-and-what-we-can-learn-from-them/