A pair of hands are shown. The hands are wrinkled, tanned, and have dirt under the fingernails and on the skin. Rings are worn on both hands.

What My Uncle Taught Me About Getting My Hands Dirty

Listen to the podcast

 

When I was a little girl, I was fascinated by my Uncle’s hands. I would see him wash them, but no matter how much he scrubbed. His hands would never get clean. 

He used his hands to build, fix, mow, clean, carry, and cut. He also used his hands to hold, heal, sponsor, embrace, love, care, and comfort. In every instance, he never shied away from a project that seemed unfixable or a person who appeared unlovable. 

I now understand how symbolic that dirt was on my Uncle’s hands. Why I was so focused on it, and what it was there to teach me. Whether he was in a chimney, a school, a yard, or a home…Whether he was with his wife, his children, his siblings, his family, or his friends—My Uncle was never afraid to get his hands dirty. 

I would love to share with you all the magic that was my Uncle. The things I learned from him like, take the long way around, wear hand-me-downs, make time to know every single person in your family big and small, go slower, work joyfully, serve others, always be patient, get on the floor to play with children, smile all the time, laugh every chance you get, love and accept others just as they are, but that would be like pulling individual stars from the sky. You’d miss the beauty in his perfect constellation. 

Instead, I’ll just share that the most important lesson I might ever learn was the one that Uncle Bobby lived, and which finally made sense when I heard how he died…

As he weeded his last garden and was mowing his last lawn for a dear friend, after literally dancing under an apple tree with gratitude for the incredible life he was living with his wife, family, and friends, the happiest and most peaceful man I’ve ever known laid down in the grass, to take a little rest. The perfect exit for those hands that existed only to serve and offer kindness to others.

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Welcome to my blog! Here you can read about what’s on my mind as I try my best to recover from screaming at my kids and nagging the bejesus out my husband.

    Join TeamConfessions, a.k.a. "TeamC"—the posts are super short—you’ve got this. 

    Looking for something specific?

    MOST POPULAR POSTS

    From the Archives

    Share Everywhere:

    Ready to join me?

    I would love for you to join me as I work to undo these old patterns and evolve to create a more serene and accepting existence. (And you should know that I still want to ear flick the little knuckleheads {this includes my husband} when they don’t rinse a dish before putting it in the dishwasher — always a work in progress.)
    mdm light green icon logo
    Confessions of a recovering
    micromanaging - perfectionist - martyr

    Join TeamConfessions