My Grandmother's Hands

I saw them today, my grandmother's hands. She has been gone a long time but there are her hands in the picture with our granddaughter, Caitlin.

      

I remember those hands. They cooked, baked, tended a house, garden and animals, turned salt fish, picked berries, hooked rugs, knitted and sewed. She raised three children during the Depression.

They were large hands, full of sun spots from the hours spent working at fish and in the garden. Those hands did not experience suntan lotion or creams, just hard work. 

The age spots on my hands are also from sun damage in the early years. However, my grandmother and I had entirely different experiences. I raised one child, my gardening was recreational, housework was easier due to the modern conveniences. The only thing I ever lifted was a pencil, pen, chalk or marker at work outside my home. Though the experiences were different, the result was the same. 

Today, I saw my grandmother's hands.