A Faithful Hand

Friday, September 13, 2013

In the hallway of my Grandmother's house hung a wooden carving.  As a young girl, I remember reading the words that were carved on the board and committing them to memory - "friendship is the inexpressible comfort of being with someone - having to neither weigh thoughts nor measure words."
 
Until recently, I had never heard the rest of the poem and didn't realize that this was only an excerpt.  But one evening this week at the church's Women's Club meeting, our president read the poem in a devotional:
 
Oh, the comfort —
the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person —
having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words,
but pouring them all right out,
just as they are,
chaff and grain together;
certain that a faithful hand will take and sift them,
keep what is worth keeping,
and then with the breath of kindness blow the rest away.
-Dinah Craik
 
And hearing the full poem made me love these words even more.  I think of all the "faithful hands" that have been in my life and I feel so grateful for those friends.  These words describe perfectly the people that choose to see the good and the kindness in others and in me, and let all the rest fall to the wayside. 
 
I pray first that I can be intentional and clear and meaningful in my words.  But knowing how imperfect I am, I pray second that my words fall on kind ears, that will "take and sift them, keep what is worth keeping, and then with the breath of kindness blow the rest away."
 
And lastly, we have all been that "faithful hand" some of the time, but maybe not all of the time.  But I want to be that friend all of time, and to teach my children to be as well.  And just think how much kinder we would be to ourselves in return!
 
 
I hope you have a safe and blessed weekend! 
 
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