Homefolks U.S.A.

Hi folks,

You can tell a lot about a person by their hands.

Have you ever noticed an elderly person’s hands? Most of the time their hands will be rough and many times calloused very bad. They did a lot of hard work, and those hands tell a story.

The calloused hands were from years of hard work, maybe plowing a team of mules or working at a sawmill, or maybe the factory work was hard, and their hands got a lot of abuse.

My father’s hands were very rough, and his fingernails never really grew; they were always thick and very hard.

The wives also did a lot of hard work, caring for their families. The soap a wife used washing the clothes was many times “homemade lye soap,” but she kept the house, raised her children and made sure meals were served at the proper time. Her kitchen was her pride and joy, a place where she spent a great deal of her time.

The saying goes, “The hands that rocks the cradle rules the world.”

Most families were very close, and a visit from neighbors was always a welcome experience. No one had to call or be invited; they would just show up, usually on a Sunday. That’s really changed over the years, and maybe it is for the better, but the memories of those days will always bring joy and sometimes a tear to a person’s eyes.

I remember a Mr. Summerel who worked at a seed and feed store in Phil Campbell who only had one hand. I have been told he lost his arm while serving our country.

He did a great job with the one hand and arm that remained. He would load heavy sacks of feed and fertilizer for the customers who came to Camp’s Seed and Feed Store. Thank God for people like Mr. Summerel.

I know others who were missing limbs from their bodies but carried on very well, too. A lesson can be learned from folks who have been injured. We read stories from the Bible of people who had paralyzed hands, and some were blind. Some had bodies that were paralyzed, but they received the needed help from the Lord, and they all rejoiced. We could certainly take a lesson from that.

We learned a great lesson from one who had spikes driven into his hands. He suffered, and He died, but He was raised again. The disciple Thomas had to see the wounded hands before he would believe.

Thank God for the Christ who arose from death and the great example he set for you and me.

Till next time,

Your friend,

Bobby