Comments on: My Grandma’s Hands: Across the Generations & Across the Net http://potentialwithin.wordpress.com/2008/08/14/my-grandmas-hands-across-the-generations-across-the-net/ Balancing Effort & Ease On & Off the Mat Sat, 12 Dec 2009 04:21:14 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: Linda http://potentialwithin.wordpress.com/2008/08/14/my-grandmas-hands-across-the-generations-across-the-net/#comment-828 Linda Mon, 19 Oct 2009 05:52:30 +0000 http://potentialwithin.wordpress.com/?p=1159#comment-828 At my facebook page I have started an album called "Hands". The next 2 photos I will add.... 1. of my left hand bandaged from carpal tunnel surgery 2. a photo which hangs in the Hand Micro-surgery Hospital in Izmir, Turkey where I had my operation. The essay on 5 generations of hands and my further search for photos of hands....it came at a time when I was so very concerned about MY hands. You see, I was mentally preparing for the worst...I am left-handed and the carpal tunnel surgery was on my left hand. I was so worried. But, it all worked out fine and now my hand is healing and feeling stronger by the day. At my facebook page I have started an album called “Hands”. The next 2 photos I will add….
1. of my left hand bandaged from carpal tunnel surgery
2. a photo which hangs in the Hand Micro-surgery Hospital in Izmir, Turkey where I had my operation.
The essay on 5 generations of hands and my further search for photos of hands….it came at a time when I was so very concerned about MY hands. You see, I was mentally preparing for the worst…I am left-handed and the carpal tunnel surgery was on my left hand. I was so worried. But, it all worked out fine and now my hand is healing and feeling stronger by the day.

]]> By: Laura Otter, Md http://potentialwithin.wordpress.com/2008/08/14/my-grandmas-hands-across-the-generations-across-the-net/#comment-821 Laura Otter, Md Sun, 20 Sep 2009 22:49:40 +0000 http://potentialwithin.wordpress.com/?p=1159#comment-821 T J. Murphy, thanks for your comments. So far I have taken 135 sets of hand pictures and each person has a copy of Melinda's essay. I recently moved to another clinic where a new group of people have been able to read her essay. It is still just a powerful as the first time I displayed it. I have the display at the end of the hall where every patient exiting can see it. Not a day goes by without someone pausing to see it. T J. Murphy, thanks for your comments. So far I have taken 135 sets of hand pictures and each person has a copy of Melinda’s essay. I recently moved to another clinic where a new group of people have been able to read her essay. It is still just a powerful as the first time I displayed it. I have the display at the end of the hall where every patient exiting can see it. Not a day goes by without someone pausing to see it.

]]> By: J. Murphy http://potentialwithin.wordpress.com/2008/08/14/my-grandmas-hands-across-the-generations-across-the-net/#comment-820 J. Murphy Sun, 20 Sep 2009 16:25:45 +0000 http://potentialwithin.wordpress.com/?p=1159#comment-820 I had taken pictures of my Mom's hands a few weeks ago as something fun and now I am going to do something like this, it is such a beautiful thing. We are four generations and it would be such a wonderful remembrance. I am so glad to find your site. I was searching for the poem to add to my scrapbook page of her hands and it is wonderful to find the same connections. And Dr. Otter sounds like a wonderful Dr. too. Thank you for the inspiration. I had taken pictures of my Mom’s hands a few weeks ago as something fun and now I am going to do something like this, it is such a beautiful thing. We are four generations and it would be such a wonderful remembrance. I am so glad to find your site. I was searching for the poem to add to my scrapbook page of her hands and it is wonderful to find the same connections. And Dr. Otter sounds like a wonderful Dr. too. Thank you for the inspiration.

]]> By: Linda http://potentialwithin.wordpress.com/2008/08/14/my-grandmas-hands-across-the-generations-across-the-net/#comment-816 Linda Wed, 09 Sep 2009 08:15:48 +0000 http://potentialwithin.wordpress.com/?p=1159#comment-816 I received the "hand" photo and story in an email...this was my reply... I now wish that I had taken a photo of my Dad's hands before he passed away 2 years ago this September 12. He had the largest hands of any man I knew....muscular and strong also! Later on today I will search photos and see IF I do have any photos of his hands....IF I do, then I will scan the photo and crop it to reveal only his hands.... God willing I can find a photo..... I remember his advice to me...having to do with hands..... The handshake.. advice is that a handshake must be a strong one because it shows a strong and steady character. Too many times he had known right from the first handshake that particular person's demeanor and personality! He knew immediately upon that telltale handshake! and now another memory comes to me having to do with hands..... As our 2 daughters grew up what I did for my Mom and my Mother-in-Law each Mother's Day was to create our own cards. I would trace each of their hands onto colored construction paper, cut out the "hands" and place them on another colored construction paper which was folded in half. The girls' names were written on the top of their respective cards with the date of that particular Mother's Day written across the bottom of the card...the girls would "sign" their name as best they could...and usually a photo was placed inside the card...and then we placed them in envelopes and sent them on to the Gramma in Hawaii and the Grandma in NJ. When we were cleaning out Al's Mom's things after she had passed away, we found that she had saved EACH card! When my Mom moved from NJ to Maine, she found her set and gave them to me. They have now been passed on to Malia and Lianna as a rememberance of their "hands' growth" each year! I received the “hand” photo and story in an email…this was my reply…
I now wish that I had taken a photo of my Dad’s hands before he passed away 2 years ago this September 12. He had the largest hands of any man I knew….muscular and strong also! Later on today I will search photos and see IF I do have any photos of his hands….IF I do, then I will scan the photo and crop it to reveal only his hands….
God willing I can find a photo…..

I remember his advice to me…having to do with hands…..

The handshake..

advice is that a handshake must be a strong one because it shows a strong and steady character.
Too many times he had known right from the first handshake that particular person’s demeanor and personality! He knew immediately upon that telltale handshake!

and now another memory comes to me having to do with hands…..

As our 2 daughters grew up what I did for my Mom and my Mother-in-Law each Mother’s Day was to create our own cards.
I would trace each of their hands onto colored construction paper, cut out the “hands” and place them on another colored construction paper which was folded in half. The girls’ names were written on the top of their respective cards with the date of that particular Mother’s Day written across the bottom of the card…the girls would “sign” their name as best they could…and usually a photo was placed inside the card…and then we placed them in envelopes and sent them on to the Gramma in Hawaii and the Grandma in NJ.
When we were cleaning out Al’s Mom’s things after she had passed away, we found that she had saved EACH card! When my Mom moved from NJ to Maine, she found her set and gave them to me. They have now been passed on to Malia and Lianna as a rememberance of their “hands’ growth” each year!

]]> By: Lisa http://potentialwithin.wordpress.com/2008/08/14/my-grandmas-hands-across-the-generations-across-the-net/#comment-772 Lisa Sun, 10 May 2009 02:07:47 +0000 http://potentialwithin.wordpress.com/?p=1159#comment-772 I received an email with the picture you took of your grandma's hands along with the hands of other female family members. I kept saying we need to do that with the women in our family. This past February my grandmother went to the emergency with pain in her arm. She had a clot which they removed and they wanted keep her overnight for observation. She had a stroke during the night. She was still able to hear us but could not respond. She had another stroke and we were told she was not going to make it. I mentioned the picture of the hands and said I wished we had taken that picture. My sister happened to have a camera and every female in the family was there at the time. We laid our hands beside hers and my nephew took a picture from above. It is my most favorite picture in the world. My grandmother died later that day. It was on Valentine's day. We say she ran into the loving arms of her first love, Jesus and her second love, my granddaddy. Thank you for the inspiration to take our picture! I received an email with the picture you took of your grandma’s hands along with the hands of other female family members.
I kept saying we need to do that with the women in our family.
This past February my grandmother went to the emergency with pain in her arm. She had a clot which they removed and they wanted keep her overnight for observation. She had a stroke during the night. She was still able to hear us but could not respond. She had another stroke and we were told she was not going to make it.
I mentioned the picture of the hands and said I wished we had taken that picture. My sister happened to have a camera and every female in the family was there at the time.
We laid our hands beside hers and my nephew took a picture from above. It is my most favorite picture in the world.
My grandmother died later that day. It was on Valentine’s day. We say she ran into the loving arms of her first love, Jesus and her second love, my granddaddy.
Thank you for the inspiration to take our picture!

]]> By: carol http://potentialwithin.wordpress.com/2008/08/14/my-grandmas-hands-across-the-generations-across-the-net/#comment-710 carol Wed, 11 Mar 2009 18:30:46 +0000 http://potentialwithin.wordpress.com/?p=1159#comment-710 We have 5 generations in my family which is rare in so many families today. My grandmother is 95 and this past weekend we have the pleasure to capture a few pictures of her and your picture inpirsed me to do before she passes away. We have 5 generations in my family which is rare in so many families today. My grandmother is 95 and this past weekend we have the pleasure to capture a few pictures of her and your picture inpirsed me to do before she passes away.

]]> By: Deanne http://potentialwithin.wordpress.com/2008/08/14/my-grandmas-hands-across-the-generations-across-the-net/#comment-677 Deanne Thu, 05 Feb 2009 07:40:24 +0000 http://potentialwithin.wordpress.com/?p=1159#comment-677 I was also touched by your ability to capture love and family ties through a simple but poignant picture of hands, the hands of family members. Coupled with Melinda's poem, your photograph has certainly affected many lives as I have received the email many times, and forwarded it on without due credits. Whenever something touches my heart, as this picture and poem certainly has, I tuck it away as a possibility for future use. So tonight I took the time to do a little research on the origin and found this article you have written explaining the background. Thank you! Now I can give credit to you and Melinda for making a difference in my life. I was also touched by your ability to capture love and family ties through a simple but poignant picture of hands, the hands of family members. Coupled with Melinda’s poem, your photograph has certainly affected many lives as I have received the email many times, and forwarded it on without due credits.
Whenever something touches my heart, as this picture and poem certainly has, I tuck it away as a possibility for future use. So tonight I took the time to do a little research on the origin and found this article you have written explaining the background. Thank you! Now I can give credit to you and Melinda for making a difference in my life.

]]> By: Pamela http://potentialwithin.wordpress.com/2008/08/14/my-grandmas-hands-across-the-generations-across-the-net/#comment-657 Pamela Wed, 21 Jan 2009 15:52:08 +0000 http://potentialwithin.wordpress.com/?p=1159#comment-657 What a lovely comment! Thank you for for sharing Dr. Otter. I can only imagine how beautiful your office must be with all those portraits. Many blessings! What a lovely comment! Thank you for for sharing Dr. Otter. I can only imagine how beautiful your office must be with all those portraits. Many blessings!

]]> By: Laura Otter MD http://potentialwithin.wordpress.com/2008/08/14/my-grandmas-hands-across-the-generations-across-the-net/#comment-654 Laura Otter MD Tue, 20 Jan 2009 22:37:06 +0000 http://potentialwithin.wordpress.com/?p=1159#comment-654 I am so glad to have found your site and the author of the essay. I had been taking pictures of my patients hands because I have always been fascinated with older hands. I didn't know what to do what them however, until my sister in law sent me a link to you photo and Melinda's essay. I now have a gallery in my office showing just patients' hands along with the essay. The response has been amazing. I've had people in tears tell me how it brought back memories of their loved one and patients are surprised at how beautiful their hands really are. Thank you. I am so glad to have found your site and the author of the essay. I had been taking pictures of my patients hands because I have always been fascinated with older hands. I didn’t know what to do what them however, until my sister in law sent me a link to you photo and Melinda’s essay. I now have a gallery in my office showing just patients’ hands along with the essay. The response has been amazing. I’ve had people in tears tell me how it brought back memories of their loved one and patients are surprised at how beautiful their hands really are. Thank you.

]]> By: Pamela Walsh http://potentialwithin.wordpress.com/2008/08/14/my-grandmas-hands-across-the-generations-across-the-net/#comment-420 Pamela Walsh Sun, 05 Oct 2008 12:54:13 +0000 http://potentialwithin.wordpress.com/?p=1159#comment-420 Hi Janice, Thank you for posting such a lovely comment. It humbles me that my photo continues to circulate and touch people. You are more than welcome to post and/or link to it, and I really appreciate you taking the time to trace down its origins. I look forward to reading your website! Pamela Hi Janice,

Thank you for posting such a lovely comment. It humbles me that my photo continues to circulate and touch people. You are more than welcome to post and/or link to it, and I really appreciate you taking the time to trace down its origins.

I look forward to reading your website!

Pamela

]]> By: Janice Clark http://potentialwithin.wordpress.com/2008/08/14/my-grandmas-hands-across-the-generations-across-the-net/#comment-419 Janice Clark Sat, 04 Oct 2008 19:45:28 +0000 http://potentialwithin.wordpress.com/?p=1159#comment-419 Pamela, I was so happy to find your posting. I received the photo and text (author unknown) as a forwarded email today. I, too, like to give credit where credit is due, and follow copyright laws. A little research turned up the details; I passed on the information to the person who sent me the email. I really love your picture. My family managed a four-generation picture or two, but we never thought of hands. I'd like very much to add the picture to my web page, to illustrate my poem "Grandmother's Hands." Would that be acceptable to you, as long as I give you the credit? Pamela,

I was so happy to find your posting. I received the photo and text (author unknown) as a forwarded email today. I, too, like to give credit where credit is due, and follow copyright laws. A little research turned up the details; I passed on the information to the person who sent me the email.

I really love your picture. My family managed a four-generation picture or two, but we never thought of hands. I’d like very much to add the picture to my web page, to illustrate my poem “Grandmother’s Hands.” Would that be acceptable to you, as long as I give you the credit?

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