Daddy's Hands

There is a song by Holly Dunn called "Daddy's Hands" that will always make me cry when I hear it. It reminds me of how my Dad would hold my hand and fiddle with my fingers.
When I was a teenager he would want to hold my hand in the mall, of all places! How embarrassed I was that my Dad was holding my hand! (My husband holds my hand when we are in the car and fiddles with my fingers the same way! Amazing!!! )

As a teenager, I never thought there would be a day when I would just love to feel hands again.

Some events this week have brought those memories back to mind. Before my Dad died, he was in the hospital on a respirator. We would fly to see him and hold his hand and look into his eyes as he struggled to breathe. After a few months of struggle, we knew he would not be long with us. He decided to end his struggle and remove the breathing tubes. So, we flew to his side and held his hand and told him we understood. We all knew it would be a hard thing for us, but we knew we didn't want him to struggle for each breath any longer either. We held his hand many times that night. We kept a vigil at the hospital for nearly 24 hours before he lost his fight for life. It was one of the very hardest things I have ever done in my life to see my Father die.

"I remember Daddy's hands

There are things I have forgotten that I loved about the man,

But I will always remember the love in Daddy's hands."

This week, we lost a dear friend. He also was struggling for each breath. Several of us were there to hold his hand. Many times I wished I could just take one breath of my own and give it to him as I wished I could for my Dad, but of course that isn't possible. I look forward to seeing our friend again.
I also look forward to holding my "Daddy's Hands" again one day. That day, I will never say I am too embarrassed to be holding his hand!