I traveled to Glens Falls, NY today to meet with Mannix Marketing about my new web site. After the meeting I went downstairs to Samantha's Cafe & Catering. I went into the restroom and noticed these wonderful little hands reaching up from the windowsill. I'm not sure if they are made from polymer clay or wax and since the cafe was closing there was no one to ask. They struck me as something joyful, tender, spiritual. I loved that they were all different colors and sizes and disconnected from bodies -- just hands reaching upward, aspiring to more.
They reminded me of the recent election. I have friends who chose not to vote, others who were upset by all the anger, the slurs, the lawn signs and Facebook messages. I have family who voted for Romney and family who voted for Obama. Each of us -- the angry, the hopeful, the protesters, the ranters -- each are like these hands, reaching up, aspiring for more. We may think we stand alone on a small precipice in a big, scary world, but others stand with us and if we could only see ourselves from another perspective we'd see how hopeful and tender and beautiful we all are. We might grant ourselves some grace.