I’ve spent a good amount of time thinking about the very simple act of holding hands this week. It is really quite beautiful. Maybe its beauty lies in its simplicity?

Anyway, I love to hold hands. I always have. When you think about how much you do with your hands on a daily basis, it seems … well … very utilitarian and almost, lonely. We eat. We drive. We work. But, that moment when you reach out and grab on to someone’s hand, you’re connected.

The connection can be very different depending on the relationship. For some, holding hands may be required for work, but I don’t think it lessens the importance. I think of a nurse aiding someone who needs “a hand”. For couples, it’s likely another gesture of love. It can be extremely comforting and reassuring. I watch older couples walking hand-in-hand and think of the journey that brought them to that very place. In my humble opinion, the fact that they still choose to hold hands is no small testament to their relationship. Their connection.

But as a mom? Holding hands means so many things. I hold Connor’s hand often. I like to sit on the couch with him, our hands intertwined, to feel connected. But, I also find myself reaching for his hand to protect him. I want him to know I’m there as we cross a parking lot, the street or shuffle through a crowd that my hand … I, am there.

I posted the Footprints poem earlier in the week and it was related, in a way. Much of the time, I feel like I’m walking alone. Disconnected. But then a poem, and in this case, a verse, fills my mind and my heart with the reminder that I am not. Like a mom (or dad) reaches a hand out to her child to help them navigate the unknown, so our Father is reaching out His hand to us. This verse was my eye-opening reminder:

For I am the Lord your God
who takes hold of your right hand
and says to you, Do not fear;
I will help you. – Isaiah 41:13

That connection, that feeling that we are being protected and loved regardless of where we are on this road of life is so ridiculously calming. It’s so simple. So beautiful.