Reflections: A Helping Hand…

“The glory of friendship is not the outstretched hand, nor the kindly smile, nor the joy of companionship; it’s the spiritual inspiration that comes to one when he discovers that someone else believes in him and is willing to trust him with his friend.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

Reflections: A Helping Hand… The harpist‘s hand

Hariprasad Chaurasia – Raag Shivanjali

I’ve been thinking about hands lately… As all those brilliant posts on “Hands,” for the photo challenge, fly through the blogosphere, we get a moment to reflect on the subject. What do we appreciate most about our hands? I’ve been using mine a lot of late as I continue to play catch up with your blog posts, tinker around the house, write a lot and pray… Also as gardening season is upon us, getting our hands in the earth and doing some weeding and planting will do us all some good. But the point of this post is really about the power of a helping hand; the hand that helps and uplifts another. How often do we extend our hand? When do we reach out to others for help? Hariprasad’s uplifting, meditative music will set the right mood as you read this. Below, I will share a story about the power of a helping hand…

“Bear in mind that the wonderful things you learn in your schools are the work of many generations. All this is put in your hands as your inheritance in order that you may receive it, honor it, add to it, and one day faithfully hand it on to your children.” Albert Einstein

Reflections: A Helping Hand… The Buddha‘s hands (Kamakura Daibutsu)

A story about hands that has stayed with me is a popular one you might have heard too. One of my teachers shared it. Once, a man had a dream in which he found himself in hell. The hell of his dream was not made of fire and brimstone but of a banquet table filled to the brim with all his favorite foods. He was permitted to eat the food as long as he used an extra long spoon that was impossible to lift and sheer hell to feed with. In the dream, he and many others sat at the banquet table weeping and lamenting the tragedy of being in the presence of food they could not feed themselves. They cried bitterly, as they sat and stared at all their favorite foods go to waste, because they couldn’t lift that gigantic spoon to feed themselves a morsel of manna. He was shocked and joined in the lamentations. When he woke from this nightmare, he sat and pondered it. More on the story below!

“To see a world in a grain of sand and heaven in a wild flower Hold infinity in the palms of your hand and eternity in an hour.” William Blake

Reflections: A Helping Hand… helping hands

The next night, he fell asleep and found himself in the same place. We may call it a modified hell, heaven, or the place where care meets compassion and actions bear fruit. Again, he was presented with the banquet of exquisite foods, and the challenge to eat it with the extra long and equally heavy spoon. As the man approached the banquet table, he suddenly stopped, gasped, blinked his eyes, and then rubbed them to be sure he wasn’t hallucinating. He blinked because the sight before him made him weep … not sadly but joyfully.  What did he see? Around the banquet table sat many of the same people from the night before. They had figured out that if each of them joined forces with others, lifted the spoon and took turns picking up the delicious food, they could serve and feed each other and not starve. So he watched them feed each other and soon joined in, taking his place at the table and extending a hand to lift that spoon and feed his fellow man. By extending a helping hand in what could have been a hellish situation … to starve in the presence of abundance … they learned a profound lesson that remains a mystery to the greedy on this earth. What lesson did they learn? Ponder it. May we all be blessed by the divine within and without.

What about you? What are your thoughts? Do you need a helping hand? When do you extend a helping hand? What helps you remember to share and care? What impact might it have on your life? Do share! Thank you. 😉

*Please bear with me as I continue to catch up on your blogs and commenting… Thank you all for your patience! 🙂

Positive Motivation Tip: Extend a hand to help another… you never know when you’d need one too.

PHOTO CREDITS/ATTRIBUTIONS: All photos harpist hands, Buddha’s hands, helping hands, healing hands via Wikipedia via Flickr

Until Next Time…
Ask. Believe. Receive. ©
Elizabeth Obih-Frank
Mirth and Motivation
Positive Kismet

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