"Your hands are the way you relate to the world: how you reach out to others and how others return your touch; what you use to do work; and often, they are the instruments through which your creativity flows to create music, art, or poetry.
"The clenched fist is a sign of good luck in Brazil and other parts of Latin America, where hand milagros are ubiquitous. In the United States and Mexico, hand milagros nearly always come in the shape of the back of a single hand that ends at the wrist or is completed by a fancy cuff. The fingers of the milagro are usually extended with the joints and fingernails depicted. In the event of a devastating injury, the afflicted part is highlighted with a different metal or shown defined by a ragged edge. Occasionally, both hands are shown, with fingertips touching as if in prayer.
"Our hands are essential to making a living — without his hands, a craftsman can't make his crafts, an artist can't create, a laborer can't work, and a factory employee can't produce. Milagros of the hand are common in societies where the well-being of families depends on physical labor, and in our own highly technological one, hands provide the means for survival — both physical and spiritual. Hands are the connection to others that gives us our humanity, and may be why phrases like 'lending a hand' evoke a sense of the importance of giving something of yourself.
"An older Mexican-American woman used hand milagros both to aid her own work ethic and to seek a divine helping hand. Her neighbor who lived in a house that she loved came to see her one day and told her that he was going to sell his house and give her the first chance to buy it. He added that he would give her a week to get the money together to make the purchase. The woman felt sure no bank would give her a loan, so she offered a hand milagro to Saint Francis with a prayer that she would work hard in her job as a maid to repay the loan. Three days later, she found a bank to loan her the money to buy the house she had always loved.
"If you are experiencing problems with your hands, such as aching in the joints or tendonitis, it may be time to consider how your work is affecting your life. Some aspect of the way you make your living may be unhealthy. Repetition, overuse, or inflexibility can cause physical symptoms that reveal emotions or attitudes long hidden or as yet unacknowledged.
"Take a moment to think about your hands and what you use them for: Place them in your lap, with the fingers of one hand lightly touching the fingers of the other. Close your eyes and envision your hand milagro as a manifestation of your hands at work. Remember another of your hands' capabilities: the healing power of touch. With every touch, you have the ability to help ease someone else's pain."