There is a familiar saying: "My hands are the only hands God has." We can use our hands with awareness to mold our future even as we use them to fulfill our daily tasks and to help others. But our hands also eloquently communicate the continuity of our place in time. When we contemplate them, we can see our past in the lifelong changes of their contours and skin texture. Perhaps our hands are shaped like those of a parent or have the coloration of our grandparents. We see our hands in the small fists of our baby. Our hands hold all of history, as well as all of the future.

Aware
that all who have come before me
and that will come after me
live in my hands,
may I mindfully use my hands
to bring blessings to myself
and others
in the present
and for the future.

Jean Smith in Now! The Art of Being Truly Present