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| "HOLDING HANDS" Most of us have had a time in our lives when it seemed as if the ground were giving way under our feet. Maybe you've survived an actual earthquake, or maybe it was something else that seemed as eternal as the rocks suddenly giving way: the sudden revelation of betrayal, the end of marriage, your parents' divorce. You own, perhaps. Suddenly nothing is sure. I used to go with my children's classes on field trips sometimes: the fire house, the American Museum of Natural History a French restaurant once. We would travel in pairs, walking hand-in-hand when we crossed a street, and it was the parents' job to be sure everybody stayed together. One little girl always stayed glued to my side, every trip; no matter where we went, there she was, holding my hand. "This was how we walked in my country," she whispered to me one day, "all together like this, holding hands." She and her family had left Vietnam on foot; she had come to America from a refugee camp in Thailand. "We walked through a river holding hands," she said as we walked, "and there were snakes in the water." When we went to the natural history museum, little Mary couldn't have been more than eight years old. The river of snakes was a very early memory for her. I think often of that family, clinging to one another as they walked away from their home forever. I think of the terrified little girl fording the river, seeing the snakes, holding on tight. No wonder Mary got so quiet walking in a group. No wonder she held my hand and wouldn't let go: it reminded her of the time her world ended. She and her sister Madeleine grew up to be beautiful and accomplished young women. They are now in college. Mary plays the cello. Her fearful early years are part of her life, but only one part. Her world collapsed. And another world began. ________________ God will put His angels in charge of you to protect you wherever you go. They will hold you up with their hands... God says "I will save those who love me... ...when they are in trouble I will be with them... ...I will reward them with long life; I will save them." (Psalms 91:11-12,14-16) --By Barbara Cawthorne Crafton, "Holding Hands" (subject by jgat) |