The Hand
A Thanksgiving Dayeditorial in the newspaper told of a school teacher who asked her class offirst graders to draw a picture of something they were thankful for. Shethought of how little these children from poor neighborhoods actually had to bethankful for. But she knew that most of them would draw pictures of turkeys ortables with food. The teacher was taken aback with the picture Douglas handed in… a smile childishly drawn hand.
But whose hand? The class was captivated by the abstract image. “I think it must be the hand of God that brings us food,” said one child. “A farmer,” said another, “because he grows the turkeys.” Finally when the others were at work,the teacher bent over Douglas’s desk and asked whose hand it was.
“It’s your hand, Teacher,” he mumbled.
She recalled that frequently at recess she had taken Douglas, a scrubby forlornchild by the hand. She often did that with the children. But it meant so much to Douglas. Perhaps this was everyone’sThanksgiving, not for the material things given to us but for the chance, in whatever small way, to give to others.
