Venus and Gideon

On several visits to the Louvre in Paris because of my love for dr. Harland at UNCCH and his demand that we not call Venus De Melas (Venus De Milo), because the world had miss named the Aphrodite Milas, Venus De Milo. This is a very famous sculpture of a beautiful woman with out arms and the most important part of the human anatomy, and I say this as a totally blind person, the arms and most of all the hands. The hands are marvelous beyond the neurologist to describe. Can you just imagine living your life without your hands? Those who have ever witnessed a marvelous pianist, or even a carpenter, knows the ability of the hands.

When seeing patients, the first thing I did when I walked into the examining room was wash my hands and then go over and put my hands on the patient, feel of their hands, their forehead, there is much healing in the hands. Just as there is much healing in a handshake.

At the death of my parents, when each died and was ready for viewing I had the mortician put my hands on their hands ( I am a totally blind 100% disabled service connected veteran) neither had ever had a manicure, both had hard working, well scarred hands, hands from toil, hands of character. I did not think of what these hands had NOT DONE FOR ME, but I thought only of what their HANDS HAD DONE FOR ME. The poor in the community always came to my mother to deliver their baby, or “lay out” their dead. Her hands could cook, embroider, quilt, garden, diagnose, play the piano, and do most anything one could imagine.

My father, who’s hands were never idol, who worked all the time, could build any type building ( and as was said at his funeral, could sew at a sewing machine cook in a kitchen and had probably cut more heads of hair than any man living), I thought of the cows he had milked, the calves delivered, the work he had done at the churches and school as chairman of the school board.

They like us, left this world with empty hands, having used their “gifts” to their greatest advantage by rearing children with whom they had much pride and knowing many friendship.

The scripture is replete with the use of hands, Moses, Peter, Our Blessed Lord, etc. Gideon, scared, was thrashing wheat in a wine press. (Judges 6) Afraid of the enemy, threatening the Israelites. God instructed him to do certain things and Gideon hesitated, putting God to the TEST. He used a piece of fleece to test God about obeying God. You remember, he said if the fleece is wet and the ground is dry and then, if the ground is wet and the fleece is dry, I will obey. He was further tested when God cut down the size of his army by 68%. But with the 300 remaining, he vanquished the enemy by using just candles picture, and horns. The enemy, like many of toady’s church congregations, not knowing who was what, just turned on one another and, as always, Gideon and God were the victors. It is all a matter of hanging on the promises and guidance of God. I should, perhaps, be ashamed to write this but like so many, I have been in times of testing in my life, and I put God to a TEST in my life.

Much younger, as I have stated in many speeches, one day while the mules were resting as I was plowing, I had looked into the heavens knowing that if I could believe the first chapter of Genesis I could believe everything else and God had taken control of my life. But, even though both of my parents had come from land owning, hard working people I had never seen anything but hard work and hard times. I did not feel that I could face a life of the hardships that my family and forebear’s had endured. I knew their was no money for me to pursue an education after high school. Even though I had the superior intellect and ambition to do so. I was never talented, no athletic ability, just a good mind and redeemed heart. So, like the 1 million in the world that commit suicide each year, I saw this as my way out. Faith is action, based on belief, sustained by confidence and, most faith is just raw courage. I did not have the confidence or courage to continue with the hardships of the future as I saw it at that time.

Like Gideon, I asked God to give me a sign, which I will not go into, but was very definite and He did, and He assured me that I am His and He is mine, just as is continued each day of my life.

The rest is history. Yesterday was history, tomorrow, then as now, is a mystery, and each day is a gift. Through the work of people, in no way related to me, I got through 8 years of professional schooling, was chosen to give my eyes for YOUR country, and have been chosen to continue giving through the blessings of God in many ways. I certainly have empathy for anyone who chooses to end it all and I believe, with all my heart, that one who has been saved by the grace of God, is still saved by the grace of God in making that determination. Just as no one of you can possibly imagine what it is like to live a life of a totally blind person, not one of us can know the depths one can go before suicide.

The hands of God, are sufficient, not only to pick us out for His redemptive use, but to create with His own hands the chosen vessel He wants FOR HIS USE. The potter never takes his eyes off the wheel and I know now, more then I knew then as a young 17 year old, that I was chosen. And His care for me then, as has been the case with all the trials of this life, has been in His unchanging omnipotent hands.

Life Word

Life is a challenge, accept it
Life is a wish, want it
Life is a book, read it and observe
Life is a fight, battle it
Life is a tear, face it
Life is a smile, enjoy it and embrace
Life is a game, play it
Life is a journey, complete it
Life is a ruler, measure it
Life is a sunrise.begin it
Life is a sunset, hold it
Life is a treasure, save all you can

Golden Heart