these old hands

Today, the 1st of October is also known as the International day for older persons. Recently I have been invited to visit and photograph a residential care home for the elderly where my friend works as a member of the management staff.
These are a few of the photos I took, even though these were not part of the 'main' job spec, they were taken for my very own delight as I always been fascinated with hands - not only the older ones - and got carried away with this very specific kind of beauty, with no comparison.

So I take this day as the best to share with you these images. Check the next blog post (here), where I share some of the other photos, mainly portraits from that day, and the amazing people I have met.

How many babies held, children bathed, meals cooked, beds made.

How many other hands were held, all the thousand caresses, the fights fought, the fevers checked, gardens tended.

How much mending have they done, how much care have they shown, how many tears wiped, ribbons tied around little girl’s heads, and every now and then, at night time, they are folded in reverend prayer.

These old hands are beautiful; they carry marks of a story, a story that probably cared for you and brought you up. 

The hands are theirs, but these hands will also be yours too.

Pippa