Hard Working Men

Have I ever mentioned how glad I am that my husband doesn't have soft hands?

Or how it doesn't bother me that sometimes his hands look dirty, even when they're not?

His hands are roughened by the work that he does,

stained by grease and oil because of the machinery that he repairs and maintains.

I remember as a child, my dad's hands looked the same way.

I never thought anything of it--I thought that was just the way all dad's hands were.

Both my grandpas had farmer's hands, too.

I must have been in my early teens when I shook hands with a man--I don't remember at all who it was--but I do remember thinking, "His hands are so....soft."  

It actually kind of creeped me out.

I know now that that man just had different work to do than my dad,

just like the men I know now who have soft hands.

Soft man hands aren't bad...they're just different to me.

I'm glad that my guys have work-worn hands.

Hands that are willing to get dirty, to just jump in and do

even if they're in clean clothes!

I remember my dad used to do this, and Dennis does the same thing:

He'll come in with some gash/scrape/bruise and I'll ask,

"What did you do?"

And he will look at it, as if noticing it for the first time, and say,

"Hmm.  I'm not sure."

(What????  If I had an owie like that, I'd definitely remember it and I'd probably want some attention for it!)

These farmer's hands may not be pretty, 

but they do work pretty hard.