"I Didn't Think I'd Miss That Little Finger So Much!"

OK-before we get too far, let me put your minds to ease-I have not lost any fingers, little or large.

 The Tale of the Missing Little Finger comes later in this brief blog.  (No, not the loss of one of my digits, nor the loss of my tail.  Which I never had to begin with-at least that you could see.  Of course, if I don't soon get going with this story, I might just lose my tale.)

I heard a lot about gratitude today.  I bet you did too, especially if you spent any time at church.  After all, Thanksgiving happens this week-on Grandma's birthday!  Isn't it wonderful that our nation takes time to recognize Grandma with a Day of Thanks ?!  Anyway, we get to have a wonderful holiday-one of my favorites-to reflect on all the wonderful things for which we should be thankful.  I heard inspiring messages about how we should have gratitude to our Heavenly Father for all that we have, including our trials and challenges.  I enjoyed all the messages.

I got to teach the lesson in Nursery today.  Yes, it was on "Being Thankful".  We made hand-print turkeys, apple turkeys, sang songs (not about turkeys) and had treats.  We also had a lesson prepared by Grandma.  You may ask why I taught this lesson instead of Grandma-go ahead-ask.  I'll wait...
What's that?  Did you ask why I got to teach the lesson Grandma prepared?  Well, I'll tell you.  I got up early this morning thinking I had a pretty sweet, easy day.  Grandma was home and said she would fix dinner and I knew she had planned a wonderful nursery experience.  Just as I was anticipating a day of rest and renewal, Grandma got a phone call from the hospital.  Now, most of the calls we get from a hospital come from one of our families as they visit their own dedicated room in their hospital's emergency department.  We even got one last night!  But this call was from Grandma's work.  She had forgotten that she had to work today!  She gave me the 5 minute mentoring of what was supposed to happen in nursery today, as I was now in charge!  What a scary thought!  And I would get to take care of all the dinner preparation-something I can do-no complaints.  Where was I?  Oh yes-I was handed the nursery stuff and told to do my best.  Which I did!
The lesson was on being thankful.  (Notice how I just now jumped right back to the point of all this? Sweet!).  Grandma had made a shoe box TV with pictures of things the little tykes could recognize as things for which they should be thankful.  Jesus, the sun, food, pets, family, eyes, ears, home-you get the idea.

One of the pictures was of hands.  As I showed this one to the little ones, I realized how thankful I am for my hands and for all of my fingers and thumbs.  I also realized that, as my hands get older, they have started to be a bit cranky at times (kind of like me!)-especially in the middle of the night and when I first get up in the morning.  Also, I had my right thumb touch a (running) table saw blade a couple of years ago.  It did filet my poor thumb (ask your folks what that word means if you need to).  I am very grateful that it did not remove my poor thumb, as those opposable digits come in quite handy a lot of the time.  ("handy", as used in the previous sentence was a little witty, eh?).  However, as a result of the injury, I don't have feeling on about 70% of my thumb.  It does interfere with some of my daily activities.  I have learned to live with it, but I realize how much nicer it was with a fully functioning thumb!

Which brings me to the point of this post-not the pointy finger, but the little finger.
My father-your mom or dad's grandfather (like I am to you)-could fix anything mechanical.  No, really-he could.  As a kid, I spent hours fetching tools and parts, cleaning stuff and being a gopher-well, not the rodent "gopher"-I guess I could write it as "go-for", as in "Ricky-go-for another wrench for me".  He was always fixing something.  As he got older and we kids grew up and moved out of our family home-just like you will all do some day-but not soon, so don't fret about it-it will be fine-Dad continued to fix things.  I don't know who fetched his tools, parts and coffee after I left home.  I don't think my Mom would be a gopher. (no, you don't have any rodent family lines, at least that I am aware of.  I have noticed that some of you act a bit squirrely sometimes, but I think that is nurture more than nature).

Anyway, one day my dad (your great grandpa) was fixing his lawn mower.  He needed to move the lawn mower to see something under it.  The lawnmower was running at the time.  Your great grandpa was always working on things when they were running or had power to them.  It is never a good idea.  I saw him get jolted several times when he worked on live wiring.  Maybe those electrical jolts were the reason that he tried to carefully pick up a running lawn mower.  As he gingerly put his hands under the deck of the mower-where there is picture on your lawn mower that shows you that this is a dumb thing to do because you could have fingers cut off-he felt the blade hit his little finger.
Well, he did drop the mower (not on his toes, or we could have some symmetry to this tale) and grabbed his finger.  And he picked up the end of his little finger from the ground, as it was no longer attached to the rest of his little finger.

Grandma drove him to the hospital where they had Special Doctors take x-rays and look at his finger.  They decided that it would be a big,expensive surgery with little chance of success to try to put the end of his little finger back where it was a little while before.  So they cleaned up the stump, sewed it closed, and sent him home.
In time, as with all wounds, the finger healed.  But, since your great grandpa was neither lizard nor sea star (and your great grandma was NOT a gopher-let's be clear) the finger did not grow back.  So he had two thirds of his little finger.

You would think, looking at your little fingers, that that would be just fine.  I mean, what do we really use the end of our little finger for anyway?  That is what your great grandpa thought as well-until he went to itch his left ear.  And he couldn't!  So his left ear went on itching!  You see, the end of great grandpa's (my dad's) left little finger fit precisely into the itching spot of his left ear!  And he didn't think much about that until he no longer had a longer pinky!

OK-what does this have to do with gratitude?  With being thankful?  What I am learning is that sometimes we don't think of all the things-little and big- that we could be thankful for.  So we don't really know how much they mean to us, how grateful we should be for them, until they're gone.
This is true for ends of little fingers, sunny days, gentle winds, good dogs, hot water, flexible parts, grandmas and great grandpas and everything else we may take for granted.

So-take a little-or more-time this week to reflect on those things and people for which you are thankful.  Don't forget to consider the challenges of life as well, as they are especially important in shaping our character.  As you consider these blessing, find a way to express  your gratitude.  It will help your heart grow several sizes!  But it won't grow back the end of a finger.  So be sure to shut down the lawn mower before working on it!
I am so thankful for all of you!